In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Paul Baldwin Jr.—aka @Paullydoughnuts⁩—founder of #GetToStackin, trusted hobby voice, and one of the more outspoken, community-rooted personalities in the space today.

Paully brings a grounded, collector-first perspective to a moment in the hobby that feels as exciting as it does uncertain. With 20K+ followers across his socials and years of experience transacting and building trust within the community, he’s become a voice many collectors have turned to as the hobby has started feeling louder, faster, and harder to make sense of.

Alyx and Paully unpack the current state of the hobby from multiple angles—including Fanatics’ branded credit card, this year's Topps Industry Conference, the continued financialization of fandom, and what it all means for where the hobby is headed.

They discuss the return of iconic products like Topps Chrome Football and Bowman Basketball, the Topps licensing takeover, and why modern wax prices have reached a point where we're starting to question who today’s products are really built for.

The conversation centers on trust, transparency, and accountability, honing in on the recent Whatnot controversy, lawsuits, repack concerns, and the growing tension between community and commerce in the live-selling and breaking ecosystem.

They explore what’s changing in the hobby, what's worth protecting, and whether the space is evolving in a way that feels healthier, more sustainable, and more aligned with the people who helped build it.

At its core, this episode focuses on a bigger question: are we building a better hobby—or just a faster, more expensive, more emotionally volatile one?

Topics covered include:

• Paully’s roots in the hobby and why his voice resonates

• The launch of #GetToStackin and building trust in the community

• Fanatics’ new branded credit card and what it signals

• The financialization of fandom and hobby participation

• Topps’ growing influence and the new licensing era

• The return of Topps Chrome Football and Bowman Basketball

• The skyrocketing cost of wax and accessibility concerns

• Whether modern product is still built for real collectors

• The recent Whatnot controversy, lawsuits, and trust issues

• Repack culture, transparency, and accountability in the hobby

• What still feels worth protecting in today’s hobby

• Whether the hobby is becoming healthier or just more intense

If you’ve been feeling both excited and uneasy about where the hobby is headed, this conversation will hit home. Growth isn’t always the same thing as progress.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around awareness, accountability, and building a healthier relationship with collecting.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:

Website: collectorsmd.com

Socials: bio.collectorsmd.com

Weekly Meetings: bit.ly/45koiMX

Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

YT: ‪@collectorsmd

IG: @collectorsmd

Learn More About Paul & #GetToStackin:

Website: gettostackin.com

YT: @Paullydoughnuts

IG: @paullydoughnuts

X: @paullydoughnuts

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 | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E0cc_bWqGI&t=93s

In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Tony Cefalu—founder of Sportano Collecting Club and creator of The Underdog Hobby Show.

Tony is a lifelong collector who has built a community-first alternative to the status-driven, hype-heavy side of today’s hobby. Through his events, he’s creating spaces centered on connection, access, and authenticity—where collectors of all levels feel welcome.

In this conversation, Alyx and Tony unpack the growing culture shift in the hobby—from gatekeeping and ego to live-selling pressure, inflated pricing, and FOMO-driven behavior.

Tony shares what he’s seen on platforms like Whatnot, where speed, urgency, and manipulation can pull collectors—especially newer ones—into decisions they don’t fully understand in real time.

The conversation also turns personal, as Tony opens up about his experience with sports betting and how he began recognizing similar patterns in his relationship with collecting—where the focus can quietly shift from the card to the feeling.

Together, they explore the difference between collecting with intention and chasing a rush, and what it looks like to build healthier habits without losing the joy of the hobby.

At its core, this episode is about accountability, awareness, and building a better hobby—without becoming anti-hobby.

Topics covered include:

• The origin of Sportano Collecting Club and The Underdog Hobby Show

• Gatekeeping and culture issues within the hobby

• Whatnot, hype cycles, and live-selling pressure

• FOMO, urgency, and collector behavior

• Parallels between sports betting and ripping

• Self-awareness and recognizing unhealthy patterns

• Building a more community-first, intentional hobby

• The Sportano x Collectors MD partnership

If you still love the hobby but feel conflicted about where it’s heading, this conversation will resonate.

