Since it became a thing back somewhere in the early 2010s, I’ve written about breaks, breakers and the breaking business. I’ve watched breaks. I’ve heard about big hits in big breaks and shared the news. I’ve seen those big hits go for big bucks. Not until Tuesday evening, however, have I ever actually… broken. Most breaks are about modern hits and I usually … [Read more...] about Editor’s Blog: Box Break Skunks Stink
case breaking
Notes: PWCC Partners with Breakers; MJ 1998 Finals Worn Shoes to Auction; Cicarrelli Collection; Alzheimer’s Awareness Jersey Auction
PWCC is partnering with case and box breakers to bring raw cards to market through its platform. The Oregon-based company has launched its Breaker Network, which allows collectors who pull cards during breaks to have them sent directly to PWCC and placed up for sale through various platforms. The company has partnered with several breakers with others in line to join in … [Read more...] about Notes: PWCC Partners with Breakers; MJ 1998 Finals Worn Shoes to Auction; Cicarrelli Collection; Alzheimer’s Awareness Jersey Auction
Whatnot Snares $50 Million in Funding; Plans to Expand Sports Card Breaks, Sales
Live stream shopping platform Whatnot has raised $50 million in Series B funding and says it plans to “double down” on selling sports cards and memorabilia. The investment was led by Anu Hariharan from Y Combinator Continuity, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz. They join investors Animal, musicians Ryan Tedder and DJ Skee with Mint 10, NFL players … [Read more...] about Whatnot Snares $50 Million in Funding; Plans to Expand Sports Card Breaks, Sales
Breaking App Loupe Expands to Android
Live e-commerce sports card streaming platform Loupe expanded its platform to Android devices Thursday. Designed to streamline the experience of participating in box breaks, Loupe offers breakers the chance to live stream and sell cards to collectors on a nightly basis. Collectors can enable push notifications to know when breaks are happening and what products are being … [Read more...] about Breaking App Loupe Expands to Android
Loupe Secures $3 Million in Funding
Loupe Tech Inc., a new sports card breaking app, has closed $3 million in funding since its October launch, with a first round led by Upfront Ventures. The company says entrepreneur and collector Nat Turner has also contributed capital aimed at growing the business. Loupe is a live e-commerce streaming platform built for sports card collectors. It offers a … [Read more...] about Loupe Secures $3 Million in Funding
Notes: Heritage High Checklist; SABR’s 50-Year Look at Baseball Through Cards; Breaking Bonanza; NBA TTM
Topps has released the checklist for its final product of 2020: Heritage High Number Baseball. It's due out December 30. You can see it inside our preview. The story of baseball is sometimes best told through baseball cards. SABR members usually know both and in conjunction with the organization's 50th birthday, they published this very smart glimpse at the 50 … [Read more...] about Notes: Heritage High Checklist; SABR’s 50-Year Look at Baseball Through Cards; Breaking Bonanza; NBA TTM
Notes: T206 Wagner Bidding; LA Times on Breaking; New MJ Ride on eBay; NYG Jersey Buzz; 1st NHL Bubble Puck Auction
Bidding for the T206 Honus Wagner graded PSA 1 has been hot and heavy in the first three days of Mile High Card Company’s auction. Nineteen bids have been placed for the card already with the high bid at $680,000. With the buyer’s premium factored in, that’s $816,000. A PSA 2 Wagner sold for $1.3 million last fall. The L.A. Times’ Mark Potts recently … [Read more...] about Notes: T206 Wagner Bidding; LA Times on Breaking; New MJ Ride on eBay; NYG Jersey Buzz; 1st NHL Bubble Puck Auction
Notes: SI, The Athletic Focus on Cards; Manny Gordon Passes; $800K Brady Package; Jordan Update
Sports Illustrated and The Athletic both published stories about the hobby on Monday. SI’s feature focused on the rise of case breaking, especially in recent times. The lack of live sports, no games to bet on and plenty of time at home were all credited with some breakers seeing huge increases in the number of customers. Card afficianado and long-time … [Read more...] about Notes: SI, The Athletic Focus on Cards; Manny Gordon Passes; $800K Brady Package; Jordan Update
The Atlantic Explores “How Baseball Cards Got Weird”
Baseball cards are the subject of a feature story in The Atlantic, one of the few surviving magazines that actually pre-dates the first baseball cards. The piece is called “How Baseball Cards Got Weird: A very analog hobby finds a way to thrive in the digital age.” Writer Eric Moskowitz chronicles the changes in collecting over the years, with an emphasis on the … [Read more...] about The Atlantic Explores “How Baseball Cards Got Weird”
Real Breaks Grows With Family Friendly Approach
A few years ago, collectors Ryan Holland and Tom Kulczewski didn't even know each other. Now they're best friends, business partners and run one of the largest sports card case break websites by volume on the internet. Their philosophy behind Real Breaks? Keep it fun...and family friendly. Holland says their business is growing thanks to the hobby's overall … [Read more...] about Real Breaks Grows With Family Friendly Approach