Welcome back to the show! In Episode 29, we're taking a deep dive into the legendary players worth collecting of the City of Angels: Los Angeles!

🔥 Hobby Headlines & Record Sales

We kick things off with major hobby news, including the massive acquisition of Beckett by Collectors (the parent company of PSA) and what it means for the grading landscape. Then, we break down the Top 5 Non-Sports Card Sales of 2025, featuring a record-smashing 1977 Star Wars Luke Skywalker card, a half-million dollar 1999 Prerelease Raichu Pokémon card, and the explosion of the One Piece TCG market! Plus, the immediate surfacing of the Nick Kurtz 1/1 Topps Chrome Update Rookie Debut Patch after last year's month long Paul Skenes chase.

📆 New Releases

Get your wallets ready! We run through a packed release schedule from December 15th to the 19th, including:

• 2025-26 Topps Chrome Basketball
• 2025 Panini Impeccable WNBA
• 2025 Topps Cosmic Chrome Baseball
• 2025 Panini Flawless Baseball
• ...and many more!

✨ City Spotlight: Los Angeles - The Card Kings

In our main segment, we profile the collecting Mount Rushmore of Los Angeles sports! We look at the must-have cards for some of the greatest athletes to ever grace the city:

• Kobe Bryant (Lakers): Targeting his iconic Rookie Card and high-end memorabilia.
• LeBron James (Lakers): Highlighting his modern Lakers-era Panini Prizm cards and Topps certified sets.
• Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers): Covering his historic move to the Dodgers and the value of his 2024 graded cards.
• Mookie Betts (Dodgers): Discussing his elite, low-numbered Topps Chrome parallels.
• We also shout out legends like Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Trout, and Sandy Koufax!

Stick around for Crack That Pack, What Ya Got In The Stack, and the Card Pull of the Week! Don't forget to like, subscribe, and let us know your favorite player from LA in the comments!

#️⃣ Hashtags

#SportsCards #CardCollecting #HobbyNews #KobeBryant #LeBronJames #ShoheiOhtani #Lakers #Dodgers #TradingCards #Beckett #PSA #NonSportsCards #PokemonCards #OnePieceTCG #ToppsChrome #Panini #LosAngeles

Is it time to move on from PSA? We tackle the biggest controversy in the hobby, breaking down the mounting accusations against PSA—from backlogs and inconsistent grading to conflicts of interest and the SGC acquisition. Don't submit another card until you hear our take on why collectors are now considering alternatives like Beckett, CGC, and the new AI-graders!

💥 Hobby Headlines & Major Sales

• The $1.2 Million Man: Shohei Ohtani sets a new record with a jaw-dropping $1.2M bid on his 1/1 Gold Logoman! 🔥
• A Comic Book Icon: An historic Batman #1 (1940), featuring the first appearance of The Joker and Catwoman, hits the block.
• Charity Win: Logan Paul gets sniped in the final seconds of Kabuto King’s Pokémon charity auction!
• The Legend Surfaces: The lost 2005 Tom Brady SuperFractor 1/1 finally appears after nearly two decades!

🗓️ Release Calendar Hot Takes (12/05/2025 - 12/12/2025)

• We dive into the details on 2025 National Treasures (NASCAR & Collegiate Football), Topps Chrome Update Series (hello, Hideo Nomo auto!), Topps Archives, and more!

Tune in for our card pull of the week, what special item Bird has in the stack, and our full deep dive into the grading world!

This week on the show, the guys are back to break down a wild week of six-figure sales and unexpected hobby crossovers. We kick things off with Hobby Headlines, looking at a massive auction result for a rare Kobe Bryant "All-Time Buckets" diamond autograph set that hammered for nearly $400k, plus a Shohei Ohtani Bowman Chrome that proves the Japanese superstar is still king of the market.

Also in the news: Is "Toyotathon" the new Hobby Holiday? We discuss the bizarre but brilliant collaboration between Toyota, Panini, and Jordan Love that has collectors in Wisconsin hunting for sweater relics. Plus, we preview the upcoming 2025 Topps Heritage High Number set, featuring the 1976 design and a stacked rookie class including Roki Sasaki and Dylan Crews.

In our Main Topic, things get serious as we discuss the dark side of the industry. We’re diving deep into reports of inappropriate behavior at retail stores and breaking down the latest controversy surrounding a grading company with a major conflict of interest. When does a "service" become a "scam"?

Finally, we wrap up with the Release Calendar (The Cup is here!) and reveal what we’ve added to our personal collections in What Ya Got In The Stack.

