Alright. Excited, for today's conversation.

I am joined by Sharon at black jaded wolf. I was telling Sharon ahead of, us hitting record that, you know, I've been following her in what she's been doing in the hobby probably ever since I've been back.

So this is gonna be fun to learn more about, her origin story, getting into collecting, starting a business, and everything else in between.

But without further ado, Sharon, welcome. How are you? I'm good. Thank you. Thank you for this opportunity, and, let's have a good conversation.

I would love that. And I maybe we start here because I'm I'm a Midwesterner and but I, you know, I follow the hobby online, and there always is something, like, going on in the New York area.

And it just seems like a a vibrant hobby community, Lots happening. There are shows, collectors meeting up.

Maybe just talk a little bit about just, like, the New York scene. I would I would love to kinda get some perspective from you on just, like, what what not only collecting is like, but building a business in in New York.

The New York market is very diversified. It's just like, there's a lot of big collectors here, but a lot of them don't go to shows also.

But they they shop online, you know, in big platforms. But and then there's also if you have a store here, there's just millions of opportunity.

People will walk into your store. You would meet, like, such a different type of people, you know, new collectors from Pokemon, from it's just a very diverse, you know, group, and it it's it's fun if you have a store here.

And I've been in the show scene for, like, twenty years, but, obviously, as you know, I kinda diversified a little by, opening you know, doing eBay, focusing on that, and also opening a physical store in Long Island.

And, you know, it's just so different.

I I've learned it, and, you know, I'm trying to take a little step back from shows, but it's it's interesting. You know? I go to different stores and support them, join join breaks from different sites.

You know? So I I like to kind of put myself and be a collector in this, you know, the last few years. So it's fun, but New York market is just so vast, basically.

That's all I could say. And when Fanatics basically just did, you know, the show here, you could see it just it's just different, you know, when it's held in New York. So No no doubt.

You mentioned, you know, I think that's just, like, dilemma you that, you know, business owners go through in the hobby where you you typically you come in you come in as a collector, you start a business, and then you're kind of balancing kind of the two between, you know, what you hold on, what you buy, sell, and trade.

Maybe we, like, rewind the tape.

You said you've been in the show scene for, like, twenty years. Maybe talk about, like, sharing the collector and and and how that started, and then what led into, you being a business owner in the hobby?

Okay. So I started twenty something years ago because I I love basketball, you know, the Jordan era and all that stuff.

And then, you know, going home from school at that time, I'm like, oh, would I just stop in in the corner store? They have packs. You know?

I mean, never seen it before, and then I start opening it. And then once I got my first job I mean, I live with my parents at that time still when I was in college, and I'm like, all my whole salary would just went too fast. You know?

It was very addictive. That was the beginning. And after a couple of years, I'm like, what am I gonna do with this sports car with the cards that I just pulled and stuff like that? And then I googled and I found a couple of local shows.

You know? I started with, like, a 50 table small church shows in the city in 40 Second Street. Could you imagine that? In the middle of Times Square, there's a small church show, and then you know?

And it was so funny. And then next thing you know, I was trying to move my collection, and this guy said, why don't why don't I give you a small spot in, like, a big show in New York?

You know? So I'm like, cool. That's fine. You know? I tried it. And, at that time, I was also graduating from college.

And I'm like I told my parents, after I graduate, I'm I'm gonna do this full time after that. I was like, they were like, so we just finished it. We just paid for your college for this. You know?

It was it was shock, but I enjoyed it. You know? And next thing you know, I'm this guy has left the hobby, and I have, like, 25 showcase in shows now. You know? It it's very different New York. East Coast market are so into vintage.

So it's like, when I started, it was literally, like, 85% vintage and probably 15%, you know, not all modern. There's coins. There's, you know, comics and all that toys, but it's very you know, modern stuff, like, is very rare.

So you know what? But it's also a way for me to kinda be different than the 80%, you know, 85%. So I focus on baseball, you know, baseball's autograph cards.

And then next thing, you know, after a few years, everybody's doing baseball, Bowman Chrome. You know? I was known as, like, the Bowman Chrome lady for a couple of years. You know?

Because I love stats. I I used to, like, go to bed at, like, two, 03:00 in the morning and finish all baseball, like, from minor leagues, rookie ball, and look at all the sport, box score. And next thing you know, that's my specialty.

And then after two years, everybody's doing it. I changed. Now I focus into basketball. So it always evolves. You know? You gotta look at the market. And then, you know, it just became a business now.

So it started as a hobby. I you're very passionate about it. And then, you know, after twenty years, I'm still doing it. So you mentioned what was a kind of a differentiator for you as you were getting going.

What is the fact that, you know, your market or where you're setting up most, of the dealers were selling vintage and you were, you know, selling Bowman and more modern stuff.

Maybe, like, when you think about the types of cards and categories that you as a collector Mhmm.

Towards, like, what are those? Like, what what's your kind of wheelhouse? And and and was it that wheelhouse that kinda led to you opening up the business?

