Episode Details

Ryan Alford and Bella are back with a packed Collector Nation weekly episode covering some of the biggest stories moving through the hobby, starting with the launch of Pokémon’s 30th Celebration. Demand is already intense at Collector Station, and the conversation turns to the reported $20,000 Blue Mew sale and what the early frenzy says about the strength of Pokémon collecting.

They also break down a major shift in card grading as Beckett reopens with a $17.99 value option while PSA continues working through a 9.9 million-card backlog. Ryan and Bella discuss pricing, turnaround times, brand value and why this could be an important window for Beckett to regain ground in the grading market.

The episode also covers the early football card winners and losers, a major jump in a 1997 Metal Universe Michael Jordan, the huge Scottie Pippen insert collection that walked into Collector Station, a record-setting Mickey Mantle photograph, Ken Griffey Jr.’s massive graded population and the multimillion-dollar Cooper Flagg 1/1.

SAILY

Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily eSIM data plans! Download the Saily app and use the code COLLECTORNATION at checkout.

Topics Covered

• Pokémon 30th Celebration
• The reported $20,000 Blue Mew
• Pokémon demand at Collector Station
• Beckett grading reopening
• Beckett’s value pricing
• PSA’s grading backlog
• The current state of card grading
• Jackson Dart and Caleb Williams cards
• Trevor Lawrence’s market
• Drake Maye, Bo Nix and Marvin Harrison Jr.
• 1990s basketball inserts
• Michael Jordan Metal Universe growth
• Scottie Pippen inserts
• The $3 million Mickey Mantle photograph
• 200,000 graded Ken Griffey Jr. rookies
• Cooper Flagg’s card shop
• The Cooper Flagg 1/1 auction

🔗 Links Mentioned in This Episode

Collector Nation
Website: https://thecollectornation.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecollectornation_
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecollectornation
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thecollectornation

Collector Station
Website: https://thecollectorstation.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecollectorstation

Ryan Alford
Website: https://www.ryanalford.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford

Listen Now