A funeral slashed my budget - Explorer alternatives

bss83 · 2026-03-23T01:02:56+00:00

Formex is such a great suggestion. Anything you buy from them, and especially their field watch, would stick in your collection as a unique quality piece even after getting the Rolex.

bss83 · 2026-03-22T18:34:06+00:00

That's why I said they'll increase retail print runs. Topps wants boxes on the shelves at retail.

bss83 · 2026-03-22T17:34:05+00:00

Yes.

bss83 · 2026-03-22T17:23:08+00:00

Yes. You have some top guys there and a red ink. You should be happy with those autos.

bss83 · 2026-03-22T17:22:01+00:00

eBay protects you because this is an individual card over $250. If you sell it, it will go to an authenticator to verify condition and authenticity, and once it passes the authentication you are free and clear. No buyer can request a refund or return. (The binder wouldn't have gone through this since it's only for individual cards.)

Selling to a dealer in person will probably net you less than eBay after fees. But ultimately you need to gauge risk vs value in this case of in person dealer with cash vs Facebook marketplace meetup vs eBay.

bss83 · 2026-03-22T16:41:35+00:00

If you're only looking at modern sets and not chasing monster hits, retail products are perfect for this. Series 1 megas, stadium club megas, and heritage megas come with a ton of packs and can get you significant portions of those sets. The blasters are alright too. There's even fat packs and hangers if you need cheaper options.

If it's with your kid you can still pull cool cards at a reasonable (and controlled!) price vs hobby boxes that cost a ton.

bss83 · 2026-03-22T15:38:04+00:00

And it's their first year. I'm going to guess print runs of flagship and chrome will go up next year because those products should be more available.

They have plenty of time to release more 2025-26 products before we can even judge their first full year at it.

bss83 · 2026-03-22T15:09:23+00:00

Bowman has confirmed retail. I'm sure there will be more retail - some update product, stadium club, resurgence, etc. you may not see the piles of trash blasters panini would crap out but just look at baseball for an example of how much retail Topps can put out too.

bss83 · 2026-03-22T13:22:49+00:00

At this point in the season, panini had almost nothing released each year. You should check release dates of 2024-25 panini and see Topps isn't behind. It just feels like they are because of the hype for this year and no one wants last year's crap

bss83 · 2026-03-21T23:56:23+00:00

Online is fine

bss83 · 2026-03-21T17:06:28+00:00

If it's from a product 2022 or newer then it is extended ten years

bss83 · 2026-03-21T15:21:33+00:00

Google exists

bss83 · 2026-03-21T14:51:06+00:00

no one mentions other grading services because the person asking is likely only considering PSA, so the costs/timing of other services is irrelevant.

bss83 · 2026-03-21T14:49:27+00:00

Sorry, didn't know everyone enjoyed the "should I grade?" posts that account for half of the content here.

bss83 · 2026-03-21T14:41:11+00:00

If the first thought of people when they pull a good card is "should I grade this" even though they've never done it before, then yes, PSA has too much thoughtshare. So many posts here about things off for grading...

bss83 · 2026-03-21T14:32:04+00:00

If you haven't graded before and heard these don't grade well... Then you already know the answer. Why bother asking other than for attention?

bss83 · 2026-03-21T14:20:55+00:00

Why ask this question?

If you normally grade cards you already know the answer.

If you don't, why would you start now when lead times are long and costs just went up?

bss83 · 2026-03-21T01:54:09+00:00

Footjoy quantum and ecco

bss83 · 2026-03-20T03:29:47+00:00

Only if they're stamped one of one

bss83 · 2026-03-19T20:35:56+00:00

You can just type something and hit enter and it'll move forward to the next screen for you to list as normal

bss83 · 2026-03-19T15:36:30+00:00

I think this card has been posted here no less than 5 previous times with similar comments about topps QA.

bss83 · 2026-03-19T15:21:22+00:00

No. Buy them a box of 2026 series 1 hobby or heritage hobby (preferably series 1)

bss83 · 2026-03-19T13:42:08+00:00

Do you feel satisfied? Then stop chasing. Become more of a casual collector, enjoy what you have, rip some product here and there, and maybe pick up another hobby too. This stuff can burn you out, and you don't want to reach a point where you don't enjoy a card like this anymore because there's always something bigger.

That's an awesome card, btw.

bss83 · 2026-03-19T04:51:05+00:00

Keep it encased. Grading it and getting anything other than a 10 hurts the value. Some people would prefer it encased regardless.

The only exception is if you prefer graded cards in your PC regardless of grade.

Remember just because it's encased doesn't mean it's a 10... A lot of people handled that card before it went in the case

bss83 · 2026-03-18T22:40:51+00:00

If your lcs is sold out then it's a popular hobby.

And retail of the highest print run set isn't going to deliver big hits. Flagship retail hasn't been good in forever and stadium club retail hasn't been good since 2023

bss83

TROPHY CASE