So I really love autographs. That's that's my main passion. You know? So when everybody did when I started this, everybody's like, oh, you can't get a rookie sign. It's like, you know, it's you can't do that.

You know? You're tampering with the card. And guess what? After twenty years, now people are cracking up PSA ten Jordan to get them signed. You know? Mantle's rookie card 51 or 52 are getting signed, and they go for a lot of money.

So it it has evolved. So I started that. I love autograph. So I always teach people that are coming into the hobby. You gotta find a niche or you gotta find something that you actually enjoy too, not just as a business.

You know? And then the person who got me into this business, like, you know, you can be a collector and do this full time as a business.

So I think that's when that's probably the biggest the or the best advice I ever got because you can't attach to them.

I am an investor when it comes to, you know, the hobby, but I also wanna collect something that I'm passionate about. So it's kinda dual you know? It's like art. You know? You like art, but you also gotta see if it has value.

You gotta do your research, you know, that type of thing. So I stayed with with sports card and turned it into a business, but also not so much as a collector. My collector era has ended when I've officially turned into a business.

So you, you were, like, pretty adamant in telling your folks, like, yeah. I I did this college thing, but, you know, I have this other, path and that I'm gravitating towards.

I I'm into cars. I'm setting up a shows. I'm really enjoying it. Was was there a specific moment that you, like, just decided to take the plunge where it was like, this is what I'm doing, and it'll be sink or swim?

And, like, what was that moment that you you decided to just jump in and and it was this is what I'm doing for for the for the foreseeable future?

I think when I I was like, I love the show scenes. I love talking to people. I'm not a extrovert, but, you know, I'm I'm somewhere in between.

But I'm also, like, I I think that's one thing that people don't get. I I enjoy communicating with kids, when the people I meet are probably the most special thing about this hobby.

You know, every time I do like, shows now after twenty years, every night, I try to after shows, I try to have dinner with different group of people.

You know? Obviously, a lot of them has become my friends, but it it's that's probably my favorite thing. Talk to us about the name. Like, what what's the origin of black jaded wolf?

Where does that come from? That's funny. This is more like, I'm trying to open a Google account, and they asked me for my favorite color, favorite animal, and, obviously, you know, favorite stone, I guess.

You know? And it's black tailed wolf. And, you know, I I believe in branding since the beginning when nobody brands in this hobby. You know? You go to shows and nobody care about the everybody's sports card.

But I chose a name that's cool, and I think it's kinda unique, and I stayed with it. I no one's ever really brought this up, and I'm so happy you did. And, it's kind of a it's my passion is just, like, branding, marketing, positioning.

Talk about just, like, your observations and opportunity where you've kind of thought about, like, looking up and setting up at a show and just seeing everyone with the similar or same name and just your approach to, like, what you've done to, like, brand you, your company, and and how has that helped you to stand out in such a crowded space?

So the first thing was I I really wanted, like, a cool logo. You know? Everybody has this black, white background, So I wanted, like, perfect.

My name is black. You know? And then instead of, like, a animal, like, the whole wolf, I'm like, just the eye. You know? Just the green eye and with the black background. And it stood out.

So it's like, I I made cards and everything I sold on eBay. I put a card in with just that logo. You know? And then I go to shows like, oh, I bought from you before. I remember that logo. You know? I think it's so crucial.

And then in your it's like a force, you know, advertising that people don't see. But you know what? When they oh, I bought from you before. And then when I see you physically in the show, it's like, oh, I could buy from you here too.

You know? That type of thing. It's very subtle, but I think people you know, it it's a good thing to kinda protect your brand and also kinda grow your brand solely. I've the last, like, five years or so, I don't know.

It the the hobby is just constantly changing. It's constantly evolving. You mentioned those interactions of people who are pulling kinda your branding from cards that they bought online and talking to you at shows.

Like, how are how do you keep up with, like, the changes in the hobby from a customer perspective and just making sure that, like, what you have from, like, an inventory perspective are cards that, like, the current market or the current customer wants.

Like, how do you think through that? So like I said, I've been doing this for a long time, and I think I followed the trend and just you gotta follow your guts.

You can't just listen to a podcast and you know, or some social media and just do it. You you I've I've kinda followed my own and gut feeling like who's gonna be good, what's hot in the market, and what's the trend.

And I don't I'm not boasting, but I kinda see myself kinda like a trendsetter too, but not like, oh, buy this because I always teach my customer when you speak to me in the show is, I'm not selling you this card because I have them.

What I'm gonna ask you is kind of give you the negatives and the positive, and then I'm gonna give you all the stats.

And at the end, you decide who you wanna buy. That's how I like to teach kids and, you know, whoever's investing in in this platform.

What maybe, like, most recently, like, if you're going through it can be a real or it can be a hypothetical example, but, like, what do you think right now, like, 2025, what what are those types of cards that you think are the most desirable or, like, a majority of the market is after?

So you're making sure that you you've got some of those around you just in in case a potential customer comes up to you at a show or walks in, your storefront.

