Welcome to The Hobby Wire — a newsletter for collectors, investors, and everyone in between.
Each month, we take a step back and look at where the sports card world stands—what’s been moving the market, what’s on deck, and where collectors should be paying attention. Let’s rip in.
Previously on The Hobby Wire…
In October, we kicked off a couple new series we think collectors and investors alike will enjoy.
In Flip or Flop, readers follow our journey from idea to (hopefully) profit as we build and stick to a plan to flip a card during the NBA season.
We also dropped the first edition of Rookies Regraded, a series that takes a deep dive into past rookie classes to decide whether there’s still value in ripping wax—or if it’s smarter to stick to singles.
Rookies Regraded: 2017 NFL Draft Class
Welcome to Rookies Regraded — our ongoing look back at the draft classes that defined their eras. We’re revisiting each class to see how its stars — and its wax — have held up over time. Each installment breaks down the stars of the class and the prices of the wax to come up with a collector verdict:
Around the Hobby
Shortly before the NBA season tipped off, Topps announced that the NBA will also have a Rookie Debut Patch similar to what’s already in their baseball line. It hasn’t been revealed which release these Debut Patch Autos will appear in, but our money’s on Topps Chrome Basketball—whenever that finally hits shelves.
Upper Deck’s president stirred the hobby for a few hours after suggesting that speculation in sports card investing is pricing out the everyday collector. You can read our take on it here.
And late last week, reports surfaced that Panini America’s Italian parent company is exploring a full or partial sale. Could Fanatics be the buyer? We’d love to see Rated Rookies return to baseball.
A Scandalous Start to the Basketball Season
It’s been one of the strangest starts to an NBA season in recent memory. The competition’s never been better—guys are dropping 50 left and right, from SGA to Austin Reaves. But one story cast a shadow over all of it.
Just two days after tip-off, the FBI arrested active player Terry Rozier and former player (and current Blazers coach) Chauncey Billups. Rozier allegedly tipped off a friend that he planned to leave a game early due to injury back in 2023, prompting bets on his under. Billups, meanwhile, is reportedly linked to a group fixing poker games involving former NBA players.
Hobby-wise, it hasn’t moved the needle much—neither Rozier nor Billups were hobby darlings in recent years—but if more names surface, this could get messy fast.
Two weeks into the NBA season and the hobby already has a new name to drool over: VJ Edgecombe. The 76ers rookie came out guns blazing. In his first three games, he’s already made history:
• Most points in a 76ers rookie debut: 34 (breaking Iverson’s 30)
• Most points in the first quarter of an NBA debut: 14 (breaking LeBron’s record)
• First guard to average 25/5/5 through his first three games
The hobby has taken notice.
Takeaway:
Between an early-season scandal and a rookie already rewriting record books, the NBA market feels as unpredictable as ever—but that’s exactly what keeps collectors watching every box score and every box break.
MVP Odds Check:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — +190
Victor Wembanyama — +300
Nikola Jokic — +425
Football Hits Midseason Stride
We’re already halfway through the NFL season, and Jonathan Taylor and the Colts are playing out of their minds—putting themselves in solid playoff position in the process. Taylor’s proving that when he’s healthy, he’s still the best running back in football.
After Week 8, his Silver Prizm Rookie more than doubled—from an offseason average of $78.25 to a recent sale of $190.
The Chiefs are starting to look like the Chiefs again, thanks in large part to the return of Rashee Rice after suspension. Rice’s cards climbed from $46.67 in September to about $64 in October. It’s not the spike we expected after three touchdowns in two games, but maybe the hobby already baked in his return.
With today’s 4 p.m. EST trade deadline approaching, big names are circulating—Trey Hendrickson, Chris Olave, Maxx Crosby, and even Breece Hall could be on the move. If any of them land in better situations, expect a short-term bump in their card prices.
Takeaway:
As the NFL hits midseason, the hobby’s heating up right alongside it—stars like Jonathan Taylor are reminding everyone why they’re worth the chase, while trade deadline chaos could spark the next wave of short-term market movers.
MVP Odds Check:
Josh Allen — +180
Patrick Mahomes — +350
Drake Maye — +425
Baseball goes Back to Back
The Toronto Blue Jays put up one hell of a fight, but in the end, we got the outcome many expected since Opening Day: the Los Angeles Dodgers are back-to-back champs for the first time in over 20 years.
In a wild seven-game series, the one constant was Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Whenever he took the mound, the Dodgers won.
Stats tell the story: 1.02 ERA over 17.2 innings, a complete Game 2, and 2.2 innings on zero rest to close out the Blue Jays. That’s your World Series MVP.
His 2024 Topps Chrome Refractor jumped from $70 during the playoffs to $141 after the win. The hobby might finally be catching on that he’s living up to that $325 million contract.
As the 2025 season closes and player options start dropping, attention turns to the offseason. Who moves where—and can anyone dethrone the back-to-back champs?
Takeaway:
With the Dodgers cementing a dynasty and Yamamoto’s hobby stock soaring, baseball heads into the offseason with one big question—can anyone spend, swing, or pitch well enough to knock L.A. off the throne in 2026?
2026 World Series Odds:
Los Angeles Dodgers — +370
New York Yankees — +750
Philadelphia Phillies — +1100
Upcoming Wax Releases
Releases are starting to slow down as we wrap up the year.
2025 Panini Mosaic Football - 11.07.25
2025 Topps Update Baseball - 11.12.25
2025 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball - TBD November
*Release dates are gathered from Steel City Collectibles and are subject to change.
Watchlist Check-In
This month, we picked Bull’s forward Matas Buzelis as our buy for the NBA Season. Be sure to follow along in our series Flip or Flop to see what our exact play was. Here, we’ll keep an eye on how his general market is using his Silver Prizm.
Matas Buzelis - Recommended 10.16.25 ($428.20) - Current Price: $473.80 - Up 10.65%
*Our standard price comparison will be Prizm/Refractor versions of athlete’s chrome rookie cards since those are the most accessible to collectors of all price points. Prices are derived using the average of the last 5 sales recorded on alt.xyz
Collector’s Corner
(Recommended Reads & Watches)
Here are some articles/videos around the hobby and the sports we follow that caught our eye.
PSA Submission Tips From Inside the Machine - Chasing Majors
MLB Free Agent Contract Projections - Tim Britton / The Athletic
Babe Ruth’s First Ever Baseball Card Sells for Over $4 Million - Angela Barbuti / New York Post
Thanks for Reading!
That’s it for this month’s State of the Hobby. Now it’s your turn: jump into the comments and tell us what you’re seeing—what storylines you’re following, how you see the market moving, and what you’d like us to track next.
Your feedback shapes how we cover the hobby.
If you enjoyed this edition, make sure to subscribe to The Hobby Wire. Along with our monthly State of the Hobby, we drop 2–3 posts each week—player spotlights, collector insights, product reviews, and market trends to keep you plugged into what’s happening right now in the hobby.
We’ll be back with more hobby chatter next month—until then, the floor is yours.
— The Hobby Wire Team
Disclaimer: The content in The Hobby Wire is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Commentary, analysis, and opinions on sports cards, rookies, and the hobby are not financial, investment, or professional advice. Collectors should always do their own research before buying, selling, or trading cards. Market values are volatile and can change rapidly—past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
Unless specified, all pricing references are based on the Prizm/Refractor parallels of an athlete’s Chrome rookie card, with prices from alt.xyz & 130pt.com.
Any odds mentioned were derived from DraftKings Sportsbook.