Morning! Make the groups of 4. 4 groups in all..reply with how you did, and enjoy!!

(**Additional topic tags has hints sometimes**)

Credit to Sports-Reference, and Sara Langs for amazing compiling of facts and figures that get shared for us to all enjoy.

https://connections.swellgarfo.com/game/-P0gDd8sAdL9g0hHWOVN

Presented By All Touch Case

Each month, our Collector Spotlight series celebrates a Collectors MD community member who embodies the very best of the hobby and reminds us what a healthier, more intentional collecting experience can look like. For August, we’re proud to spotlight Sergio Pizzolante (@instapizzo), one of the most active, thoughtful, and genuinely supportive members of the Collectors MD community.

Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Sergio carries an enormous amount of pride in his Venezuelan roots. That connection has remained a constant throughout a career that has taken him across media, entertainment, sports, and business. He began his career with HBO Latin America before eventually becoming General Manager of Sony Pictures’ operations across Latin America and Brazil and later leading E! Entertainment Television in the region.

Today, Sergio works across the worlds of media, entertainment, music, and sports, with relationships spanning major brands, artists, and athletes. His work has brought him particularly close to the Latin American sports community, including relationships with prominent Venezuelan athletes and involvement in projects surrounding the Venezuelan national baseball team.

But what makes Sergio deserving of this spotlight has far less to do with who he knows or what he has accomplished professionally. It’s how he shows up for other people.

Since joining our community, Sergio has become one of the most consistent voices. He participates in our peer support meetings, is extremely active in our group chats, listens when other members are struggling, offers thoughtful feedback and perspective, and makes a genuine effort to help people feel heard.

Sergio once described empathy as his “number one superpower”, explaining that he tries to move through life asking what another person may be going through and how he can add value to their life. That philosophy is something our community gets to see from him regularly.

He has also become an important part of Collectors MD beyond the community itself. Sergio serves on our Advisory Board and has generously leveraged his experience, relationships, and understanding of the media and sports landscapes to help introduce us to new people and potential partners. From the beginning, he made it clear that he wanted to help grow both Collectors MD and the responsible side of the hobby, even telling us to “consider me a soldier” in the effort.

And Sergio genuinely loves collecting. His collection stretches well beyond traditional sports cards into memorabilia, signed jerseys, match-used pieces, Star Wars helmets, and items connected to some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment. His memorabilia collection includes signed jerseys from Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann, the current Real Madrid team, and the current Manchester City team, along with a signed Pop! from Cristo Fernández, who played Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso and Zorro in one of the television series Sergio helped produce.

Yet some of Sergio’s favorite experiences in the hobby are much simpler. He loves collecting with his kids. He has talked about going to his LCS, looking through inexpensive cards together, opening an accessible box, trading at shows, scanning cards to learn what they pulled, and simply enjoying the experience. For Sergio, that sense of discovery and connection is part of what makes collecting worth protecting. He has consistently advocated for celebrating the beauty of the hobby while also acknowledging its risks.

That perspective also reflects something central to Collectors MD: intentional collecting does not mean giving up the hobby you love.

It means understanding your relationship with it. Setting boundaries. Staying within your means. Recognizing when something is pulling you in the wrong direction. And remembering why you started collecting in the first place.

Sergio has been refreshingly open about that journey himself. Rather than pretending that responsible collecting is always easy, he has spoken candidly about wanting to maintain the joy collecting brings him while becoming more intentional about budgeting, purchasing, and the behaviors surrounding it.

That combination of passion, self-awareness, empathy, and willingness to support others is exactly what this community is about.

Sergio, thank you for everything you bring to Collectors MD. Thank you for listening. Thank you for opening doors. Thank you for believing in what we’re building. And most importantly, thank you for consistently showing up for the people around you.

We’re incredibly fortunate to have you as part of this community.

#CollectorsMD
Collect With Intention. Not Compulsion.

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This Collector Spotlight 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% off your order. Collect. Protect. It’s a peace of mind.

https://collectorsmd.com/collector-spotlight-august-2026/

Today in 1970 the great Vince Lombardi died of cancer at the age of 57.

Lombardi never had a losing season as head coach in the NFL, compiling a regular-season winning percentage of 73.8% (96–34–6) and 90% (9–1) in the postseason for an overall record of 105 wins, 35 losses and 6 ties in the NFL. He won 5 NFL Championships and 2 Super Bowls.

This is his 1st Sports Illustrated cover appearance from 1968. The cover photo was taken immediately after winning Super Bowl II as the team carried him off the field. Graded in newsstand at CGC 8.0 this copy is a pop 6 with only 3 copies graded higher.

Morning! Make the groups of 4. 4 groups in all..reply with how you did, and enjoy!!

(**Additional topic tags has hints sometimes**)

Credit to Sports-Reference, and Opta Stats for amazing compiling of facts and figures that get shared for us to all enjoy.

https://connections.swellgarfo.com/game/-P0an-WPYgLsURpjJlkH