So, one thing when I hired my first employee is it's like, I want you know, I wanna take over your business.

And I'm like, okay. Because I'm in that stage that I do wanna take a step back. And then after two years, you know, teaching him, he's like, I can't do this.

This is like, this is like $24. 07 for you. You know? I said it is. You know? Because you have to read a lot. You have to kind of follow, like I said, the box score.

And then you gotta see who's what's a good kid to follow, really. It's not just one aspect. And then investing in football is one of the scariest fifteen years ago, but now it's probably the most popular investment.

You know? And so it's like you gotta see the team schedule for the next year, you know, who has the softest schedule, who has the best line in front of them, you know, for quarterbacks.

There's so many aspect to learn. And to me, it's just knowledge. It's just, you know, the number one thing when you wanna invest in this. And then, you know and there are sport that it's like baseball.

It's like when somebody opens a baseball product right now, great. All those prospect are 16, 17, 18 years old. They're not gonna touch Major League for, like, another three years.

There's always it's a roller coaster, you know, in baseball. So what I usually do if I wanna open baseball is sell them right away if you got some of the top names right now, and then buy them after six months because they're 40% lower.

You know? It's it's almost natural. It's just how it is. You know? You don't need to listen to me. Just follow the trend before you even invest if that's if that's what you want.

But, basically, that you know? Just listen. Use your own judgment, basically, and and study. I I I I took this from your site, but I I I thought it was interesting.

On your side, it says we specialize in growing our clientele portfolio for both short and long term investment. How how do you think about kind of the short game versus the long game?

Like, what sorts of pieces like, you mentioned that that ripping open a pack of of, baseball cards, like, pulling someone now, it's like, get rid of it and wait six months and see if anything happens.

But, like, in your mind, when you're thinking through it, like, how do you think of short term versus long term? First, I always ask my customer, what are you trying to build?

You know, long term or short term? I try the tools give them tools of, you know, both both category. So like I said, you wanna open, you know, open them and see if you wanna move them right away.

Most of the time, it's good to grade and move them, and then you could always rebuy them. But there's also times that if you really have a good gut feeling because let's say you pull, like, a really rare super factor of a kid. Right?

And you know you're not gonna rebuy this card again because if he does get hot, you know, it's so you hold on to it because your your investment there is, like, I don't know, the cost of the box or maybe the case. You know? It's low.

So I I'm I'm that way. If I buy the card at a good price, you know, I might hold a little longer. But if I pay for, like, you know, what it's cost right what it's worth right now, you know, I might then I really need to think about it.

Maybe this is his peak. You know? You gotta learn when their peak is and, you know, just go from there. You you mentioned, football, which, you know, it was like it it felt like hardly anyone was paying attention to football cards.

And then over the last few years, it's been like, you go to the national, and it's like, that's what people are, like, buying into quarterbacks that they believe are going to be great that next season.

When do you when obviously, like, football is everybody watches football. Most watch sport. Fantasy football is huge.

Like, in cards, when do you think that that, switch was flipped into it being just another sport to it being a huge piece of not only online, but the show scene? I I noticed the change. It's really after pandemic.

The market has become more of, like, a a gambling thing. I mean, it is reality. It's not something I shade after or hide. You know? It's there's a lot more people the newer people that are coming in that are investing based on you know?

They're taking a risk, basically. So when that happened and, you know, you you have to I don't mind that it there's high risk, obviously, but the safest are quarterbacks.

And in the end of the day, you you still need to study because NFL is they change quarterback like it's dirty laundry.

You know? There's only a few top guys there that are really worth holding on to. So if you wanna be safe, few years ago, it was Tom Brady, but now he's retired.

It's it's Pamela Holmes. But it costs a lot of money now to buy Patty. You know? So now you gotta study who could be the next guy that will be facing who's the Manning to to Tom Brady, you know, at that time.

So now who's who's gonna be the Manning for Mahomes, basically? I mean, is it Hertz? Because now it's two Super Bowls that they met each other. Is it you know, what's his name? Josh Allen.

Lamar Jackson. Yeah. Exactly. I I I love, what's his name? Bengals. Joe Burrow. Yeah. Joe Burrow. Yes. You know, I love Joe, and he has this it's not just see, Lamar has, like, has this stigma that he can't win in the playoff.

That's bad when you have done it a few years. You know? And Josh Allen is starting to have that, which is sucks because I really think he's one of the best. You know? And then Mahomes could just win in bad situation and good situation.

And then Hurst is just so cheap even though he won this year. He's still cheap. But if he win again, then now it's starting to change. You know? So let's see. I think this national is gonna be, it's gonna be so much fun.

It's like, what's his name? Fields going to the Jets is like a huge new news in the East Coast, you know. So I feel like and people forget. Nationals is when training camp starts, you know.

So that's why football is always hot there. I never buy football during national because that's, like, the peak. But, and then if there are guys that are not hot during that, nationals, then you pick those guys.