Because a better hobby doesn’t happen by accident—it gets built on purpose.

Subscribe, share, and join the conversation around building a healthier, more intentional hobby.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:

Website: collectorsmd.com

Socials: bio.collectorsmd.com

Weekly Meetings: bit.ly/45koiMX

Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

YT: ‪@collectorsmd

IG: @collectorsmd

Follow Tony & Sportano Collecting Club:

Website: sportanocollectingclub.com

IG: @sportano.collecting

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 | #SportanoCollectingClub | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJMe25Tsdek

In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Jay Abrenica—a longtime Yankees collector, father, and active member of the Collectors MD community.

Jay’s story reflects the full evolution of the modern hobby. From the simplicity of collecting as a kid to navigating today’s fast-paced environment shaped by live breaks, constant access, social pressure, and manufactured urgency.

After struggling with sports gambling, Jay entered recovery through Gamblers Anonymous and has remained sober since March 2024. But like many, the pattern didn’t simply disappear—it shifted. Card breaks became a substitute behavior, carrying many of the same mechanics: variable rewards, instant gratification, emotional chasing, and the illusion of control.

Alyx and Jay explore how easily collecting can move from connection to compulsion, and what it takes to recognize that shift in real time.

Jay shares the moment his son woke him up during a late-night break session—a turning point that forced him to confront what was really happening beneath the surface. The conversation also expands into financial accountability, denial, and the importance of “doing the math” honestly rather than avoiding the reality of spending patterns and behavior.

They also discuss Jay’s framework for intentional collecting, including the three-question test: What am I feeling right now? Can I wait 24 hours? Am I buying the card or buying the feeling?

Jay reflects on the role guardrails now play in his life—not as punishment, but as protection. He shares what it looks like to build systems that support long-term stability while still maintaining a healthy relationship with the hobby.

The conversation also highlights the importance of community and peer support. Jay opens up about finding Collectors MD, why it felt different from other spaces, and how shared accountability and honest conversations helped him feel less isolated in the process.

At its core, this episode is about rebuilding trust—with yourself, your family, and the hobby itself.

Topics covered include:

• Growing up collecting cards

• How the hobby evolved from simplicity to speed and pressure

• Sports gambling and substitute behaviors

• Card breaks and gambling-adjacent mechanics

• Recognizing the shift from collecting to compulsion

• Financial accountability

• Building guardrails and healthier habits

• Family, recovery, and rebuilding trust

• Why community and peer support matter

• How intentional collecting creates sustainability

If you’ve ever felt the tension between enjoying the hobby and feeling pulled by it, this episode offers a clear and honest look at that line—and what it takes to stay on the right side of it.

Subscribe, share, and join the ongoing conversation around building a healthier, more intentional hobby through awareness, accountability, and community.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:

Website: collectorsmd.com

Socials: bio.collectorsmd.com

Weekly Meetings: bit.ly/45koiMX

Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

YT: ‪@collectorsmd

IG: @collectorsmd

Follow Jay:

IG: @jabrenica69

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 | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eQGvG8PV18

In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Dave Paladino (@davepfit)—fitness expert, martial artist, lifelong collector, and owner of Impact Zone Fitness in Norwood, New Jersey.

Dave has spent more than three decades helping athletes, celebrities, and everyday people build stronger bodies and more disciplined lives. From his early years running Core Fitness—where Alyx himself trained throughout high school and college—to building Impact Zone into one of Bergen County’s premier fitness destinations, Dave has built his career around consistency, accountability, and community.

Outside the gym, Dave is also a passionate hobbyist who has been collecting sports cards for most of his life and now enjoys the hobby with his son.

Alyx and Dave explore the parallels between fitness, martial arts, entrepreneurship, and collecting. Just like training, the hobby rewards patience, discipline, and long-term thinking—qualities that often get lost in today’s fast-moving, hype-driven environment.

Dave shares stories from decades in the fitness world, including training professional athletes and celebrities, building one of the region’s most respected training facilities, and the lessons he’s learned about consistency, resilience, and mental strength.

The conversation also touches on the role collecting plays in relationships and community. Dave recounts breaking cards during the pandemic, friendships Action Bronson and CC Sabathia, and how the hobby can create meaningful connections that go far beyond the cards themselves.

