What's going on everybody. Welcome back to Stacking Slabs. This is your hobby content alternative. I'm your host, Brett. This is the flagship episode each and every week we dig into a topic that is top of mind for me.

I love digging into the psychology behind collecting, analyzing what's happening, in my own personal collecting, and then also viewing how you all are operating and collecting.

There's always so many stories within this hobby, and I try not to overreact when I see something. I try to piece different examples and different trends together and try to see how these things are forming over a long period of time.

And then when I get enough information or have heard enough things through the countless conversations that I'm having, I jot it down and decide, you know what?

This could be a topic to explore in a flagship episode of stacking slabs. And that's what we're gonna do today. I am fired up. There is a lot going on in the world of sports cards. There's a lot going on in the world of sports.

Go Pacers. I think that we get opportunities throughout the week to take a step back and reflect and talk about cards because it's our escape, and that's what I wanna do here in this episode.

The topic for today's episode is why one card can be a collection and why one card in some instances can be enough.

There have been countless sound bites I've that I've heard from either people I'm having conversations with on stacking slabs, private chats, DMs, where this topic has come up. I think maybe it was the last WNBA card podcast.

Go run over and check out the WNBA card podcast on the stacking slabs feed. Those are coming out every Saturday with my host, Caitlin at Cold Lunch Cards. We were having a conversation, and she brought up this topic.

And it wasn't the first time I had heard this, but I made a mental note. And I was like, okay. That that's really fun because usually, something triggers for me where it's like, okay. That's something I'm experiencing too.

And so we we might wanna explore it further on an episode today. So we're gonna get into it. Before we do that, one ask from all of you for all of you, if you're enjoying this, make sure you hit the follow button and, leave a review.

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Go run over there. But let's get into it. So why one card can be a collection? I think we can break down the belief that volume equals value. And I don't want to say anything negative out of the gates about quantity.

I think quantity is such an important, facet to how and why we collect. I would consider myself way more of a quantity collector than I am a single card collector.

I but but when I dig into my collection and what I have quantity of, there's connection points back to a broader, strategy or a broader picture of what I'm building.

I'm big into projects, and projects typically, take, you know, quantity. Set builders, I believe, are the foundation of this hobby, building out sets. Building out sets does so much for the hobby.

Right? It's fun to see that all take shape. It is the purest form of collecting. Also, in turn, individuals who maybe wear other hats in the hobby like investor, or, you know, flipper or whatever.

Like, the the market is crazy when you get this dynamic of set collector and, investor, and then a card goes up for auction, and there's competition within those groups.

And once a once a rare card moves into a set collector's collection of whatever project they're working on that involves that card, it it really changes the entire landscape of value of card.

So that is something that I just wanted to call out. But I think we we are conditioned to think collections in general must be expansive.

And one of the evolutions I have had and I'll also say this, like, there are a lot of collectors that are quantity collectors because they are building out sets.

They are, in these projects. It takes a lot of cards to do that. There is another facet. Right? You've got collectors in the PSA registry who, track what they're doing there. And typically, when you're in the registry, there's quantity.

So I am all for quantity collecting. I would consider myself a quantity collector. I just wanna kinda make sure that's known upfront, but I also wanna dig into the other side of that.

And that's, you know, I think we're conditioned to think collectors must be expansive. You know, just think about the way our car the the things that exist to, hold our cards.

And I'm looking on the floor right now, and I got two XL Zion cases next to me that, outside of the cards that are in the PSA vault right now for me. The other majority of my collection sits within two Zion cases.

You've got the display case of it all. You've got showcases. You've got the Instagram grids. These are things that exist to help us think that we need to fill and we need these things need to be a continuation.

They can need to continue to grow. I think more often better quantity equals, like, a better from a marketplace perspective, but I don't think the the model necessarily always works for everybody.

I think some of the negatives about quantity collecting is that there begins to be some, misalignment when you add more.

The connection points might split. I think that sometimes we just buy cards to, you know, fill a void to get that mail day that makes us feel good.

And I think when I'm thinking about my collecting, I've got my collecting projects. I've got players that I like to collect.

But then there's this opportunity sometimes where it's like, I just want one card of that player and it can be a project within it's a project to maintain the one card position, whether that is continuing to move up and do a better card, whether that's finding a card that connects with another player.

And I think one card can carry the emotional and narrative weight of an entire collection, Just like, painting can hold a room. I think a single card can anchor an entire collection and the card just isn't cardboard.