That's where I bought Josh, what's his name? Hertz before because everybody was buying Jordan Love, and Joe Burrow, Herbert, and I bought I invested on Hertz.

So Well, I know there's a I I did some perusing in your on your eBay store, and there's a pretty big Hertz card that I'd I'd love to chat about here in a minute.

But Mhmm. Let let's hit eBay because you, you talked about shows, got a store. How does how does eBay and what you're doing on eBay fit into kind of the black jaded wolf portfolio of channels that you sell through?

Okay. So this is huge actually for me for I've been selling on eBay for almost twenty years. You know? My account's been there for twenty years, but I haven't, like, fully % sell through eBay because I tried a lot of different platform.

I was transparent in this you know, in everywhere I go that I I I tried different platforms. You know? But taking a step back in shows, it's harder to buy in shows right now.

You know? And selling in shows is like a bonus for me. It's it's not my main focal point now. And then, obviously, for a few years, repack was really hot selling to repackers. You know? So it made my life easier.

And then and then it's became harder again. So you gotta evolve. You gotta see it. When everybody was selling the last year to repack, I kinda took a step back. And I'm like, okay. At some point, this is not sustainable.

What do I have to do? Now I have to change my business model. You know? And then I'm like, I had to choose a platform to really focus. I can't spread it out in, you know, four, five different platforms.

You know? And and I chose eBay because I think it gets the most views, And then they're and I know they're invested in growing their different type of platform too, like live, you know, Golden, when Golden was shipped there.

I think it kinda made me you know what? I think eBay is the most complete package for me. You know? And I don't promote anything I don't use. So this is something I tell my customer and I use.

So so eBay has become my main platform right now more than my my own site. You know? I push everything. Everything that's hot, it goes to my eBay account. Let that's and then I have, you know, few account.

One is for my higher option, and one is for my running options. You know? I love it. The, you mentioned the repacker thing and just like you know, there's trends and then trends fade, and then there's other things that pop up.

And I feel like as a business owner, that presents obstacles or hurdles for you to overcome and rethink.

Maybe talk about just, like, running the business, like, it can be recently or previously. Like, what are some of those hurdles that you've had to deal with over the last, like, you know, twelve to eighteen months?

And, yeah, just talk through, like, overcoming obstacles as a business owner. Funding is so important. You know? Because you can't just it's it's so easy when you just wanna buy everything.

You know? That's great. People always I I sometimes get some, you know, nice and rude messages, you know, about why is that when every time I look for a hot card, you have one at least in your eBay site.

Yeah. It's like it's some of them gets really nasty, but some of them are good, like, very positive.

You know? And it it's just, you know, I I study, and I I always make sure I cover myself and stuff like that. And and then the hurdle is getting over how could you have the hot cards.

You know? To me, that's one of the biggest thing because the trend right now are so important that you gotta know what's trending and what's in the on the way down.

So, basically, my ear is always, you know, on platforms, on news, on ESPN, and all that stuff. But knowing what's you know, how to when to move an item that's hot is is so important too.

So, you know, let's say playoff January is Super Bowl. Don't sell it. Don't wait till after the Super Bowl. Sell it free Super Bowl. You know? That's the best way to to kinda see how the market works. And you know?

I think so many people struggle to sell because especially when the player or the product or the brand is on this upward trajectory, it's it's this I think it's just human nature where it's like, well, if it's going up, it's gonna continue to go up forever.

Like, what what sort of, like, lessons or feedback would you have for just anyone out there who's, like, holding, like, great cards right now?

And it might not be, like, an attachment, like, oh, I this is my team or this is my player, but they're just holding a great card right now, and they continue to see it go up.

Like, how how do you give feedback or coach them that, like, hey. You're probably best to to get rid of this at at this point.

Like, how do how do you help people think through that? This is the same motto I use, and this is the same thing I tell my customer. I always tell them to kinda build a decent portfolio, like, from big card to kinda middle range cards.

And then when a player gets hot, don't wait for them to be like you know, there's no super hot 90%, none of them are gonna get super hot.

You know? So I would tell them to kinda get rid of maybe 70% of the middle and get rid of maybe one of the big cards.

And then in the end of the day, you have three big cards or a few cards that's kind of free already, but they're still your biggest cards. You know? So you kinda play with house money at that point.

So that's why and then at the end of the day, when you gamble right and you play it right, you will have a full portfolio of cards that's free, but it still have a lot of value, basically.

So that's why that's that's how I it's, like, hurts. If you notice in my email, I only have one left. The ref I sold during the playoff.

You know? But that one card is not free, but it's very close. You know? So but it it's you just gotta kinda be smart. You can't hold everything because it's still a business for me, and I have to kinda still fund other cards.

I'm I'm on to the next investment, basically. You know? It's hard for me to rebuy another national treasure of Hertz unless it it dips down a little.

And, you know, you don't want it to dip down because it's bad for the people that invested on it. So I don't want that, so I always move on to the next person.

