I recently had the opportunity to join Deborah Buhaj, Marc Lefkowitz, Dan Field, Matt Zarb-Cousin, and Jake Schuster, AMFT on The Sunday Project with Stop Betting Sports to discuss compulsive collecting, gambling-adjacent behaviors, and the evolving relationship between collecting, spending, speculation, and gambling.

We explored how the modern collectibles landscape continues to evolve, the importance of educating younger audiences, and how greater awareness can help collectors recognize potential warning signs and make more informed decisions.

I also shared more about Collectors MD, our approach to intentional collecting, and why education, prevention, harm reduction, and collaboration with industry stakeholders are essential to building healthier collecting environments.

Our goal isn't to discourage collecting. It's to preserve everything that makes the hobby special while helping people recognize when their relationship with it may be becoming unhealthy.

Grateful to the entire Stop Betting Sports team for the opportunity and thoughtful conversation!

Collect With Intention. Not Compulsion.

#CollectorsMD | #StopBettingSports | #RipResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSALkwLutBk

In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Jared Allen, a cornerstone of the Collectors MD community who was recently featured in our July 2026 Collector Spotlight, for a personal conversation about collecting, identity, recovery, and learning to collect with intention.

Since joining Collectors MD in February, Jared has become one of our most consistent community members. He regularly attends Collectors MD and Unboxed meetings, contributes to community conversations, has authored multiple Daily Reflections, welcomes new members, and supports others navigating their own complicated relationships with collecting.

Jared shares how his relationship with collecting has evolved throughout his life. What began as a genuine way to explore his interests and connect with others eventually became a cycle of moving from one obsession to another, where the research, planning, hunt, and purchase could become more exciting than actually owning the object. Alyx and Jared explore how collecting can become intertwined with identity, emotion, control, and escape - and what happens when the things we collect begin occupying too much space in our lives.

Jared also opens up about his recovery and the work he's doing to build a healthier relationship with collecting and himself. He discusses his current decision to abstain from collecting cards until the NBA season begins, when he may return to intentional Orlando Magic pickups, while finding a different outlet through building and painting Warhammer figurines. Together, they explore why intentional collecting sometimes means recognizing when it's healthier to step away.

The conversation also explores a powerful comparison Jared recently made involving the totems from Inception. While Collectors MD has previously referenced the movie when describing parts of the modern hobby as a "gamble within a gamble within a gamble", Jared explains how meaningful collectibles can also serve as personal totems - connecting us to our identity, relationships, memories, and sense of purpose - but how having too many can eventually make it harder to remember who we are.

They also revisit themes from Jared's Daily Reflections, Collecting Cards, Collecting Moments and What's In The Box?, discussing forgiveness, accountability, appreciating ordinary moments, and learning to let go. They explore how Jared has shifted toward collections rooted in genuine connection, including Star Trek with his family, NASCAR with his wife's family, and the Orlando Magic team he has loved throughout his life.

Finally, Jared reflects on what the Collectors MD community has meant to his recovery and his progression from entering the community looking for support to becoming someone others can turn to for encouragement, accountability, and perspective. They close with one of the central ideas behind Jared's writing: life isn't made up entirely of rare hits. Often, it's the ordinary moments that ultimately fill out the set.

Whether you're a collector working to become more intentional, someone navigating recovery, or simply trying to better understand the relationship between collecting, identity, and emotion, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around recovery, identity, community, and intentional collecting.

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Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

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Learn More About Jared:

July 2026 Collector Spotlight

Daily Reflection: What’s In The Box?

Daily Reflection: Collecting Cards, Collecting Moments

Get Help Now: collectorsmd.com/helpnow

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 | #RipResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMgQHQy76Vw&t=3789s

Alyx Effron | October 6, 2026

Daily Reflection: The Collector’s Corner Edition

Presented By C3 Grading

One of the best things about the hobby today is how many different ways there are to participate. For years, opening packs has been one of the experiences that makes collecting special. There is the anticipation of tearing into the first pack, seeing a new design in person, pulling a rookie you wanted, finding a parallel of your favorite player, building a set, or simply sharing the experience with friends, family, or other collectors. But how you choose to rip can shape both the experience and the expectations that come with it.