Right? It's context. It's story. It's emotion. When I heard Caitlin mentioned that on the WNBA card podcast, I think the the insight stopped me for a lot of different reasons.

The way she framed it is the way I've been thinking a lot about my own collection. Sometimes hearing it out loud helps shift the perspective.

So if we're thinking about this and I'm gonna share some personal examples, like, one instance would be, I have a Bowman Chrome Yu Riley Leonard Superfractor PSA 10 in my collection.

Now, when that card popped up, I it it it made me feel something in a way that I had not felt when a a card popped up. Now this was amidst Notre Dame's playoff football run. Riley Leonard was my favorite player on the team.

He had such an incredible, season, and he was the anchor of it. And I saw this card, and this card and all of its beauty where you've got the Superfract or aesthetic matching the gold helmets.

And I looked at the card and there had been thoughts that I'd had for so long that was, well, maybe I should start a Notre Dame football collection.

They're a team I absolutely adore. I go to two or three games a year. My mother's from South Bend. I watch all the games. They're my squad, but I just never found a reason.

Now when I saw that card, I didn't think about, wow, I'm going to be a Riley Leonard collector now. Well, that might change now that he's on the my favorite football team, the Indianapolis Colts.

But at the time, it was I I don't need a reason other than this card absolutely rules. It's stunning. It's hitting at the right time, and the price fits in my range.

And so connecting that card back to that specific moment and right, I bought it raw, then I got it great, and now it's a PSA ten, and I've got it in my collection. But I I have absolutely no reason to sell that card.

I also have no reason to go out and PC Riley Leonard cards. I don't want his Bowman Chrome first card in a Duke uniform. That doesn't connect. That doesn't resonate. It was about the commemoration of Leonard and not speculation.

And I think that is an interesting element of the one card collection. For me, when I'm doing it, I'm looking at through all my examples, it's about commemoration and commemorating that moment.

I'm doing that right now on this Pacers, playoff journey where it's I'm buying a card here and there of one player, Andrew Nimhard or Miles Turner, but I don't wanna go out and build robust collections of players.

I just want the cards because they mean something. I think the card is the collection, and that line really is the mantra for this episode.

And it's a reminder that meaning outweighs volume all of the time. I think it's always about the meaning. It's always about your reason why you're buying certain cards and why you connect with them.

I think it's, the mindset can be really freeing. And again, it goes counter to the way I think about collecting in most, most instances, but it cut through cuts through an analysis paralysis and, the pressure to keep up. Right?

You inevitably, when you're collecting a player and you're going for quantity, it's there are other players other player collectors out there and that they post their cards and then you admire their cards and you wanna kinda do what they're doing and you want or do something similar.

So it's like this constant push whether you like it or not that we kind of make ourselves think that because we haven't had a mail day of a certain player we collect for a while, we need to just go out and buy a card.

And I think that is something that's really powerful to consider and just to recognize. And you don't need a buying strategy when you're building a collection with one card, you just need intention.

So as we dig into maybe this topic of quality over quantity, I think we need to think about rarity aesthetics and personal meaning and how those things can outweigh a box full of cards.

Enrique Unguwale. Enrique Unguwale is a player that I really appreciate. She gave me so many moments as a Notre Dame fan, most specifically winning the national title in the fashion that she did.

I started out buying Arikae cards, gold prism cards, because I wanted that feeling and that connection back in my collection.

But as I was going through this journey, another card got listed, and that was her quartzite gore gold vinyl one of one. And I asked myself, am I really gonna just, like, play your PC, Enrique?

Do I want a bunch of Enrique cards, or do I just want a card that means an awful lot? So an example for me in my Enrique collection was consolidating down into one card, and that move from several to just one felt right.

And as I'm reflecting on it, I would much rather have the one card than several cards. I think consolidating into one card sometimes feels right, and it feels like the card.

The one card becomes a reminder of why you started the PC in the first place. It simplifies focus and helps elevate connection. I think the right card often says maybe more than more than about 10 kinda cool cards.

Think having that perfect fit card can have staying power in your collection where I before I had, you know, a few Eureka gold prisms, but I didn't have her first gold prism.

So then all those gold prisms might feel a little out of place.

And then when I see another card that I like better than the three cards I have, then I just make a move and take action. Now as I have that one Erique card, I'm not looking to add and go explore and buy others.

Can another one pop up that I wanna buy? Of course. But I think that's gonna be driven more on rarity and scarcity and card design and products that I like outside of just this feeling of I have to get more.

Think we always have to think about the way we collect in the collector psychology of it. We're wired to chase, but chasing doesn't always lead to fulfillment. Think intention, drive, satisfaction, and accumulation can blur it.

