Hey Collectors,

I’ve been to The National a few times now, and maybe because the weather in Chicago was mild and the AC in Rosemont was functioning, this was the most pleasant year in memory.

The venue was packed every day (check out Sports Cards Nonsense’s video below), and as usual, there were more vendors slinging cards and memorabilia than you could hope to visit.

But my favorite thing, as it is every year, was hanging with friends new and old who share the same hobby.

Collecting can be damn fun, right?

This year, Mantel’s intrepid reporter, Mike Metzler, hustled the show floor to create tons of great content, and I pulled out a few of my favorites below.

Mike and the team at Mondo Metrics dove into posts from the show to see what people were talking about on social, which I think gives a good perspective on what people at home found the most interesting last week.

eBay says its growing data tools, authenticity services, and community focus are making collecting more transparent and accessible, all positives for collectors.

Ken Goldin reflected on 30-plus visits to The National, revealed Goldin’s exclusive Lakers partnership, and shared what collectibles he’s still chasing (though there’s not much he hasn’t owned or sold).

We love when the Hobby’s most innovative brands join forces. Alt and Rally partnered to create exit opportunities for fractional investors holding high-end collectibles. (BTW, Alt had the coolest employee merch this year. I need a t-shirt and crew neck, friends).

This announcement seemed fairly popular by collectors looking for arbitrage opportunities. Fanatics Collect will waive seller fees for users accepting payouts in FanCash, encouraging collectors to keep spending within its ecosystem.

Upper Deck’s pres said serial numbering, grading, and global marketplaces transformed the hobby, though warned that scammers remain a major challenge in this interesting fireside chat.

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Now onto non-Metzler stories you should know…

PSA’s 12-million-card backlog has become one of the hobby’s biggest pain points. Industry leaders warn long turnaround times and higher grading costs are hurting cash flow and frustrating collectors, though some argue constrained supply is supporting card values and reinforcing PSA’s premium position. FWIW, lines at all of the grading companies were long last week, and Beckett in particular had more traffic than I’ve seen in years (and yes, I know they’re now in the PSA family).

My kinda story… Colonel Sanders’ longtime Kentucky home, restaurant, and personal artifacts are heading to auction, marking the end of an era. Highlights include his 1964 planner with handwritten herb-and-spice notes (with no apparent chicken grease stains on pages), pressure cookers, and memorabilia. An auction that’s finger-lickin good!

We’ve covered popcorn buckets quite a few times in these pages, and they’re back in the news after ones for The Odyssey made waves. This article went as deep as we’ve seen… Collectible popcorn buckets have become a booming movie-theater business, generating tens of millions in revenue and selling out before films debut. We’ve come a long way since that Dune 2 bucket, haven’t we?

J.R. Fickle has a new collecting obsession… undefeated PFL star Dakota Ditcheva, who he says is a speculative buy (no kidding!), citing her charisma, social presence, and PFL’s partnership with Jake Paul’s MVP. We’d never heard of her before the article and don’t know how big PFL’s card market is, but Fickle, as usual, makes some interesting points. Are you buying them?