Newer collectors quickly learn that not every box of cards is built the same way. In broad terms, sealed products are often sold in either hobby or retail formats. Hobby boxes are typically distributed through hobby shops and specialty channels and often come with higher price points, different pack configurations, exclusive parallels, and stronger guarantees around certain types of hits. Retail products, including blasters, mega boxes, value boxes, and other lower-cost formats, are generally designed to offer a more accessible entry point and are commonly found through major retailers and other widely available channels.

Neither format is inherently better. They simply offer different ways to experience the hobby.

For many collectors, hobby boxes remain a premium experience. They can offer compelling checklists, exclusive content, and a level of anticipation that has long been part of collecting culture. But as the hobby has grown, the price of many hobby boxes has also increased, and most releases now sit well outside the budget of the average collector who simply wants to open cards for fun.

That is where retail has become especially valuable.

Retail formats have helped keep ripping accessible across a much wider range of budgets. Blasters, mega boxes, Logofractors, and other lower-cost configurations give collectors the chance to experience popular products without needing to commit hundreds or thousands of dollars to a single box. Recent releases like Prizm Basketball, Topps Chrome Update Basketball, Bowman Football, Topps Chrome Baseball, Topps Finest Baseball, and Bowman Chrome Baseball are good examples of how manufacturers are creating more ways for collectors to participate.

A collector should not need a premium hobby-box budget to enjoy the excitement of opening packs. That accessibility is good for the hobby. But intention is still everything.

A lower price point does not automatically mean lower risk, and an affordable format can become expensive quickly when the motivation shifts from enjoying the product to chasing the outcome. A $30 or $40 blaster may feel much easier to justify than a several-hundred-dollar hobby box, but three blasters become five, five become ten, and suddenly an “affordable” rip has turned into hundreds of dollars spent trying to reach an outcome that was never guaranteed.

That does not make retail inherently dangerous or risky. It simply means the price of an individual box matters less than the intention behind the next purchase. Retail configurations also come with different checklists, exclusives, guarantees, and odds. Some of the biggest cards can absolutely be found in retail, and that possibility is part of the fun, but the odds of hitting the rarest cards can also be substantially longer depending on the format.

An affordable way to rip is not necessarily an affordable way to chase.

If we buy a box expecting an enjoyable experience, some cards for the collection, a few fun parallels, and the excitement of seeing what is inside, that can be a great night in the hobby. If we start buying box after box because we believe the next one has to contain the card that makes everything back, the experience can change very quickly.

Retail has helped make ripping accessible to more collectors. Enjoy the cards, the designs, the rookies, the parallels, and the experience itself. The biggest hit should be a possibility, not the reason you feel like you have to keep opening.

There is nothing wrong with hoping to pull something big. Chase cards have always been part of collecting, and that anticipation is one of the reasons opening packs can be so exciting. The important question is what role the chase is playing in your decision to keep buying.

Imagine opening a mega box with a friend and pulling a few exclusive parallels, your favorite rookie, and an insert you have never seen before. You did not hit an autograph. You did not hit a 1/1. You did not make your money back. Was it still fun? If the answer is yes, you are probably much closer to the reason many of us fell in love with opening cards in the first place.

If the answer is no, and your immediate reaction is that you need another box because the next one could finally contain the card you were chasing, that is a good moment to check in with yourself. Retail should not become a workaround for chasing beyond your means. Affordable products can make the hobby more accessible, but they should not make chasing feel unlimited.

One of the principles behind “Collect With Intention. Not Compulsion.” and #RipResponsibly is deciding what you want from an experience before the outcome has a chance to make that decision for you. Maybe your budget is one mega box. Maybe you are opening with your son or daughter. Maybe you are building a set, collecting one player, or simply love the design. Maybe you are hoping to get lucky and pull something huge. All of those things can coexist. The goal is not to remove the chase from collecting. It is to keep the chase from becoming the only thing that matters.

That is also why we created the Intentional Collector’s Guide, which includes a curated list of affordable product recommendations and other ways to participate in the hobby across different budget levels. Collecting intentionally does not mean removing excitement from the hobby. Sometimes it simply means finding a format that lets you enjoy that excitement without stretching financially to participate.

