Show Notes
A Kobe Bryant gold /10 BGS 9.5 went from $156K in 2022 to $1.1M in 2026. Ryan Alford and Bella explain why rising Hall of Famer prices signal a healthy, more stable card market, and how that’s different from chasing rookie 1/1s. Download the Collector Nation app and visit thecollectornation.com for more.
Ryan and Bella also break down the second MJ 1998 Finals jersey to sell for $14M (this one privately), Goldin’s Babe Ruth card vs. Ty Cobb photo result, and where things stand with grading and the PSA backlog. They close with Five Up, Five Down for NFL Week 5 and the latest Topps price hikes on Flagship Basketball and Cosmic Chrome.
Topics Covered:
Kobe Bryant gold /10 BGS 9.5: $156K (2022) → $1.1M (2026)
Why rising Hall of Famer prices mean market stability, not gambling
Second MJ 1998 Finals jersey sells privately for $14M
Private sales vs. open auctions: why “the last comp lies”
Goldin Fall Vintage Elite: Babe Ruth card vs. Ty Cobb Type 1 photo
Grading: the PSA backlog, the value tier, and cost per card
Five Up, Five Down: NFL Week 5 card market movers
Fernando Mendoza’s debut patch going into a Topps 1/1
Topps Update Series markups over MSRP
2026 Topps Flagship Basketball (169.99)andCosmicChrome(489) price hikes
Halloween special preview
SPONSORS
NordVPN: To get the best discount off your NordVPN plan - go to nordvpn.com/COLLECTORNATION- our link will also give you 4 extra months on the 2-year plan. There's no risk with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
🔗 Links Mentioned in This Episode
Collector Nation Website: https://thecollectornation.com Download the App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/collector-nation/id6795562084 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecollectornation_ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecollectornation YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thecollectornation
Collector Station Website: https://thecollectorstation.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecollectorstation
Ryan Alford Website: https://www.ryanalford.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford
⭐ Would you have held that Kobe card from 2022 to now? Tell us in the comments. Subscribe for weekly hobby news and market breakdowns. Download the Collector Nation app (iOS and Android) for real-time card alerts, and if you’re a verified creator, you can start earning.
#sportscards #thehobby #collectornation
More from Collector Nation
Topps is shipping Chrome mega boxes without cellophane to fight scalpers. Ryan Alford, Brian Ludden and Bella debate whether that protects collectors or just shifts the risk to local card shops. Download the Collector Nation app and visit thecollectornation.com for more.
Ryan Alford sits down with Steve “Greenie” of Greenie Sports Cards and Jeremy Levine of the Big Play Collectibles Network, two lifelong friends who went from flipping baseball cards as kids to running dozens of card shows across multiple states every year.
Ryan Alford sits down with Canadian artist Murray Henderson and Collector Creative founder Zach Nigut to explore one of the most overlooked corners of the hobby: real, hand-made sports art. Murray shares how an accidental paint spill turned a photorealism painter into the creator of "exact abstract," and what it means to be named the 2026 Sport Artist of the Year, with his work going on display in a museum for a full year.
Ryan Alford, Brian Ludden and Bella are back as Coinbase joins the growing list of major companies moving into the collectibles space with Pokémon packs backed by real cards. The crew discusses what that much new money means for sourcing, regulation and the future of digital pack ripping.
Ryan Alford sits down with Alladan Flinn, founder and CEO of Based Trading Cards, to talk about what happens when a card maker puts transparency and the collector first. Every series of Based's Orange Pill in a Pack has a finite run of 21,000 packs, a published hit list and a promise never to reprint.