• 🔥 HOBBY HEADLINES: The historic, uncut 1951 Bowman Sheet featuring the Mickey Mantle rookie card hits auction—it's a "sports collecting unicorn"! Plus, Topps launches its new Fanatics Exclusive Value Boxes for the 2025-26 NBA season, giving collectors a budget-friendly shot at big autographs from stars like Wemby and Curry.
• 🚨 RELEASE NEWS: We look at this week's drops (Upper Deck Premier Hockey, Bowman Chrome U Football, Panini Absolute Football) and reveal a major date shift: the 2025/26 Topps Holiday Basketball Mega Box is delayed from October 30th to November 28th, 2025!
• CRACK THAT PACK: Bird brings some Phoenix Football, did he get a hit?
• CARD PULL OF THE WEEK: See what the hosts picked up and the best card pulled!
• WHAT YA GOT IN THE STACK: What did the hosts pick up this week?

Like, Subscribe, and don't miss the heat!

Hashtags:

🎯 Core Show Hashtags

#CardsOnBlast #SportsCardPodcast #CardCollecting #TheHobby #TradingCards #SportsCards #CardCollectors #CollectingCommunity #HobbyTalk #CardCulture

💥 Engagement + Discovery Boosters

#CardBreaks #PackOpening #CardPulls #SportsCardNews #CardHunting #CollectorsUnite #HobbyHeat #ChasingHits #CardShow #CardCommunity

From Lorcana’s runaway success to Topps Chrome Disney autographs, the magic of Disney collectibles is heating up the hobby! This week, we dive deep into the multi-generational appeal of Disney trading cards and the massive market they’ve created.

We’ll break down the story behind Lorcana, the trading card game from Ravensburger that has sold over a billion cardsand become a key revenue driver for the company. We track the price history from The First Chapter through Reign of Jafar and debate whether this phenomenon has the staying power of industry titans like Pokémon.

Plus, get the full breakdown on the new 2025 Topps Chrome Disney and Topps Disney Wonder sets, which feature authentic autographs from voice talents like Idina Menzel (Elsa) and Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear) for the very first time!

Also in this episode:

• Hobby Headlines: An investment group pays $10 million for a Michael Jordan/LeBron James 1/1 Logoman card.
• Topps NBA Debut Patches are coming to the 2025-26 season.
• New releases in Football, Basketball, and WNBA!
• Our signature segments: Crack That Pack, What Ya Got In The Stack, and Card Pull of the Week!

Tune in to find out why collectors are flocking to these Disney sets—and if you should be investing in the magic!

#DisneyLorcana #Lorcana #DisneyCards #DisneyCollectibles #ToppsDisney #ToppsChrome #DisneyWonder #Ravensburger #TradingCardGame #TCGCommunity

🎧 Episode 24 – Parallel Universe: Have Parallels Gone Too Far?

The hobby’s rainbow has never been brighter — or more crowded. In this episode of Cards On Blast, JT and The Bird explore the ever-expanding world of parallels and ask the big question: have card companies pushed it too far? From Panini’s 80+ color variations to Topps’ glittering holiday releases, the guys break down the rise of parallels over the past decade and what it means for collectors today.

Plus, they unpack the latest Hobby Headlines — including Topps Holiday Basketball’s debut, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Magic: The Gathering crossover, and a full rundown of this month’s new releases. Don’t miss Crack That Pack, What You Got in the Stack, and the wild *Where the F@k Did You Find That? featuring The Office x MTG Secret Lair.

It’s color, chaos, and collector conversation — all in one episode.

🎙️ Hosted by JT and The Bird 📍 Follow @Cards_On_Blast on Instagram and X

Topps NBA Returns & $7K Flawless Breaks

This week on the show: JT & The Bird rant about collector headaches and celebrate a monumental return!

The Hot Topics:

• Prizm Parallel Madness: We dive into the frustration of card over-saturation, slamming the reported 85 variationsof the Anthony Edwards card in the new 2024 Prizm set.
• The NBA is Topps Again! The huge news is official: The Fanatics/Toppspartnership has taken over the NBA license as of October 1, 2025! Get ready for the first US set, 2025-26 Topps Basketball, coming October 23rd.
• Brady's Card Empire: NFL legend Tom Brady is opening seven new CardVaultretail locations.
• Insane Release Price: We look at the week's biggest drop: 2024 Panini Flawless Football on October 9th. The price tag for a single briefcase-box? A staggering $7,000 on the secondary market!

Listen now for the full breakdown and our pack openings!

#ToppsNBA #FanaticsEra #CardCollecting #PrizmParallels #AnthonyEdwards #TomBrady #FlawlessFootball #HobbyNews

JT & The Bird welcome longtime collector and childhood friend Mason to talk about his collection, organization tips, and grail chases. We also break down the latest Hobby Headlines—including PSA changes, the 2025 Topps Update preview, and Topps Holiday fun—before ripping packs, spotlighting our favorite pulls, and showing off this week’s Card of the Week.

Follow us on Instagram & X: @Cards_On_Blast Next week: Greg from Nor-Cal Sports Shop joins us for a deep dive into hockey & vintage baseball!

#SportsCards #BasketballCards #FootballCards #TradingCards #PokemonCards #CardCollector #Topps #PSA #CardCommunity #HobbyLife