Alyx Effron | September 16, 2026

Presented By All Touch Case

One of the hardest parts of asking for help can be deciding whether what we’re experiencing is actually serious enough to deserve it. Maybe we spent more than we intended. Maybe we’ve started hiding purchases from the people around us. Maybe breaks, auctions, releases, or marketplaces are taking up more of our attention than they used to. Maybe we’ve told ourselves we were going to slow down, only to find ourselves right back in the same cycle a few days later.

Or maybe nothing dramatic has happened at all. Something just doesn’t feel right. When we think about getting help, it can be easy to imagine that there needs to be a clear line separating someone who has a “problem” from someone who doesn’t. We may convince ourselves that we haven’t lost enough money, damaged enough relationships, accumulated enough debt, or experienced enough consequences to justify reaching out.

So we wait. We tell ourselves we’ll get things under control after the next release or purchase. We’ll sell a few cards and make some of the money back. We’ll take a break after the weekend. We’ll set a budget next month. We’ll stop joining breaks once the product we’ve been chasing finally comes out.

But support doesn’t have to begin at rock bottom. In fact, one of the most valuable times to ask questions, create boundaries, or talk to someone may be when we first begin wondering whether our relationship with collecting or spending is changing.

You don’t need a diagnosis to recognize that something is affecting you. You don’t need to identify as having an addiction to acknowledge that your spending has become uncomfortable. You don’t need to understand exactly why you keep chasing something to recognize that you would like help stopping.

And you certainly don’t need to wait for things to get worse before taking the first step. Sometimes concern itself is enough information to act on.

That applies to the people around us, too. A spouse may notice changes in spending before the collector is ready to acknowledge them. A parent may see packages arriving every day and wonder what is happening. A friend may recognize that someone who once collected for fun now seems consumed by what they are buying, selling, pulling, winning, or losing.

They may not know what to call it either. They shouldn’t have to. That’s why we created a new Help Now page within the Collectors MD ecosystem. We wanted there to be one simple place where a collector, family member, friend, colleague, or loved one could go when something doesn’t feel right and immediately understand what options are available.

Whether someone is experiencing an immediate emotional crisis, struggling with gambling or gambling-related behavior, concerned about compulsive collecting or spending, looking for professional support, or simply trying to understand what they are experiencing, the goal is to provide a clear next step.

No judgment. No labels. No requirement that you already know exactly what kind of help you need. Just a place to start.

You don’t have to know whether it’s a “problem” to reach out. If collecting, breaking, buying, selling, or spending is becoming difficult to control – or something simply doesn’t feel right – support is available.

Sometimes that next step may be joining a free peer-support meeting and simply listening. It may be talking with a clinician or treatment provider. It may mean removing saved payment methods, stepping away from live breaks or auctions, turning off purchasing notifications, or putting some distance between an urge and the ability to immediately act on it.

And sometimes the situation is more urgent. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide or self-harm, call or text 988. If there is an immediate emergency, call 911.

Collectors MD is not a crisis service, and peer support is not a substitute for professional mental health or medical care. Part of providing meaningful support is recognizing when someone needs a level of care beyond what a peer-support community can provide and making that pathway as clear as possible.

That’s also why asking for help shouldn’t feel like a commitment to a particular label, treatment path, or definition of what you are experiencing. It can simply be a decision to find out what support is available.

Maybe you visit the page today and realize a peer-support meeting feels like the right next step. Maybe you find a professional resource you didn’t know existed. Maybe you send the page to someone you’ve been worried about. Or maybe you read through it, recognize a few behaviors in yourself, and decide it’s time to pay closer attention. All of those are meaningful actions.

We talk frequently about collecting with intention and responsible engagement. But intention and responsibility aren’t only about deciding what we buy, what we collect, or how much we spend. They also mean being willing to recognize when our relationship with the hobby has started to change – and when it may no longer feel healthy, enjoyable, or in our control.

We don’t need to wait until we have all the answers. We don’t need to determine exactly where the line is. And we don’t need to prove that things are “bad enough” before reaching for support.

If something doesn’t feel right, that is reason enough to explore what help is available. Start there.

