I see the types of flips as falling into 4 timeframes, each involving different cards and players (and varying levels of risk!).

My favorite is the short-term flip, but it’s also the least guaranteed to net you a good return.

Let me know which one you focus on!

Time-Frame: 1-3 months

These make up the bulk of my investments. They keep me active in the market, and quicker time frames allow your money to move faster.

Generally, I’m targeting about a 30% return for cards in the $75-$400 range. Cheap cards need a heftier return, while expensive cards might only need 10% to be a great flip.

Example Players

You’re generally looking for players with a bit more volatility, such as young players with upside. You need them to move up in value fast.

Time-Frame: 4-8 months

Many of my “short-term flips” eventually turn into this category when they don’t give me quite the spike I need. It’s another reason (of many) why I like high-floor guys. If they don’t spike right at this moment, it’s not a big deal because they likely will at some point.

Example Players:

These are players I have reason to believe will increase, but don’t have the volatility of a short-term hold.

Time Frame: 8 months - multiple years

These are the guys who are almost made men and may turn into Forever Holds. They’re still actively playing with a chance of becoming one of the hobby GOATs.

Example Players

If these guys retired today, they wouldn’t be talked about as ALL-TIME players, but they have the career trajectory to end up there eventually.

Time-Frame: Until you die or need the money

I like to call these 401(k) cards, because these are set-and-forget. Retirement plan. Put money in, and watch it grow.

This category is reserved for GOATs, especially in the hobby (Tim Duncan isn’t a hobby GOAT like Kobe is, even if he was likely the better player).

I also like these players to be retired, or so close that their legacy is already set. These are the guys that 50 years from now, people will still be collecting.

Example players

As the hobby grows, demand for these players will only go up:

Who do you have your eye on for investments?

+ 2025 Topps Chrome Sapphire Football - May 22 | No pricing yet - Even though Topps Chrome has already been released, the Sapphire edition carries its own audience, due to the low-numbered parallels and premium aesthetic. They’re expected to be available on the Topps website on May 22 via EQL, which uses a lottery system to distribute boxes. Probably worth putting your name in, as premium releases have been selling for nice upticks on eBay.

*Release dates can (and often do) change as products get delayed 🙄. It’s possible some notable sets are being released this week that I covered in previous editions.

**Pricing taken from active eBay listings. Items ordered from links will result in a small affiliate commission at no cost to you.

News From Around the Hobby

+ Will Panini Live On? - “[Donruss] is one of Panini’s first major unlicensed basketball releases following the loss of its NBA license, which instantly makes this product one of the more intriguing experiments of the year.” The checklist isn’t bad, but it might not have Flagg or Knueppel, which would seriously put a damper on things. The #1 thing I’m looking for is how unlicensed Downtowns perform, considering no licensed Topps inserts have approached their popularity.

+ Bowman or Topps Series 2 - Baseball’s my weakest sport, so enjoy this breakdown from Athlon about rookie values between these two heavy-hitting releases! Bowman Chrome (naturally) comes out ahead, but there’s a lot of interesting info in here.

+ Wemby’s the Man - I don’t know if you’ve heard, but this guy’s pretty good. Check out the top 3 sales of the year, including a couple topping $500k (and only 1 of them is a rookie!).

Once you start getting heavy into card collecting, it’s amazing how fast the cards can pile up! Just a few weeks ago, I had a 12-box order show up on my birthday…I ripped those suckers but now there are STILL piles on my desk.

Whether you’re going through old shoe boxes, ordering lots of singles or (like me) ripping lots of cards, you’ve got to have…[Keep Reading]