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1 month ago | 
cardlines.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
The sports card hobby has been on a fast track toward legitimacy. It has been drawing big-money investors, slick corporate deals, and a thirst for trust and transparency. At the center of this transformation is PSA, the grading giant whose seal can make or break a card’s value. So when PSA threw its weight behind Backyard Breaks, a company riddled with controversy, it sent shockwaves through the community.
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1 month ago | 
cardlines.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
The sports card hobby has always been a mix of passion, nostalgia, and speculation, but few figures have stirred as much debate about its direction as Geoff Wilson. As the founder of Sports Card Investor, Wilson has become the hobby’s most prominent advocate for treating cards like investments, blending data-driven analysis with high-energy content that appeals to a new generation of collectors and speculators.
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1 month ago | 
shaielbenephraim.substack.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
It gives me no pleasure to accuse my country, my friends, and my family of being part of a genocide. I spent months arguing against this. Early in the war, I said that those who accuse Israel of genocide are acting in bad faith and spreading a blood libel. I was right about some of these malevolent actors. But my conclusions were wrong. The seeds of genocide were sown early on. Then Israel escalated its acts against the Palestinian people to a point where I could not stay silent.
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2 months ago | 
cardlines.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
in MiscWe’ve heard this tired old debate before. The one about “gamblers” versus “collectors” in the sports card hobby. It tends to pit collectors apart as if they are two completely different animals with utterly conflicting interests and values. You know how it goes. Looking at the folks chasing the big hits versus the purists who are (at least supposedly) just in it for the love of the game. But is it really that black and white? Aren’t we all somewhere in between?
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2 months ago | 
cardlines.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
Licensed football cards are still the exclusive province of Panini. But even before Fanatics took over producing these items, they began to devalue the football cards made by Panini by depriving them of some of the biggest autographs in their releases. But the announcement, made via a tweet on April 22, 2025, that Patrick Mahomes autos are returning to Panini products, signals the continued determination of the company to maintain its foothold in the sports card market.
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2 months ago | 
cardlines.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
The prices and turnaround for grading have changed again—and not for the better. PSA has become a monopoly, which often comes with worse prices and services. We have started to see that recently. We will delve into the new prices and how they change the calculus for when you should grade and when you should keep your cards raw. Here is all the info you need about the rising prices and turnaround time at PSA,On April 7, PSA announced a new policy on turn-around time grading prices.
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2 months ago | 
cardlines.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
in Reviews 8 Retail Products When new Panini products hit the market these days, they have a sense of uncertainty. Some are coming out with their last-ever edition. The march of long goodbyes can be difficult to take. And this is one of those. Topps has taken over the rights to the English Premier League and starting with the 2025-26 season, they will be producing the cards for the most lucrative soccer league in the world.
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Mar 21, 2025 | 
cardlines.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
Many people have mixed feelings about the return of basketball to Topps after years with Panini. But the fun part is seeing some classic releases return to the sport after years of absence. While Chrome was quickly the most anticipated, Topps Finest Basketball is also close to the top of the list. Unfortunately, the product is currently unlicensed by the NBA. However, Topps has the Players Association license, which helps make it more legit.
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Mar 13, 2025 | 
cardlines.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
On a crisp evening at American Legends Collectibles in Scarsdale, New York, Michael Rubin stepped into the lion’s den. Facing a room of passionate collectors, he did something unusual for a billionaire CEO: he listened. And when a concerned collector asked the question on everyone’s mind — how Fanatics would prevent breakers from dominating the market and pricing out average collectors — Rubin didn’t deflect. We were surprised to see Michael Rubin address concerns on breakers and pricing.
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Mar 4, 2025 | 
cardlines.com | Shaiel Ben-Ephraim
In this comprehensive breakdown, we’re not just listing prospects. We’re dissecting the DNA of future NHL legends, analyzing their potential to transform from cardboard curiosities to holy grail collectibles. Our methodology? Part science, part art. We’ve evaluated these prospects through a lens of draft position, performance metrics, organizational development potential, and that indefinable “it” factor. It’s all here in our guide to 2024-25 Upper Deck Series 2 Hockey Young Guns.