#CollectorsMD
You don’t have to know whether it’s a “problem” before asking for help. If collecting, breaking, buying, selling, or spending is becoming difficult to control – or you’re worried about someone you care about – support is available. Visit the new Collectors MD Help Now page for clear pathways to immediate crisis resources, peer support, professional help, and additional resources.

Collectors MD provides peer support and education and is not a crisis service or substitute for professional mental health, medical, substance-use, legal, or financial care. If you are experiencing an emergency, crisis, or immediate risk to yourself or others, please contact local emergency services or a crisis hotline immediately. If you or someone you know is struggling, experiencing emotional distress, or thinking about self-harm, help is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If you are outside the U.S., please contact your local emergency number or a trusted mental health resource in your country. You are not alone, and support is available.

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In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Ryan and Desiree Knowles, better known as Like Father Like Son, one of the hobby's fastest-growing family brands. As a husband-and-wife team, parents, content creators, breakers, and passionate advocates for responsible engagement, Ryan and Desiree have built a thriving community centered around family, positivity, and teaching the next generation what collecting is truly about.

Alyx, Ryan, and Desiree explore what it means to raise children in today's rapidly evolving hobby and why parents play such an important role in shaping healthy collecting habits from an early age.

The conversation begins with Ryan's journey into the hobby and how collecting became something his entire family enjoys together. They discuss the life lessons collecting can teach—from communication and negotiation to patience, entrepreneurship, and financial responsibility—and why those lessons extend far beyond sports cards.

Desiree also shares her unique perspective on entering the hobby from the outside. Unlike Ryan, she didn't grow up collecting and wasn't a sports fan. She simply wanted to spend more quality time with her family by participating in something they genuinely loved. What began as a way to connect with her family gradually became a passion of her own, offering a powerful reminder that collecting isn't just about the cards—it's about creating shared experiences, strengthening relationships, and finding meaningful ways to connect with the people who matter most.

They also dive into the realities parents should understand as more children enter today's hobby. From live breaking and social media to influencer culture and highly stimulating hobby environments, Ryan and Desiree share their perspective on protecting young collectors while preserving everything that makes the hobby so special.

Fresh off Fanatics Fest and the West Coast Card Show, Alyx, Ryan, and Desiree reflect on the tremendous growth of the hobby, the incredible number of young collectors entering the space, and the opportunities—and responsibilities—that come with collecting becoming more mainstream than ever before.

Finally, they discuss #RipResponsibly, the importance of promoting healthier collecting habits, and why creating awareness isn't about discouraging collecting—it's about helping ensure the hobby remains fun, meaningful, and sustainable for future generations.

This episode is about family, education, responsibility, and protecting the future of collecting.

Whether you're a parent, collector, breaker, hobby business, or simply someone who wants to see the hobby continue growing in a positive direction, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around healthier collecting, family, community, and responsible engagement.

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 Like Father Like Son:

IG: @likefatherlikeson_cards

FB: Like Father Like Son Cards & Breaks

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 | #TheCMDFoundation | #LikeFatherLikeSon | #RipResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vn_1DDDat4&t=2016s

Collecting and investing can overlap, but what happens when a card you bought because you genuinely wanted it suddenly becomes worth significantly more than you paid?

In this episode of Behind The Breaks, host Collector Charles explores the complicated decision every collector eventually faces: when is it time to sell? Using a recent experience from his own collection, Charles breaks down his decision to sell a Pete Crow-Armstrong card he purchased for $425 after its value surged, ultimately selling it for $2,400. With bills to pay and inconsistent work affecting his income, the decision became about more than maximizing a return. It became a question of priorities, financial stability, and what intentional collecting actually looks like in practice.

This episode dives into the increasingly blurred line between collecting and investing in today's hobby. Charles discusses the temptation to keep holding when a player's market is rising, the fear of selling too early, and the uncertainty that comes with trying to predict whether today's prices will continue climbing or eventually come back down. Sometimes selling makes sense. Sometimes keeping a card you love matters more than realizing a profit. The important part is understanding why you're making that decision.

Charles also looks beyond Pete Crow-Armstrong, sharing examples from his Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan collections. Cards he originally purchased because he wanted them have increased substantially in value, creating a new question: do you capitalize on that value now, hope to buy the card back later, or simply keep it because it still belongs in your collection?