I think you've used this word a few times, but it's, like, such a it's such a piece of the way the hobby moves and operates with it just like this gambling component where it's like, no matter what, when you're buying a a card, like, you're it could be $55 card or a a, you know, $10,000 card.

There's there's some sort of risk and some sort of component to it. How how do you deal with the losses?

Like, you know, I'm sure we all deal with it. Right? We've got cards that we bought for, you know, a certain price, and then no matter what, we're never gonna get back to that that price, like, based on the circumstance.

Like, how do you manage through that, especially as a business owner?

It's kinda the same thing as what I just said previously. It's like moving some of the stuff at rate that you know you're making money, but you're not, you know, crushing it.

And in the end, you just you know, the rest at lower the cost of the rest of the stuff, especially the higher risk stuff.

You know? So that's how I think of it. So and if you're 75% right in your investment, you're you're winning in a good way. So to me, that's how I always look at it.

I I you cannot be a %, but if you're gambling not I I don't like that word because I feel like there's so many people now are just, you know it it it is a gamble because we have kids in our, you know, in our midst, and I feel like it it's more like bidding smartly, but, you know, it's still your passion.

I always tell kids that, you know, don't look at this item as as, as money. You know? Think of it as something that you like.

And then if it has assets later on, it's great. You know? That's how I tell people. So it's it's to me, it's just kinda lost my thoughts in that gambling thing. You know? But it's, you know, gambling, I don't like that word.

So it's more like investment investing properly, basically. What, in this current era of the hobby, like, 2025, it feels like we're in a pretty healthy spot, lot of strong sales, lot of activity online, lot of content.

Like, what excites you most about the hobby right now? So when you say the hobby, are we just talking about sports cards?

Yeah. Okay. Because I think there are other healthy, like, you know, Pokemon, nonsport is growing. But I think our part of it, like sports card, is starting to settle, and I think it's a healthy settle.

The big cards are gonna stay the big cards, and that's what we want. They're crushing down a little like people panicking. You know? No. They're healthier than pre pandemic. They're way healthier than before.

You know? And now, so the cheaper stuff are also healthy because I feel like kids could buy them now. That's a problem a few years ago. You can't buy a base card base rookie card PSA 10 of a a guy you like.

It's, like, four, five hundred or a thousand dollar. Now you could buy them for, like, $50. 60 bucks. And then when it gets hot, it could go up to a hundred. You know? So to me, that that's it opens up the market so so wide.

So for kids to be coming back, you know, and that I like that. So I I we we're gonna talk about some of your cards. Mhmm. Some some, I think, you have, and I picked some from your store.

So we'll we'll go through some of those, and I'm curious to see what you got. But before we do that, I wanna ask you about maybe a I always like to ask about a a memorable sale.

Like, is there a memorable sale that you've had, over the last, like, you know, twelve months or so that whether it was the card, the sale price, whatever it was that, like, stands out in your mind as, like, kind of a a pillar sale for you, you know, over the last year?

So this is a very, passion of mine recently. Well, it's been I've been collecting WNBA cards for a long time. You know? Especially the Rittenhouse autograph of, like, superstars, their rookie cards.

They made very limited, numbers of them. So I've been collecting for twenty years of those two. And then this national was the first time I set up, like, two showcase of WNBA cards.

And it sold so well at some point that I have to, like, take back some stuff that I'm like, okay. I thought I just wanted to show it off, so kinda, like, you know, show people that they're, you know, the WNBA card sells.

You know? This is like Caitlin cards was out, but not fully out because they're not in, you know, in Fever, Jersey yet.

And then it's like, those are my favorite sell. I made a couple of trades with some of the female in the hobby group, and they were so ecstatic.

You know? The passion is just there. So I'm I was so excited about, you know, selling some of those card during nationals this year. So I'm I'm targeting on, like, two, three showcase now this year for the WNBA.

The, listeners are gonna think that that this was staged because I've been just all I've been talking about over the last few months is WNBA cards, and you just you just referenced that.

Do you I think the national's gonna look a lot different. Right? Caitlin Clark, you know, will will support that. But then, you know, it's been fun to watch, other collectors jump in and and buying other players.

Like, it's it's been a fun year. Like, if you've been in that space, it's been a fun and and and different year, and you've been doing it mentioning Rittenhouse, you've been doing it for a while.

I'd love to learn from you just on, like, the the the change in in market and interest.

Like, talk just as a business owner, what's that been like for you, especially in an area that you're deeply passionate about? It's fun because it's not just about the money, basically.

It's more like, wow. The interest is really there now. You could buy so a few years ago, I I had a, a collector, I could say, that sold me a bunch of Brianna Stewart, Rittenhouse.

He's been holding for a few years. You know? And these are all rookie. They created, like, different posts, like, three posts, I think.

And then I bought 12 of them. At that time, they were going for, like, $5,600. And then after a few months, it became, like because she signed with the Liberty, and it became, like, 1,500 for an autograph per autograph.

And I have 12 of those. And without grading them you know? And then I decide to grade them, and I got, like, eight out of 12 that was PSA 10.