Together they discuss how collecting can serve as a bridge between generations, the importance of passing hobbies down to the next generation, and why the values learned in both the gym and the hobby often overlap more than people realize.

This episode is less about hype and more about discipline, passion, and the long game—both in life and in collecting.

Topics covered include:

• Dave's journey from Core Fitness to Impact Zone

• Building discipline through fitness and martial arts

• Training professional athletes and celebrity clients

• The parallels between fitness, consistency, and collecting

• How the hobby has changed over the years

• Sharing collecting with the next generation

• The role hobbies play in building relationships and community

• Why discipline and patience matter in both life and collecting

This episode offers a thoughtful perspective on discipline, legacy, passion, and enjoying the process—both in life and in collecting. The best hobbies—like the best training routines—are built for long term sustainability.

Subscribe, share, and join the ongoing conversation about building a healthier, more intentional hobby—through discipline, community, and a mindset that values the journey as much as the outcome.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:

Website: collectorsmd.com

Socials: bio.collectorsmd.com

Weekly Meetings: bit.ly/45koiMX

Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

YT: ‪@collectorsmd

IG: @collectorsmd

Follow Dave & Impact Zone:

Website: impactzonenj.com

YT: ‪@ImpactZoneNJ‬

IG: @davepfit | @impactzonenj

FB: dave.paladino.7 | impactzonenj

LI: bit.ly/3NtnoaW

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 | #ImpactZoneNJ | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK2fUOZCDJY&t=194s

In this episode of The Collector’s Compass, Alyx sits down with Phillip Tadros, founder of HobbyScan (@hobbyscan)—a platform built to help collectors identify, value, organize, and list cards to eBay from a single workflow.

As the hobby becomes faster, more digital, and increasingly complex, collectors are managing more cards, more data, and more decisions than ever before. HobbyScan was built to solve a simple but growing problem: how do we remove the friction from collecting without losing the joy that brought us into the hobby in the first place?

Phillip shares the story behind building HobbyScan, the challenges collectors face when trying to track and manage their collections, and how technology can actually make the hobby simpler, clearer, and more intentional rather than more overwhelming.

The conversation also expands beyond software into a bigger discussion about the systems shaping the hobby today. Alyx and Phillip explore the rise of “blind box” mechanics across modern industries, where unpredictable rewards, scarcity marketing, and chase-driven engagement are becoming increasingly common—not just in trading cards, but across collectibles and consumer culture.

Together they discuss how tools, transparency, and thoughtful design can help collectors stay grounded in the hobby without getting lost in the chase, and why technology has an opportunity to support healthier engagement rather than amplify impulsive behavior.

Phillip also talks about the upcoming launch of his new card shop, and what it means to build hobby spaces—both digital and physical—that prioritize community, clarity, and sustainability for collectors.

This episode is less about hype and more about infrastructure, responsibility, and the future of collecting.

Topics covered include:

• The story behind building HobbyScan

• How technology is changing the collector experience

• Removing friction from organizing, valuing, and selling cards

• Data transparency and smarter collecting decisions

• The rise of “blind box” mechanics in collectibles and consumer culture

• Tools that support intentional collecting

• Bridging digital platforms with physical hobby spaces

• What a healthier hobby ecosystem could look like

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the logistics of managing your collection—or wondered how technology might help make the hobby more enjoyable and sustainable long-term—this episode offers thoughtful perspective from someone building tools at the center of the hobby ecosystem.

Because collecting should add to your life—not manage it.

Subscribe, share, and join the ongoing conversation about building a healthier, more intentional hobby—through better tools, clearer systems, and a culture that puts collectors first.

Watch The Episode On YouTube

Learn More & Join The Movement:

Website: collectorsmd.com

Socials: bio.collectorsmd.com

Weekly Meetings: bit.ly/45koiMX

Contact: info@collectorsmd.com

YT: ‪@collectorsmd

IG: @collectorsmd

Download & Follow HobbyScan:

Download The App: hobbyscan.com

IG: @hobbyscan

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 | #HobbyScan | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUT1b7fMnJM&t=1s