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Daily Reflection: Who’s Protecting The Hobby?
Published September 29, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD
In the heat of the chase, boundaries dissolve. Adrenaline surges, limits blur, and suddenly the rip feels like it never ends. That’s when the role of local card shops and breakers becomes critical. Because when collectors are at their most vulnerable—caught between the thrill of the chase and the fear of missing out—someone needs to step in.
True stewardship of the hobby isn’t about wringing out every last dollar in a night’s live stream or break. It’s about knowing when enough is enough. It’s about recognizing when excitement has tipped into compulsion. It’s about shops and breakers asking themselves a hard but necessary question: Am I protecting this customer’s love of the hobby, or am I exploiting it?
At Collectors MD, we firmly believe the future of the hobby depends on accountability and responsibility. Shops and breakers who step up in these moments—who prioritize people and purpose over profit—do more than save collectors from financial strain. They protect marriages and friendships, they preserve peace of mind, and they keep alive the purity and joy that collecting was always meant to bring.
We’re actively partnering with leaders and influencers across the industry to embed #CollectWithIntention and #RipResponsibly into shops, breaks, and live streams—bringing responsible messaging into the heart of the hobby ecosystem.
Because the truth is, the fastest way to lose a collector is to burn them out. When spending spirals out of control, when the guilt outweighs the joy, that collector doesn’t just walk away from one shop—they walk away from the hobby altogether. The best way to keep people engaged isn’t to push them to the brink; it’s to help them build a healthy, intentional relationship with collecting.
That’s why Collectors MD is working to partner with breakers and shops across the industry. Our mission is to bring “Responsible Ripping” messaging into live breaks, card shows, social posts, ads, and storefronts—creating environments where collectors feel supported, not preyed upon. This isn’t about policing fun. It’s about building guardrails that protect joy before it turns into regret.
If you own or work at a card shop or break company, we invite you to reach out. Together, we can create a culture that chooses sustainability over short-term gain, and responsibility over recklessness. Because protecting the hobby means protecting the people inside it.
Collect with Intention. Not Compulsion.
#CollectorsMD
The future of the hobby belongs to those willing to protect its people, not just profit from them.
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Slightly less messy desk…
My desk is ever so slightly less messy now with this awesome soft sleeve and toploader holder. Thanks @OkCPhilPie - please no judgment on the remaining mess haha.
Poll
To peel or not to peel?
Picked this up from my favorite LCS today.
The card is going into my PC, but I'm grading it for PSA Registry purposes (btw, if you're working on the Allen Iverson or Anfernee Hardaway Master Sets, let me know!). I'm removing the protective film to fix the edge issue and - in my opinion - increase the visual appeal. Hopefully, the surface will stay intact.
How do you handle protective film, especially for PC cards? Do you remove the protective film or leave everything intact?
Poll has ended
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2 votes
The Mickey Mantle M1NT Hobby Case Quest
Hi everyone! My name is Collin and I'm excited to be sharing the release of The M1NT Hobby Case, my company's first product to hit shelves. At M1NT, we are reimagining how cards and collectibles are displayed, protected, and preserved. The cool thing about this product launch is that we're involving a chase, but not just any chase, one that features eight Mickey Mantle cards! 🔥
We wanted to make this limited release fun and not be just another product drop. Instead, we thoughtfully and carefully inserted all different kinds of cards like autos, numbered cards, refractors, and of course, several Mantles across all 2,500 Hobby Cases, each coming from the Brian Pirrip Collection!
Head over to our website to learn more: www.m1ntaverse.com. You can also see our CEO, Brian Pirrip, explain the 'Quest' and why he's brining his personal collection into the mix in the following video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGji3QySeTI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
I'm proud to be working alongside the tenacious and endlessly positive Brian Pirrip who has restored my faith in this Hobby with his enthusiasm and refreshing approach to collecting. You may have seen him at your local card shop chasing a Bo Jackson or Dale Murphy, or at a ballpark handing out packs, but what excites me the most is what we are building behind the scenes. Using world-class design and engineering, we're solving some real needs in this space, and we can't wait to share it with you all!
Our plans exceed far beyond The Hobby Case, with other products in the pipe for cards, and other collectible verticals, and I intend to keep all you great folks here up to date on our progress, but felt time was ripe to share my first post with M1NT’s first release. 😎
Stay tuned for more updates, let me know if you have any questions, and I can't wait to engage with you all as we continue developing and rolling out new and exciting products in the months and years to come.
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Warning: Perfect Fit Sleeves Damage Slabs
The first thing I have always done when I receive a slab is to sleeve it before it can get scratched. Over the years, I have also noticed an abundance of vertical scratches along PSA slabs. Now I see that they are related.
I just received back a PSA order and immediately got to sleeving my slabs into perfect fit sleeves. When I popped one back up, I noticed the familiar thin vertical scratches, but this time, I knew I had just put in a completely clear and clean slab. I went back and checked all of the slabs I had just sleeved, and sure enough, every single one had immediately been afflicted with the vertical scratches to varying degrees.
I attempted to buff them out with a natural polish, but had no success. I have read in forums about removing scratches with plastic polishes, but I don’t love the idea of putting abrasives that close to my cards.
After doing some research, I found that this is actually a pretty common phenomenon. See here for threads discussing the topic:
https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1522481
https://www.elitefourum.com/t/do-graded-card-sleeves-scratch-up-the-case/40138/15
I must say that I am disappointed that even the new PSA cases scratch this easily - I gently slid the cards in and out of the sleeves, even being careful not to apply pressure to the surface. However, it seems that perfect fit sleeves are not at all suitable to protect slabs and actually do more harm than good. Looking through my collection, I see that this occurred with multiple brands of perfect fit sleeves rather than being a problem with one product in particular. This realization makes the appeal of alternative companies that focus on slab quality like Rare Edition - who use scratch-proof Gorilla Glass for their slabs - much more appealing.
My entire collection is sleeved, but I will be removing them from every card. I am looking for suggestions on alternative ways to protect and store large quantities of slabs. GradedGuard offer a nice product, but they are quite bulky and leave one side exposed. Slabmags offer protection on both sides but are also quite bulky and obscure the card a bit.
Would love to hear what other people use, and if people do have suggestions on safely removing scratches. Thanks!