And they were all less than 10 pop because they're rare. You know? Some of them are probably still in boxes that people haven't opened because they're just that rare.

So and then before national two months before national, I got my PSA order back, and they were selling for, like, 3,000 a piece now, PSA 10.

And I was like, okay. But I know I I kept a set for a set for myself. You know? And then next thing you know, they just keep going up.

After I sold those whatever PSA 10, I kept my set. Now they're, like, 45 to 5,000 each. So I was like, okay. I'm definitely so that's the thing about being early. Right? Because I kinda trendset.

Like you said, I was the first ones putting this all this upgrading them. And now everybody's chasing for those things. You know? And people that bought them for 3,000, obviously, are not gonna sell them for 3,000.

You know? So so it just it's it's fun because I know that the space for women are starting to open up. And some of the investors are majority male still because now they know there's obviously money to be made there.

But I I hope that some of the younger collector that are coming in are you know, could see, oh, there's a girl that I could collect.

You know? That that's so the bad part about that of Caitlin is, do you know that the prism this year is more double the price of the men's prism?

Oh, I oh, I know. So I'm like, this is the first time I opened the box that's worth $1,200 for one box. And then it's insane. And then a customer of mine pulled this card, number to 20, cherry blossom card.

He's asking it sold for 11,000. I saw that. Yeah. Woah. And the funny part, I sold a Shay Gilchas Alexander PSA 10 Tiger for 10 k, and that was, like, the highest it ever sold just a month ago.

So I'm, like, thinking in my head, what is going on? Because now it became a high risk investment. Used to be like, oh, this is fun. It's a good investment. You know? I I can't it's so scary to touch now. A customer pulled the gold.

They're asking 20,000. I wanna own one, but I I'm not sure I wanna put 20,000 because it's not it it's scary now. You know? It's like I would buy Touche Gilchets Alexander Tiger for that. So it it's it's a little scary now.

So if you are investing, I would probably focus a little less on Caitlin and buy the other girl you know, the other players because it's just almost this is when I teach tell my customer, I know we want Caitlyn, but there's other people that's worth investing too.

You know?

We just gotta, like, be smart. It's hard to cut to to tell customers that because they really love Caitlyn. But I think it it gets to a point that it's just not smart. You know? I you're you you and I are on the same wavelength.

I I I'm I'm living currently a mile away from where Caitlyn Clark plays, so it's really hard to not just want to buy her stuff all the time. But then you look at all the other places that's and it's just like, I don't know.

Like, this seems like a smarter play. The Rittenhouse Stewie example, the, like, the hardest part, I think, of all of this is to be being on an island and being alone.

Like, saying, I see something here, and no one else seems to see it. And, yeah, $500 is a lot of money, but, like, this just makes sense to me.

Talk about, like, that because I feel like that's when you make it big, when the other people aren't around, but you're seeing something that no one else is seeing.

Talk about just, like, how big of a role being, like, the first is into doing what you do.

I don't take that for granted, and I'm very actually I don't use my voice and say, oh, this is what you should buy right away because I feel like a lot of people take advantage of that and not really follow it.

It's just, oh, I they have these cards. You know? I think I choose like I said, I choose what to tell people because I I do the I think it's a really good sound investment. So to me, with the Kate with you know, it's so funny.

When this guy walked up to me, I know what they're going for. I literally offered him a little bit above what they're going for to buy the whole collection. I was so pissed he walked away. You know?

I was so pissed. And I'm like, I gave him a price that nobody else will buy in the room. I know that for a fact because our hobby has become so much into comps. You know? When they see a 500 comp, they are not gonna pay 600. You know?

It's just how it is. So to me, I but the guy wasn't worried about the come. He's just like, oh, maybe I should wait hold on to it a little longer. So the funny part is I saw him the next show, and I was like, oh, this is the guy.

He's gonna tell me he sold it. Nope. He said, you were the highest offer. I wasn't I just wasn't ready. And then he brought it again to me, and then he sold me the whole thing.

So it's more like you just gut feeling. Everybody's like, oh my god. You paid so much for that. You know? It's you just gotta have the gut feeling, and you gotta follow it.

You know? That's that's, great feedback. Great advice. I love that. I I share in a similar philosophy. Let's let's dig into some of the cards you have. What cards do you wanna talk about? Because I know you got some cool ones.

How about you two you choose one so I know the next one I'll pull is, like, good. Well, we we've we've already mentioned, we've already mentioned him once, and I feel like he's the top of the conversation.

So I gotta talk about this card. The the Shay Gilders Alexander, probably. This is the rookie signature. That's the one I I chose once this week.

You you we're on the same page here. Right? Leading MVP candidate just had a spectacular season. What's the history of this card in in your collection? Like, talk about that. So I like diversifying my portfolio like I said.

I had one of the sickest collection of Mojo Trae Young when Trae Young was spending so hot. And this guy call this this customer came up to me during nationals, I think, yes, three years ago, said, I I have a lot of shade.