Most importantly, this conversation challenges the idea that every card needs to be treated like an investment. Intentional collecting doesn't mean ignoring value or refusing to sell. It means making decisions based on your own circumstances, priorities, attachment to the card, and financial reality rather than automatically chasing the next opportunity or getting swept up in hobby hype.

There isn't always one right answer. A card can mean something to you and still make sense to sell. You can recognize an opportunity without turning your entire collection into a portfolio. And sometimes the most responsible collecting decision is recognizing that your financial well-being matters more than the card sitting in your collection.

So what would you do? Sell while the market is high, or hold onto the card because you'd rather have it in your collection? Charles wants to hear how other collectors approach that decision.

Subscribe, comment, and join the movement. And remember: collect with intention, not compulsion. #RipResponsibly.

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 Charles:

YT: ‪@CollectorCharles‬

IG: @collectcharles

X: @collectcharlesx

Help for Problem Gambling: Call or Text 800-GAMBLER

This Episode of Behind The Breaks 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 | #TheCMDFoundation | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyf-qEgrhU0

ghosts tell stories.

And maybe that’s a reminder of what collecting is supposed to be about.

Not every collectible needs to be the next big flip. Not every purchase needs to come with a calculation of what it might be worth tomorrow. Sometimes the value is simply in the story, the art, the character, the connection, or the fact that you genuinely like what you’re adding to your collection.

@ghostwrite is a manufacturer that understands that.

In a hobby increasingly driven by hype, scarcity, and the chase for what’s next, there’s something refreshing about creating collectibles that people can connect with for reasons beyond ROI.

Buy what speaks to you. Keep what means something to you. Build a collection that tells your story, not one dictated by someone else’s feed.

Because the best collections aren’t always the most valuable.

They’re the most personal.

Collect what you love. Collect with intention.

#CollectorsMD | #RipResponsibly | #ghostwrite

https://www.instagram.com/p/DdCNnMoEenu/?img_index=1

In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Megan Poliquin, LPCC-S, LICDC-GAMB, OCPSA, Manager of Gambling Treatment and Prevention at Zepf Center, to explore how addiction changes the brain—and why modern collecting environments are creating behavioral patterns that increasingly resemble traditional gambling.

With nearly a decade of experience treating gambling disorder and co-occurring mental health conditions, Megan brings a unique clinical perspective to a conversation that sits at the intersection of psychology, addiction, recovery, and today's rapidly evolving hobby landscape.

Together, Alyx and Megan discuss why modern collecting has changed so dramatically over the past several years. From live breaks and mystery products to constant product releases, scarcity marketing, and social media-fueled hype, they examine how today's collecting environments can activate many of the same psychological mechanisms that drive compulsive gambling.

The conversation also explores why so many collectors fail to recognize these patterns until significant financial, emotional, or relational consequences begin to emerge. Megan explains how variable rewards, dopamine, chasing behavior, and emotional avoidance can quietly transform a healthy hobby into something much more difficult to control—and why these behaviors often go unnoticed because they don't resemble traditional gambling.

Alyx and Megan also discuss the growing gap between modern collecting and today's behavioral health system. They explore why many clinicians have never been trained to recognize compulsive collecting, why greater awareness is needed throughout the treatment community, and how partnerships between organizations like Collectors MD and Zepf Center can help build stronger pathways for education, prevention, treatment, and recovery.

Finally, they discuss harm reduction, intentional collecting, and why the goal isn't to eliminate collecting—but to help people maintain a healthy relationship with the hobby before the chase begins to outweigh the joy.

At its core, this episode is about understanding how addiction works, recognizing the warning signs before they escalate, and creating a future where collectors, families, clinicians, and the hobby itself are better equipped to support healthier engagement.

If you've ever wondered why it can be so difficult to stop chasing the next card, the next box, or the next release—or if you've watched someone you care about slowly lose control of what started as a hobby—this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around healthier collecting, behavioral health, and responsible engagement.

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

Learn More About Zepf Center:

Website: zepfcenter.org/gambling-treatment

YT: ‪@zepfcenter6418‬

LI: Zepf Center

Follow Megan:

LI: Megan Poliquin

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 | #TheCMDFoundation | #ZepfCenter | #RipResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pdn0TD8zZo