In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Ty Wilson—founder and host of ‪‪CHASING CARDBOARD‬—one of the fastest-growing and most influential storytelling platforms in the entire sports card hobby.

What started as a creative hobby project quickly evolved into something much bigger. Since launching in 2022, CHASING CARDBOARD has amassed more than 121K YouTube subscribers, over 26 million views, and more than 140 episodes documenting some of the most fascinating collections, collectors, stories, and personalities across the hobby.

What separates CHASING CARDBOARD is that it's never just about the cards—it's about the people behind them. Through cross-country visits with collectors in their homes, Ty tells deeply personal stories about nostalgia, family, identity, grief, and what collecting truly means.

Alyx and Ty discuss how CHASING CARDBOARD originally started, how the platform exploded in popularity, and why storytelling has become such an important part of modern collecting culture.

They also discuss the emotional side of collecting, why people become attached to cards, and how collections often represent much more than financial assets. Ty shares what he’s learned after hearing deeply personal stories from collectors across the country.

The conversation also explores intentional collecting, hobby pressure, gambling-adjacent behavior, and the increasingly blurred line between passion, business, nostalgia, and compulsion within today’s hobby environment.

Alyx and Ty also discuss one of CHASING CARDBOARD’s most impactful recent episodes featuring Phil—founder of Sealed Wax Nation and supporter of Collectors MD—who sold part of his collection to help fund children’s hospitals and launch his nonprofit organization.

The episode explores how collecting can evolve into something larger than accumulation itself—including charity, meaning, purpose, and community impact.

Ty shares his perspective on the current state of the hobby, the rise of live selling, influencer responsibility, hobby trust, market pressure, and why doing things the right way still matters in an increasingly fast-moving and financially driven environment.

This episode is about storytelling, intentional collecting, hobby culture, human connection, and the emotional realities behind the cards people chase.

Topics covered include:

• How CHASING CARDBOARD originally started

• Building one of the fastest-growing media platforms in the hobby

• Why storytelling changed hobby content

• The emotional side of collecting

• Nostalgia, identity, and attachment within the hobby

• What Ty has learned from visiting collectors across the country

• The psychology behind sealed wax collecting

• Intentional collecting and hobby self-awareness

• The blurred line between passion and compulsion

• The rise of live selling and modern hobby culture

• Influencer responsibility and hobby trust

• The current direction of the hobby

• Purpose-driven collecting and charity initiatives

• Phil and the Sealed Wax Nation episode

• Why meaningful stories resonate beyond the hobby

• Balancing business, collecting, and family life

• What the future of CHASING CARDBOARD looks like

• What intentional collecting means to Ty

If you’ve ever felt emotionally connected to collecting, struggled to find balance within the hobby, questioned where the hobby is heading, or simply wanted to better understand why collecting means so much to people, this is a conversation worth listening to. Because behind every collection is usually something much deeper than cardboard.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around awareness, intentional collecting, transparency, and building a healthier relationship with the hobby.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:

Website: collectorsmd.com

Nonprofit: lohas.org/client/the-cmd-foundation

Socials: bio.collectorsmd.com

Weekly Meetings: bit.ly/45koiMX

Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

YT: ‪@collectorsmd

IG: @collectorsmd

Follow Ty & CHASING CARDBOARD:

Website: chasingcardboardtv.com

YT: ‪‪@CHASINGCARDBOARD‬ | ‪@CHASINGTYWILSON‬

X: @BreakerCulture

IG: @chasingtywilson

LI: Tyler B. Wilson

Help for Problem Gambling: Call or Text 800-GAMBLER

This Episode of The Collector's Compass is sponsored by ‪All Touch Case, a premium display and protection solution designed to showcase your cards while keeping them safe. Use code COLLECTORSMD for 15% of your order. Collect. Protect. It’s a peace of mind.

#CollectorsMD | #ChasingCardboard | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P9w3Saj8NU

2024 Leaf Web Exclusive #116, Anime Nation ⭐ Paul Skenes, RC, #30/145
This Paul Skenes oddball card is one of my favorites; serial numbered to 145, with a #30 jersey number match.
I love anime-style cards and this one fits the bill for me.
The image is fantastic, IMO.
How many images will ever depict Skenes with a bat on his shoulder and a pirate parrot on the bat?
Answer: Only this one.😂
This card will not be popular or sought after for many years. It is still practically undiscovered and affordable.
Collect What You Love.❤

Going with one my fav Kershaw’s as this photo is so great plus he was a great player.

New addition for the Superfractor wall

Jose Siri

Rookie

Allen & Ginter mini

1941 Play Ball ⭐ The DiMaggio Brothers
1941 Play Ball #61, Vince DiMaggio (PSA 4) - The superstar and Pop Icon.

1941 Play Ball #71, Joe DiMaggio (SGC 1) - The Boston Red Sox star.

1941 Play Ball #63, Dom DiMaggio (BVG 4.5) - 3x All-Star and legitimate power hitter.
BTW: I'm an equal opportunity and diversity freak when it comes to slabs.
This three-card DiMaggio family collection tells a story that can only be told by the 1941 Play Ball set.
Why?
The 1941 Play Ball set is widely recognized as the only major contemporary baseball card set issued during their playing careers that includes Joe, Dom, and Vince DiMaggio on individual cards in the same set.
The set was released immediately before America entered World War II.

After Pearl Harbor, baseball card production largely disappeared until the post-war era. As a result, 1941 Play Ball is often viewed as the last great pre-war gum set and the only Play Ball set featuring color cards.
Collect What You Love.❤

2024 Leaf In The Game Used Sports Reference Card ⭐️Career HR Leaders #3/3
"Chicks dig the long ball" - an axiom as old as Abner Doubleday.
This card contains game used/worn relics from 16 of the greatest mashers known to man represented by historical artifacts on a single card.
I can't put into words how I felt when this arrived in my mail.
Ruth-Aaron-Mays-Bonds-Pujols-Griffey Jr-Thome-Arod-Schmidt-Jackson-Killebrew-Robinson-Sosa-McGwire-Ramirez-Palmeiro

Congratulations to El Capitan Salvador Perez, who hit his record-breaking 137th home run at Kauffman Stadium last night. In addition, he's now only four home runs behind George Brett's all-time home run record for the Royals!

(Hopefully last night was a sign that the Royals' offense might be waking up, though I'd sure feel better if Witt hadn't left the game with a knee issue and Pasquantino & Garcia weren't inured...)

Not sure about the color scheme...