You have a lot of tray. Can we do one tray? You know? I said, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. At that time, this is a probably, like, a $4,000 card only.

So I was like, okay. And Tray Mojo was at, like, $67,000 already at that time. You know? So I said, okay. And I have the jersey number tray, you know, some big tray. So I traded, like, a tray, and he gave me a couple of Shea.

You know? And I'm like, I love Shea because I met a customer in LA and said, I know his family. This guy is a good kid, straight arrow, but there's something in him that he's he's a hard worker.

So I love that. When I do research on investing on a kid, I love to know their, you know, not just how they play, you know, their growth every season.

He's so consistent. People, like, initially, their first year was like, he can't shoot. You know? He doesn't have a three point shot.

But he's also the two point he's like a Rip Hamilton. He's the two point machine. You know? That's what they call him before. And now he he improved this game. He's like a totally team player, a good captain for the team.

You know? So this card is just now the anchor one of the biggest anchor to my collection for Shay, and I held on to it. At some point, people have offered me when it was going for 5,000, somebody offered me 6.

And I'm just like, no. No. I'll hold. And then it got to this national. The last sale was, I think, was, like, $1,617,000, and I have it for 20, and nobody bit. And I'm I'm so happy because I was Really?

And now, you know, I had a 28,000 offer, and I'm like, think about it. Maybe it's something to consider now. But I'm also thinking, if if Antmin Gold is going for 50 to 60,000, why can't Shay get close to that?

Is he half the player? You know? So doing national, I also bought a national treasure of his for, you know, a fair price higher than I paid higher than what I were going for at that time.

And then a customer saw it. I don't like selling car that I just bought unless you're a good customer of mine because, you know, I feel like, you know, you have the right to at least look at it.

And then he offered me double close to double what it last sold. I said, okay. I can't turn that down. You know? But I had a feeling. I told him, hold on to it till the season. It's gonna double what he paid even. And guess what?

The last sale of that card was 80 something thousand. So to me, the reason why I told him that is because if Ant Man is going for a hundred 20, if Luca is going for a hundred, why can't the MVP candidate be a quarter of that?

It just makes no sense. You know? At some point, people will be rational. It might not get to that point, but at at least 75% of it.

So now I told and this guy is very happy. He's a customer. You know? He's very happy. I told him what it will should be worth. Because I told him at that time, I didn't wanna sell because I think it's worth 50 to 60,000.

And I I did it. Oh, I love the I love all the context. So you got a guy that is, a rocket ship, and he is front runner for MVP. His team is, you know, projected to, you know, make the finals.

Could we so he literally could have an MVP, a a finals trophy, and a finals MVP Yeah. All this season. It's it's it's very possible. How do you determine based on that could happen, but it could also not happen?

Like, how do you determine with a card like this if you're you're you're holding through that or if you're gonna decide to, like, maybe let it go? Like, what's your mentality? So like I said, I I don't just buy one card.

I have three golds before. You know? I sold a bunch of them. I have cracked eyes. You know? I sold a lot of them, and I kept two. I choose I always choose one or two to keep. So I kept the contender gold, PSA 10, and this card.

So this is basically my hold for Shay. You know? I'm in no rush to sell. I'm always buying still, but I'm also not buying as much because now it's almost peak. You know? Now it's more of a gamble than years ago.

So, you know, this is this is a card now that I could just enjoy. You know? Sell it when I want to, basically. So, you know, there's no rush if you play your game like that, basically. You gotta you almost it's free, but it's not free.

You know what I mean? Because it still has its value. But you know at some point, you sold the card. I I sold the last. Like, some guy come come up to me last week on a show and, like, do you have any smaller shades?

I said, no. I sold them. Because I don't need it to peak peak to sell. Because most of the time, if you wait for peak peak, you'll never gonna make money. It's not how you run business.

You know? But but people always think, I oh, Sharon never sells anything because oh. And she loses because by the time she wants to sell, it's not worth I'm like, no. But, you know, it's okay. I love the three card strategy.

We gotta talk about this one. You you got I mean, the Super Bowl winner, that nobody wants to buy, apparently. Two 2020, Jalen Hertz Prism rookie, finite auto ridiculous card. One of Hertz's best card. I just want you to know.

Oh, wow. So so we're we're we're tracking. She we need to communicate. I'm showing this. That's what you got. Like, how long have you had this card? Talk about Jalen Hurts and and just especially after the Super Bowl win.

So I had this card probably a year after his rookie year. A customer of mine pulled it in a break, and I he was, like, in Connecticut, so it's, like, four hours drive for me. And I said, I'm taking it. Whatever the price he said.

And at that time, people are telling me, oh, you're paying too much. That's insane. He's, like, the fourth best quarterback that year. You know? I'm like, I like the team. I love it that the coach support him from the beginning.

I know he was gonna give be given a good chance by Sirianni because they didn't pick up a good backup. You know? Like, oh, he's gonna compete for a back. No. Sirianni got there and, like, this is my quarterback, and I like that.

