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CN PodcastEP 49
PSA Pricing, Super Bowl Card Hype & the Vintage Advantage
2/13/202624:34
/ ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The sports card hobby is evolving — and the old rules don’t always apply anymore.
In this episode of Collector Nation, host Ryan Alford is joined by hobby veteran and Ludex CEO Brian Ludden for a wide-ranging conversation on the real economics behind today’s card market.
They unpack how Super Bowl performances impact pricing, why PSA grading fees keep climbing, and why vintage cards continue to quietly outperform modern hype.
🧠 What You’ll Learn:
Why grading modern cards is riskier than most collectors admit
How PSA pricing and turnaround times affect card velocity
The growing dominance of raw card transactions
Why vintage cards behave more like “blue-chip assets”
How branding and auction exposure multiply card values
What most collectors misunderstand about supply & demand
This episode is less about hype — and more about understanding how money actually moves in the hobby.
🤝 Connect with Collector Nation
Ryan Alford
Website: https://ryanisright.com
Instagram / X: @ryanalford
Brian Ludden – Ludex
Website: https://www.ludex.com
Download the Ludex App (iOS)
Instagram / X: @ludexapp
🌐 Collector Nation: https://thecollectornation.com
/ MORE EPISODES
EP 79Inside the Allocation Chaos, Record Sales, and Sourcing Pressure in Today’s Hobby
EP 78The Luxury Upgrade Cards Have Been Missing | Brian Pirrip & M1nt
EP 77What PSA Hiring 1,000 Graders and Expansion Will Mean For the Hobby
EP 76Tyler “T-Pott” Nethercott: Why Grading Is More Inconsistent Than Collectors Want to Admit | Sports Card Investor
EP 75eBay rejected GameStop’s Takeover Proposal… What this means for the hobby
