THWC 406: Nice Job Mike Mahan

What is up? Everybody happy with Cage? Episode 406 brought to you today by Arena Club. By card ladder use code, Cage, save yourself a couple bucks. And by the Philly Show. Notice I didn't say Fanatics. And yet the title of this episode will be Nice Job, Mike Mahan. Let's get into it because I am a happy hobby collector. I am a happy hobby participant today for a couple reasons. Number one, I bought a card last night that really got back to my roots. I mean, if you look on the bottom of the screen there, it says Cage. And you know, there were some UFC cards available last night. Heck, there was a combat auction in golden that, you know, I would venture to say at least one in every four cards, if not more, were cards that I owned previously at one point in time. Because a lot of the inventory there I sold. When I sold my collection, I sold to one person and he, I guess he unloaded his whole collection and they made an auction out of it. So fun auction. We'll talk about that in a second. But let's get to the headline, right? Because, I mean, what's fun about this space, guys, is you're only as good as your word. I try to keep my word whenever I can. I know most of you guys do as well. You know, Fanatics has come in with a lot of big promises and, you know, a lot of big ten x in the hobby and all kinds of fun stuff. But in my interactions with the folks from Fanatics and Tops, I genuinely believe that they want what's good for the space. They want what's good for the hobby. They want, you know, as I used to say all the time when I still did this with Andrew, right? They want the hobby pie to grow. This way, everybody's piece is bigger. And why am I saying this today? Why am I, you know, why am I giving credit to fanatics? Not sponsored, not getting a dollar for it, but because it's due. It really is. And Mike Mahan by name, and I'll tell you why, because if you haven't seen it yet, I posted a card today. I posted a card on my page that is an absolute stunner. The kind of card that, you know, I don't know if I could afford today, but obviously prices have appreciated, prices have gone up, card values have gone up. But. But when I bought, cost me a lot. It was part cash, part trade. You know, it was one of those cards where if it's not the most I've ever spent on a card, it's up there you know, it's encountered on fingers and, you know, I just happen to be, you know, trading some cards, selling some cards at a time and, and have the ability to buy this card. And I had missed on a couple of others similar cards and really regretted it. And you guys know how that is in the hobby, right? You know, you, you, you, you want to buy a card, you miss it and, and, you know, it causes some sleepless nights. You got that regret that I should have pulled the trigger on it. I should have spent that extra buck. I should have put that extra bid in. You know, I should have went for it on that card. But another opportunity comes to kind of make up for it. You go all in. You do what you got to do. And I did. And I'm going to tell you something, I was able to do it in a way, I believe, where I was going to be rewarded if I took a gamble on Tops and on Mike Mahan specifically. So let's get to it, all right. Because I believe that gamble paid off. You guys remember the first Topps Dynasty soccer set, right? And, you know, Top soccer, that was. That's their flagship set. I mean, that tops Dynasty soccer, that is their flat is, you know, like there is nothing else like it out there. It is something that's on the level of, you know, the, the one and only flawless set that was made, you know, a decade ago. That Tops dynasty, you know, they're gonna make it for years to come, I'm sure, and it will stand as the flagship, just like it is for F1 cards, just like it is for baseball cards, and just like I believe it will be for NBA and for NFL going forward. It is. They're exquisite. It is their flawless. It is their flagship. So last year, when Messi was in it in the first set, I mean, it was something I wanted to buy a lot of, and I did. I mean, you can look at my page and see I owned a lot of them. I bought a lot of Barcelona Messi cards. He's got several different photo images, variations out of 10, out of five and one of one. If you're not familiar with the product. That's the way the dynasty is run. And I was looking to get, you know, know every photo variation, everyone, every different, you know, pose out of 10, out of five. And if you can, you don't want a one. You know, that's one of those things where you can call it a grail and not misuse the word. It is one of those things that, you know, first year dynasty, one of one Messi has six Barcelona photo variations. So that means there are six of those one of ones. And it is one of those things that just not everybody can own. And if you're able to own one, you consider yourself a lucky hobbyist. The thing was, at the time these signatures were coming out, everything was great. People were buying them. And a few months later, there were news reports about PSA not passing or not grading the signatures of Messi. They didn't say they weren't authentic. I mean, the rumor mill out there started talking about it was Messi's brother signing and you name it. And it wasn't just Dynasty. There were some other sticker autos that PSA was not grading. And it appeared that there was one version or two versions of the six messy cards that, you know, the photo variations that, that PSA wasn't grading. And man, you got to go back to last year when that news broke. It was on, you know, Collect, I think they were still doing posts and social media and stuff. They had it, the athletic had it. And you know, there were, you know, talks about investigations and even though PSA didn't respond to, you know, the comments, you know, PSA was mentioned in there a lot, talking about how PSA just won't grade it. PSA won't