So I that's why I fully invested in him. I mean, you know, the the the coach should see who the player he has, and I feel like they've the Sirianni gave him a lot of confidence. And if he could trust that, I could trust that.

You know? That's and I think he's such a good leader. You know? He's so focused, and that's why I invested in him. And there was also a report that he the team has the top three softest schedule that year.

So I'm like, okay. That that's the guy to invest in. You know? Nobody bought him. I paid a lot, I thought, but at that time, it was a lot. But, you know, it's like, okay.

Let me tell. It's like 20 something thousand. You know? His his card wasn't sniffing anywhere 10,000 at that time. But the guy wanted it. I drove there. I picked it up, and, you know, I still have it, basically.

So during before the Super Bowl, he was getting hot. The team was hot. I did get an offer for a hundred k. So I'm like, I considered it, but, you know, it's something like I said, it's, you know, no rush.

And I think, actually, the team still have a shot for another Super Bowl. So and I don't know if you noticed, quarterback don't get hot till, like, their second or third appearance in the Super Bowl.

So, I'm hoping for a good year again. So let's see. That's, a ridiculous card, an awesome story. I I saw this one, and I just I mean, it's a classic, but I had to bring this up.

And this is the o three ultimate collection, ultimate signatures, MJ, out of 23 gold PSA nine. I mean, this is the this is, Michael Jordan, OnCard Auto, hand printed serial number.

You look at this card, and it brings collectors immediately back to a certain time. Talk about this, Jordan. So this is very dear to my heart. I actually, you know, put a high price because it it's not something I wanna move.

10/23 is my birthday. Mhmm. That's fine. So it's so and, you know, it's just so hard to find the gold for that year. That's, LeBron's rookie year. You know? That set is just very dear to me.

I used to have a complete set, and I moved it. So with LeBron, with Kobe. You know? And that year, if you ask, like, the true Jordan collectors and, like, basketball collector, that's, like, an iconic set.

You know? So I love that set, and, you know, it's I don't know if you noticed on eBay, on card Jordans are picking up big right now. You know?

It's one of the hottest thing. So the last few shows, I sold a few Jordan pieces. So this is, like, one of the piece that I decided I wanna keep. So, it's still on eBay, but if I get a fair offer, you know, it it's gonna be sold.

Like I said, I'm not a collector collector, but it's one of those piece that I if I don't get my price, I'm in no rush to move it, basically. There's some incredible cards. Everyone go check out Black Jeeted Wolf's eBay store.

Just awesome stuff. You you have one more on you that you wanna talk about? This is one of my favorite because of, it's just a Han Solo, Superfractor. It's the first year of birth. Show you the I I did pick this one out too.

We're the same length. No. So I love this piece. This is actually, like, one of the first the first year of, star, Star Wars galaxy before when people went crazy with galaxy. And it's just you know, the autograph is very clean.

It's very rare that his autograph don't come out the stickers. That's why I like the card, and it's just iconic. So Yeah. One of my favorite. I saw I love stuff I have never seen before, and I saw that one.

I was like, ah, we'll talk about that one. This has been a ton of fun. I'd love for before we let you go, I'd love for you just being a business owner, being someone who's been doing shows for twenty years.

A lot of people out there listening kinda hit the show circuit on the weekends and think, what if, like, maybe I can do this full time?

What sort of advice would you give to anyone out there who's listening who are interested in kinda pursuing their their own business within the hobby? I think, finding your own niche. It the hobby is so broad right now.

You gotta find a specialty that people will actually know tied to you. You know? If you like autograph, focus on that. If you like stay vintage, you wanna stay in vintage. I'm not saying you don't do other things, obviously.

You you have to do other things to pay for bills. You know? Like, you know, you have to move buy stuff that you could move to kinda pay for your events. You know? But you gotta have a niche that people will kinda tie you to it.

And then the other one is branding. Take care of your brand. Your reputation to me is so important. I think, there's so many people that kinda didn't pay attention to that.

But you know? And just reputation and, you know, branding. And the last thing is you gotta be passionate about what you do. Because if you're just in it for the money, I think it it's tougher.

Because the you know, a few years ago, you could buy a card and profit a %, you know, easily. Now the margin is a little tighter, but you could, there's still you know, I would rather do this than do anything that you know?

I I graduate a teaching degree, so I would rather do that than than chase kids around for for nine for ten hours a day.

So it's to be a business owner is, like, such freedom that you don't see in other you know, having a nine to five job.

So what I what I teach for the younger generation is, like, you know, not everyone could be a business owner because it's gotta be self motivated.

You know? And you gotta know your your craft, basically. If you're not ready for that, then, you know, you you gotta focus until you're ready, then do it full time. You know? This was Sharon, Blackjaded Wolf.

So many good nuggets. So much good information. Really appreciate the time. Thank you, Brett. I appreciate the being here. I actually had fun in this this conversation. It's really cool. Awesome. Talk to you soon. Thanks.