Retail has opened that door for a lot of collectors, and that is something worth celebrating. Rip the Bowman mega because you love prospecting. Open the Finest mega because you enjoy the exclusive parallels. Grab the Chrome Update blaster because basketball cards are fun to open. Enjoy the Logofractor because there is something uniquely satisfying about seeing that shine come out of the pack. If the monster card happens to be waiting inside, even better.

Just remember that the biggest card in the checklist does not have to come out of your box for the box to have been worth opening. Before your next rip, ask yourself what you are hoping to get from the experience, whether you would still enjoy opening it if the biggest hit was not inside, whether you decided what you were comfortable spending before you started, and whether you would be okay walking away if the rip did not go your way.

Sometimes collecting with intention can be that simple. Set the budget, pick a product you actually enjoy, open the packs, appreciate what you pull, and know when the experience is over. Rip for the enjoyment and let the hit be the bonus.

Explore the Intentional Collector’s Guide for curated product recommendations, tools, and resources designed to help collectors enjoy the hobby at a variety of price points. If collecting, ripping, breaks, auctions, or spending no longer feel fun or are becoming difficult to control, you do not have to navigate it alone. Explore our tools and resources, connect with our community, or join a Collectors MD peer-support meeting.

Above all, enjoy the hobby for what it is, stay mindful of what you are spending and why, and always #RipResponsibly.

#CollectorsMD
Retail makes ripping more accessible. Intention is what keeps it enjoyable. Set your budget, enjoy the experience, and do not let the chase decide when the rip ends.

—
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This Daily Reflection is an extension of The Collector’s Corner, Collectors MD’s intentional collecting-focused series exploring healthier, more mindful ways to engage with the hobby.

This Daily Reflection is sponsored by C3 Grading. Built by collectors for collectors, C3 focuses on accurate grading, a collector-first mentality, competitive flat pricing, and hands-on customer service. Use code CMD to grade for just $8 per card at c3grading.com.

https://collectorsmd.com/the-joy-of-the-retail-rip/

Collectors MD is proud to announce a new strategic partnership with The 77NineNine Foundation, an athlete-focused organization dedicated to supporting the mental, emotional, physical, financial, and personal well-being of athletes and their families beyond the field of play.

The partnership brings together two organizations working from different parts of the same larger conversation. Collectors MD focuses on compulsive collecting, overspending, gambling-adjacent behaviors, prevention, peer support, education, recovery, and healthier engagement within modern collecting environments. 77NineNine Foundation is building a broader support system for athletes navigating the pressures that can exist away from competition – including mental health, financial literacy, addiction, career transitions, family support, nutrition, mentorship, and life after sports. 

Together, the organizations will explore ways to create stronger pathways between athletes, families, education, peer support, and professional resources. For Collectors MD, the partnership is especially meaningful because athletes and the modern collectibles ecosystem increasingly intersect. Current and former athletes are not only featured on cards and memorabilia. Many participate directly in collecting, breaking, live commerce, investing, content creation, appearances, autograph markets, brand partnerships, and other parts of the hobby. At the same time, athletes can face many of the same pressures that affect collectors more broadly – financial decision-making, identity, impulsivity, competition, chasing, social pressure, high-risk spending, addiction, and the emotional challenges that can accompany major life transitions.

That overlap creates an opportunity for education before harm occurs. Collectors MD and 77NineNine will begin by developing clearer referral pathways between the two organizations so individuals and families can be connected to the resource best positioned to support their needs. 

The goal is not to duplicate existing services. It is to build stronger connections between them. If an athlete or family encounters concerns involving compulsive collecting, overspending, gambling-adjacent behavior, or gambling-related harm, Collectors MD can provide specialized education, peer support, and pathways to additional care. Likewise, when someone within the Collectors MD community needs broader athlete-focused support involving mental health, financial wellness, career development, family resources, or other areas within 77NineNine’s scope, the partnership can help create a more direct bridge.

This approach reflects one of the principles Collectors MD continues to build around: People rarely experience challenges in isolated categories. Support systems should not operate that way either.

One of the most immediate areas of collaboration will be education and curriculum development. 77NineNine is currently developing programming designed to support athletes across multiple dimensions of wellness, and Collectors MD will explore how its existing resources and expertise can be thoughtfully integrated into that work. That could include education around compulsive behavior, financial harm, gambling-adjacent mechanics, warning signs, intentional decision-making, peer support, recovery resources, and understanding when a hobby or purchasing behavior may be beginning to create problems.

