Goodbye Labubu's, Hello Vintage Sports Gear

Collectors, could this be the last time we mention Labubu in these pages?

Earlier this week JP Morgan downgraded Labubu-maker POP MART’s stock due to the softening of the collectible toy’s prices on the secondary market. Investors took notice of the news, and the stock dipped 9%, erasing almost a quarter of the company’s value, roughly $13B, since hitting a record high only a few weeks ago, according to Hypebeast. POP MART’s founder, Wang Ning, saw his net worth plummet with the stock, with $6B vanishing overnight.

So if Labubu’s are no longer cool, what’s the next fad? Fanatics is already placing their bet.

WWD: Fanatics Launching Vintage Collection Featuring One-of-a-kind Pieces

Fanatics is officially in the vintage game. Launching Fanatics Real Vintage, the sports merch giant is rolling out an authenticated collection of original, decades-old apparel from iconic brands like Salem Sportswear, Nutmeg Mills, and Adidas. The first drop includes thousands of one-of-one tees, hoodies, and sweatshirts spanning NFL, NBA, NHL, and NCAA legends like Jordan, Brady, and Magic. Prices range from $35 to $250. Partnering with LA vintage curator Springy, Fanatics is betting that nostalgia, especially from the 1990s and 2000s, still sells, and they are moving fast to cash in. Now we all know why prices for vintage gear on eBay have been skyrocketing as of late. Who knew we were bidding against Michael Rubin?

Mantel: The Hobby Waiver Wire: Week 2 Collectibles Buy/Sell Guide

Week 2 of the NFL season brought injuries, redemption arcs, and breakout performances, plus fresh angles for collectors. Joe Burrow’s surgery opens a short-term dip window; if his Silver PSA 10 falls under $1,700, it’s worth watching, says Mantel’s Mike Metzler. Jake Browning is a low-cost flyer and Rome Odunze is still underpriced despite back-to-back big games. Russell Wilson is peaking early and now might be the time to sell. Rookie autos of Elic Ayomanor and Cam Skattebo remain cheap lottery tickets. As always, monitor panic dips, stash wisely, and come on over to Mantel to yell at Mike if he turns out to be wrong.

FOS: The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card Hunt

Topps’ Rookie Debut Patch Auto (RDPA) cards have quickly become the most coveted rookie issues in the hobby, with one-of-one game-worn patch cards from debut moments drawing serious heat. A Paul Skenes RDPA sold for $1.1M in March, and, per FOS, collector Eric Mandelkern has invested nearly $500K into names like Caminero, Chourio, and Senga, with some of his cards up 2–3x. RDPAs are authenticated down to the inning, adding traceability that standard relics lack. With only 251 cards in the 2024 set and secondary prices starting around $3K, demand is spiking as collectors across sports chase their shot at MLB history stitched into cardboard.

Mantel: Big Bob’s Top 10 Players to Chase in 2025 Bowman Chrome

The 2025 Bowman Chrome checklist is absolutely stacked, with 22 hitters landing in the top 200 hobby rankings, up from just 5 last year. Headliner Rainiel Rodriguez is an 18-year-old catcher with big-time power and a polished approach, already slashing .275 with 20 HR and an 0.87 BB/K. The international class runs deep too, with names like Josuar Gonzalez, Juneiker Caceres, and Kevin Alvarez all showing elite contact and upside across DSL and Single-A. Even mid-rounder Nate George is forcing his way into card breaks after torching three levels. With strong hit tools and huge ceilings spread across the checklist, this might be the deepest Chrome chase in years.

The Athletic: MLB Players Inc. to Sell Baseball Cards Pulled by Bobby Witt, Corbin Carroll and Other Players

Major leaguers turned box breakers for a day, Bobby Witt Jr. and Corbin Carroll helped unveil a one-of-a-kind, PSA-graded card collection pulled straight from Topps’ premium boxes: Diamond Icons, Definitive, and Luminaries. These pulls, now dubbed the MLB Players Collection, include rare hits like a Trout/Griffey Jr./Soto triple auto and a one-of-one Shota Imanaga rookie auto. With player provenance and PSA labels to match, the cards hit the auction block Sept. 30 via PSA’s eBay store, giving collectors a chance to snag grails pulled by the pros themselves.

cllct: Why Robert Redford Ranks Among Hollywood's Most Valuable Autographs

Robert Redford’s autograph has long been one of Hollywood’s most elusive and sought-after signatures, thanks to his low signing rate and iconic status. Despite not being the most valuable purely by price, his scarcity and cultural impact, especially from films like The Natural, have made him a grail for collectors, says Darren Rovell. Even dedicated chasers often came up empty (and as the cllct story points out, many had to get creative to land a signature), but authentication is crucial, as fakes abound. Before his death, authenticated index cards sold for around $250, with prices expected to climb as genuine examples grow harder to find.

NYT: Cereal Box Records Sound Horrible. They Still Look Incredible.

This was a fun one from The New York Times, and introduced us to a collectible from before our time that we never knew existed. Cereal box records — flimsy vinyl stamped directly onto cardboard — were once a massive crossover hit in the 1950s–70s, merging sugary breakfast marketing with pop culture icons like the Jackson 5, Monkees, and Bobby Sherman. Though the audio quality was notoriously bad, collectors now prize these “ephemeral records” for their novelty, nostalgia, and rarity. Most were destroyed by kids or tossed, making survivors highly collectible. With names like Rainbo Records and General Mills behind the scenes, this oddball vinyl format sold tens of millions of cereals and now lives on in niche collections and kitchen wall displays.