Are "Cheap" Slabbed Cards a Good Investment + The $15 Slab Debate

Sports Cards Nonsense

Hobbies, Leisure

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2026

⏱️ 87 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Sports Cards Nonsense, Jesse Gibson is joined by Alex from Clever Cuban Cards to dive into the current state of the hobby and the strategies that actually work for collectors today. We kick things off with a deep dive into the "Bin to Binder" challenge, where Alex reveals how he managed to turn a strict $35 monthly budget into a collection currently valued at over $1,100 in just two months. We break down the specific flips, including a massive $60 to $325 move on an Albert Pujols rookie at a recent card show, and discuss the discipline required to keep "PC" cards instead of chasing a quick premium. The conversation moves into the world of low-end slabs and the "15 dollar slab" debate. Jesse and Alex debate whether it makes sense to grade modern cards that return as PSA 9s when they often sell for less than the cost of the grading fee itself. We also tackle the ethics and mechanics of cracking slabs, including Alex’s recent purchase of a PSA 8 Tom Brady case hit with the express intent to sell it raw or regrade it, and whether the hobby is shifting toward a more "pro-restoration" mindset similar to the comic book and Pokemon communities. We also cover the latest headlines, from the "Taco Seasoning Bandit" who used grocery store self-checkouts to steal thousands in sports cards to the recent massive sales volume in February 2026. We wrap up by answering listener questions about the future of Topps, the safety of TCG versus sports cards as a long-term play, and whether card manufacturers should include identification guides on packs to help new collectors navigate the endless sea of parallels and short prints. Check out Clever Cuban's eBay Live tonight! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	dealer had a $75 sticker on. I said, that's a pretty cool card. Looked it up. The last that was $275.
0:05.3	Did you offer him like 65? I offered him 60. Oh, you dirty dog. Well, well, well.
0:16.3	Ladies and gentlemen, this is a weird position to be in. I feel like I haven't been in this
0:20.2	spot for quite
0:21.0	some time, especially being gone for half the month. Your boy, sports boy, is running the show today.
0:27.3	Mikey is out. He's with the fam running some personal errands. What we have today, though, is a special
0:34.0	guest. One of my favorite go-to backups, Mr. Alex of Clever Cuban Cards.
0:40.0	How the heck are you, Alex?
0:41.0	I'm doing well.
0:41.5	How are you, Jesse?
0:42.1	I'm great.
0:42.8	I'm great.
0:44.5	Before we started the show, we had an in-depth conversation about Harry Potter,
0:49.7	tops cards, PSA, all the things that I feel like, as we were talking about then, I was like,
0:55.0	this is all great fodder for conversation on the podcast.
0:58.7	At this point, given where some of those topics went, I'm kind of glad we kept some of it off air.
1:04.7	But I do want to talk about a number of things.
1:07.9	First off, what's, why do, why is it that you are so popular on the internet?
1:14.9	Did you know, like, your content is some of the most popular on the SCN channel these days,
1:19.9	other than the Mike and Jesse Hauer?
1:22.8	I'd actually argue that on YouTube, I'm more popular than the Mike and Jesse Hauer.
1:25.9	I didn't want to say that. I mean, apparently you have no problem saying that, but okay, whatever. You guys beat me podcast-wise. That's fine. Your content is very, very popular. And that's why it's like, it's fun to have you in here, because you can maintain a conversation, even though like half the time, I feel like the preparation of like, hey, this is what we're going to talk about specifically is very limited. So you're good to jump in there. So I'm glad you were able to jump in. Yeah. I think I riff well. I think that, you know, I keep things transparent, honest and kind of, you know, I think I have an appeal to collectors who are newer to the hobby. You know, the education side.
	...

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