Importantly, the goal is not to tell athletes – or anyone else – that collecting itself is the problem. Collectors MD is not anti-hobby. Collecting can create community, nostalgia, identity, connection, enjoyment, and meaningful relationships with sports, athletes, and culture. The focus is on helping people better understand their own behavior and giving them the information and support necessary to make informed decisions about how they participate.

That same philosophy can extend into 77NineNine’s developing app, where the organizations will explore opportunities to make Collectors MD resources, educational materials, peer-support pathways, and additional support options accessible directly within the broader athlete-wellness ecosystem.

The partnership will also explore a series of quarterly webinars and workshops leading into 77NineNine’s future summit programming. These sessions can provide athletes and families with opportunities to become familiar with Collectors MD, learn more about topics involving gambling, collecting, financial decision-making, compulsive behavior, recovery, and prevention, and begin engaging with these conversations before a crisis occurs. 

That early engagement matters. Too often, people are introduced to resources only after significant financial, emotional, relational, or behavioral harm has already occurred. Prevention works differently. It creates familiarity before the resource is urgently needed. It gives people language for what they may be experiencing. It helps families recognize warning signs. And perhaps most importantly, it makes asking for help feel more normal.

Beginning in 2027, Collectors MD Founder Alyx Effron will participate in the planning process for 77NineNine’s future summit programming, providing input around content, education, prevention, and the ways these emerging behavioral-health conversations can be incorporated into the broader athlete experience. 

The organizations will also continue exploring opportunities around joint programming, speaking, fundraising, grants, and corporate support where their respective missions and expertise can strengthen the impact of a project. This is particularly important because the challenges facing athletes, collectors, and families often span multiple systems at once. Financial literacy can intersect with gambling. Gambling can intersect with collecting. Collecting can intersect with identity. Identity can intersect with career transition. Mental health can influence all of them. No single organization needs to solve every part of that equation. But organizations can become much more effective when they know where their expertise ends and where a trusted partner can step in.

That is what makes this partnership especially exciting. 77NineNine is working to build a support system around the person behind the athlete. Collectors MD is working to build healthier pathways around the person behind the collector. In both cases, the objective is much bigger than simply responding after something goes wrong. It is about building education, awareness, accountability, support, and access into the environment from the beginning.

Collectors MD is grateful to Samantha Amaral, Mike McGlynn, Will Amaral, and the entire 77NineNine Foundation team for welcoming this conversation and for recognizing the potential to bring these resources into the athlete community. We are excited to continue developing the partnership, building stronger referral pathways, exploring educational programming, and finding new ways to support athletes and families both inside and outside the modern collectibles ecosystem. Because whether someone is an athlete, collector, parent, creator, entrepreneur, or fan, the principle remains the same: The person matters more than the product, the purchase, the game, or the outcome. And support should be available before someone reaches their breaking point.

If you’d like to learn more about Collectors MD, explore our resources, or discuss opportunities to collaborate, contact us at info@collectorsmd.com.

Collect With Intention. Heal With Support.
#CollectorsMD | #TheCMDFoundation | #77NineNine | #RipResponsibly

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https://collectorsmd.com/collectors-md-partners-with-77ninenine-foundation-to-support-athletes-beyond-the-game/

This is what the vision looks like in action.

As part of the recent release of Nostalgia Wax, The Trading Card Hall of Fame becomes the first manufacturer to officially place #RipResponsibly branding directly on its consumer packaging, and that moment means a lot to us.

We’ve always believed responsible engagement shouldn’t just live in conversations, campaigns, or recovery spaces. It should be visible where the experience actually takes place.

Packaging is one of the most important touchpoints within the modern collecting experience. #RipResponsibly creates an opportunity to pause, reflect, and remind ourselves that we can enjoy this hobby with intention.

And this is just the beginning.

With the conversations we’re currently having across the industry, you’ll start seeing #RipResponsibly on physical products more and more throughout the hobby.

Thank you to Brad Sauder and The Trading Card Hall of Fame team for believing in the CMD mantra, being a pioneer, taking that first step with us, and helping pave the way for collectors across the globe.

Real change starts with small, intentional steps. This is one of them.

#CollectorsMD | #RipResponsibly

https://www.instagram.com/p/DeIYxp0EQ6j/?img_index=1