We remember how a card makes us feel, not how many we had. I think emotion creates memory. Think about when you sell cards or consolidate or get rid of cards to move into something else.

Like, oftentimes, when we make those decisions to get rid of cards, I always tell myself, well, that was a good run, but there's a reason why I'm getting go letting go of those.

And it's very rare for me to be in a hat it happens, but it's rare for me to feel like I regret letting go of a card.

I think no one goes back and looks and says, I wish I kept more of those random cards. I think there's a risk of accidental accidental collections coming from impulse buying, having a pile of mid tier cards without a story.

It's easy to fall into when you're buying without a goal. Think the model encourages patience, clarity, and joy. You're waiting for the card, not just a card.

The weight creates value in the experience. Think one card collections can also be a gateway whether, you know, you're thinking about that or not. I think a single card can spark curiosity, memory, and even link to a broader collection.

A one card collection doesn't have to be on an island. It can be a doorway. The beginning of a theme, player PC, or a memory collection, or the end of one that's been thoughtfully distilled.

That Riley Leonard card connects me back to my Notre Dame fandom. It's not just a football card. It's a representation of that season.

I'll always remember that playoff run. I went to a game. I was a part of that. And every time I look at that card, I'll remember it. One Enrique card ties into the broader WNBA ecosystem that I'm building.

She's a favorite. That card stands as a representation of my w collection. It can serve as an anchor. The one card keeps your collection grounded in meaning, can even influence future collecting choices.

There are types of anchor roles for one card collections. They can be a pillar card in a player PC, the best or most meaningful one. The flag bearer of a set or parallel that you absolutely love.

It's like, I love this set. I love this parallel. I can't find the guy or the girl that I like the most, so I'm just gonna buy one to have that represented. I think my favorite is just the time capsule of it all.

It's like making sure that if you're collecting in the moment and maybe it's just one card, at least that card can serve as a time capsule to help connect you back to specific memories that we don't wanna forget.

I always think it's good to rethink the way I'm collecting and what I'm building.

I'm asking myself, am I trying to collect everything or am I trying to collect something that matters? When one when it went what's one card I'd keep if I had to sell everything else?

I think the one card mindset as a philosophy in collecting challenge is interesting. If we're thinking about it as a challenge, questions are like, what if you were the only only allowed one card of each player sport?

How does that question reshape the way you think about the how you're collecting now? Another question is how would the shift shift how you would pursue trade or collect?

There is this idea that gets brought up every so often and it's curation. And it's like, okay, is curation greater than completion or is completion greater than curation?

You know, I'm not here just to fill slots with my collection, and this is hard. Like, I say, I'm chasing meaning, but chasing meaning is freaking hard.

It's almost harder in some instances than chasing cards itself. It's like thinking about your collection more as a gallery than a a checklist, and that mindset shift is is challenging.

But I think in a hobby full of more, I think it's pretty courageous saying this is this is enough. That's, like, really powerful. Enough is a powerful and rare mindset in a consumption culture. Think about our access to everything.

We've got more content, more streaming services, more social media, more ever more than ever before. And sometimes, it's just okay to say it's enough, but it leads to long term satisfaction and fewer regrets.

I'm in content for a living. This is all I do, and I'm very lucky because I get to do it around sports cards and and dig around it.

Think Think about how much time we spend on our phones. Think about how much time we spend on IG and how most IG profiles showcase dozens of cards.

That's great, but it's not the only way to collect. If imagine if someone shared just one card but told you why it matters. I I think I'd appreciate that depth over, you know, a bunch of cards without a story.

I think there's value and restraint in this era of access. You don't have to play a volume game to be respected or be a passionate collector. You just have to care about what you own.

And I'm not asking you to shift your philosophy. I'm not even shifting my philosophy. I will always lean more towards the quantity side, but I'm inviting you to lean into this, especially those that might feel overwhelmed.

Elixir to burnout. A one card collection doesn't just reduce clutter, it focuses your joy. I think about the me memory. I think about the feeling.

I think about stories, and I think that's why I love cards because they help me express that. And I think the easiest way to not be overwhelmed is to take several steps back and consider how do you just start with that one card.

How does that one card help amplify all those feelings that you're chasing? I hope you enjoyed this episode. Do you have one card collections? If you have one card collections, please post it on x or Instagram.

Tag me at stacking slabs. I would love to see it. Thank you so much for supporting stacking slabs. Appreciate you. We'll be back with more very soon. Enrique Agambawale.