2026 is the New 2016: How Sports Cards Have Changed Forever

Mike and Jesse are back with Papa Gio to take on the viral 2016 vs 2026 challenge by looking back at the state of the sports card hobby exactly ten years ago. They break down the shocking price differences for iconic cards like the Michael Jordan rookie and Tom Brady Bowman Chrome to see just how much the market has exploded since COVID and the pre-investor era. The guys also react to some wild statistics about box prices from a decade ago and debate whether the "pure collector" days of 2016 were truly better than the modern hobby. The crew also breaks some MASSIVE NEWS regarding the upcoming 2026 Topps Series 1 release. They reveal that the product will be the exclusive home for the legendary 1952 design on rookie cards, including Jonah Tong (Mets), Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers), Payton Tolle (Red Sox), Carson Williams (Rays), CJ Kayfus (Guardians) and more. They'll all also have on-card autos. After this, the 1952 design will be gone for good. Later in the show, they discuss the sold-out Disney packs on Arena Club and do a live rip of a $100 slab pack to see if Mike can pull a monster card. Finally, they wrap up with the latest release calendar, a Denver news station contacting the show for Jarrett Stidham analysis, and a mailbag segment featuring selling tool questions and Malik Willis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices