We’re finally here, Collectors. Fanatics Fest Week.

Heading to NYC for the show? Check out Yahoo Sports’ primer on what to expect from Michael Rubin and team this year. And don’t forget to stop by Bleecker Trading to hang with the Mantel crew. We’ll be there after the show every day, with a packed schedule of events, giveaways, authentic NYC pizza… everything you’ll need.

Boardroom: Cover Story, Michael Rubin

We can’t talk about Fanatics Fest without talking about the engine driving Fanatics’ push to dominate the sports and collectible businesses: Michael Rubin. The Fanatics founder and CEO’s rise offers a masterclass in strategic evolution, risk tolerance, and obsessive focus on customer value. As described in Boardroom’s cover story article and video, Rubin sees Fanatics not as an empire, but a 22,000-person startup, still just getting started.

Mantel: Inside Fanatics Fest: How One Hobby Shop Prepares for the Big Show

Regular readers of these pages are probably pretty aware of the love we have for Bleecker Trading, an NYC hobby shop that puts culture and community at the forefront of everything they do. With Mantel hitting the Big Apple, deciding where we wanted to post up was a no-brainer, and for Yahoo Sports, we wanted to take readers behind the scenes at the shop. I also had the pleasure of joining Bleecker honcho Mark Zablow on The Hobby With Cage, so give the article a read, the video a watch, and then come hang with us at the shop this week if you’re in town.

WSJ: How Pop Mart Turned Collectible Dolls Into a $1.8 Billion Business

At this point you’ve probably heard of Labubu, the cute/creepy dolls that have taken over the world over the last few weeks. (If you are unfamiliar, check out this piece from NPR, which explains the toy’s origins). We also enjoyed the video below from the Wall Street Journal, which showcases how the store behind the phenomenon, Pop Mart, has made the dolls go viral, and as a result, is now minting money. Are Labubu dolls here to stay, or just this year’s Furby?

The Athletic: How Friendship and $27 Turned Into a $274,500 Caitlin Clark Rookie Card

In a heart-warming twist of hobby fate, a Caitlin Clark 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA Black Finite 1/1 rookie card, graded PSA 9, sold for $274,500 via Goldin Auctions just months after a collector landed it for $27 in a Whatnot stream. The card is now the most valuable non-autographed Clark card ever sold, and the second-priciest overall behind her $366K Gold Vinyl auto. Kudos to the seller, Valerie Coleman, for turning her windfall into a good cause, with her pledge to match up to $50K in donations collectors make to animal rescues.

Mental Floss: Rare Ceratosaurus Fossil Expected to Fetch Millions at Auction

One of only four known Ceratosaurus skeletons, and the only juvenile, is hitting the auction block at Sotheby’s on July 16. Measuring over 10 feet long with a complete skull and razor-sharp teeth, the fossil stands mounted in a dramatic, roaring pose. Originally unearthed in Wyoming and once housed at Utah’s Museum of Ancient Life, the specimen is estimated to bring in $4-6M at the sale, a huge number, though still tiny in comparison to the Stegosaurus “Apex”, which sold for $44.6M back in 2022. Not all are thrilled, by the way, that fossils once destined for museums and scientific research, are ending up in private collections through these auctions.

Mantel: Streaks, Polls and More

Another week, another Mantel update. Yesterday we launched new features including Streaks, Polls and better image display tools (including zoom). Not on Mantel yet? Grab a (free) account and username today, and join in the excitement as we take in the sights, sounds and conversations from Fanatics Fest in NYC.