grade it at all. And that scared some people that did. And this is a true story. I've told the story to a bunch of people so, you know, I can corroborate this. This is not, this is not nothing. This one I'm about to say here, I, I, this was an investment thesis, right? So when the athletic and Collect and everyone else and everyone on social media came out talking about how fake, messy autos, fake, fake, fake, fake, fake. I did my research and you know, this has happened before the Eminence released by Panini, but they never did anything about it. They never did anything. So now everyone just assumes that every Panini eminence, except for the 1:1 of 1 from 2018, you know, the one that you actually see a picture of Messi holding, everybody assumes that, that, that those cards are all just fake and Benini never did anything about it. So it's this entire awesome set of cards that just kind of languished. And the Dynasty cards could have fallen into the same problem because people aren't going to take the time to investigate which one is the problem. And you know, PSA graded a bunch of them. So I guess you can kind of figure it out once PSA grades it. That was the issue and just be clear, Top stood by their autos. Top said, you know, we're standing by the autos. But then they went one step further. They didn't do what Panini did. They didn't put their head in the sand. And I found an article. I remember when this happened. I remember this. It was. It was back in August of 2005 that not only do they still, you know, they stand by the authenticity. This is in the New York Times, right? I read the article and I owned a bunch of cards, so I was nervous already. But when I read this, I was no longer nervous and even doubled down when I read this. We stand by the authenticity of the autograph. Mike Mahan said, that being said, if PSA is not grading it, we understand that's a problem for collectors. Therefore it's a problem for us. So we are replacing them. I would say if PSA won't grade it, then come to us and we'll deal with it in the right way. It's that simple. We care about the collector. We care about the collecting experience. That means if there's an issue that in this case was unforeseen, come to us and we will deal with it. No uncertainty there. That is this man putting his name in the New York Times saying that if there's a problem, even though they stand by it, they understand that collectors need that authenticity. Collectors need that verification of psa. If you have a car that PSA will not verify, they did not say, come talk to us and we'll see what we can do. Mike Mahan, his name in black and white in the New York Times saying how he cares about the collector. And if there's an issue, come to us and we will deal with it. That is black and white. And when I read that, I said, I'm gonna go buy more of these. And anybody who follows my page knows I bought some nice ones and knows these cards are beautiful. These cards are amazing pieces. And if you want a game used Barcelona jersey card with an on card auto, this is it. They're the only ones. So it's got some historical significance. And that set, the first set was the first one. So you want to get it right. And I said, you know what? I'm going to go find a one on one. And I found somebody who was not sure that their card was going to be legitimate. And they also were not sure about what would happen. This is someone who knew soccer. This is someone who knew, you know, the, the history of eminence and knew that those cards which are beautiful. Cards are held down in price because who's gonna buy it? There's questionable authenticity. And there's two things you can do there. You can do what Panini did at that time, which was nothing, or you can say, the buck stops with me. My name is Mike Mahan. I'm gonna tell the New York Times I'm gonna fix this. That we care about collectors, and then I'm gonna make sure I fix it. Now, was it fixed in a week? No, but that statement was made last summer. I mean, Messi's got some stuff going on. You know, he's playing some games. He's preparing for the World Cup. He's doing his thing. He's not exactly the easiest guy in the world. But if you read that article the same way I did, not only you placing a bet on Messi, you're placing a bet on Fanatics, and you are placing a bet on Mike Mahan. And I say, nice job, Mike Mahan, because with the help of the customer service department and the team at fanatics, today FedEx dropped off my one of one, and it is on my page and you can go see it. And it is an absolute stunner of a card. I know when Messi signed it, I had a friend who was there when they signed that day. He did two signings right after he played Portland a couple of weeks ago. The card is beautiful, but the story is better because I'm not getting a dollar for this. Guys, you need to know this. This is my hobby journey. I get to talk about this every day here. And today I get to come on here and tell you about something that actually happened to me. This could have gone many ways. It could have gone well, we can't do it. Sorry. Let's figure out what equal value is and get you a redemption. Get you a. You know, a replacement car. Get you a. Get you a. Get you a. But they didn't do that. And I know I'm not the only one because I have friends who, as I went through this process, spoke to me about it and said, hey, what can we do here? And I said, so far, so good. Full speed ahead. I trust what's being said here. I mean, he didn't shy away. He put his name in black and white in the New York Times. I mean, like, come on, it wasn't hidden. You know, he didn't come on my show and say he was going to replace it. And, you know, no one sees it, even in the New York Times, and said, we're going to make it right. And guess what? I'm here to tell you they made it right. And why am I doing this? Not because I'm looking at Carrie Favor. I want to say thank you. Hell, yeah, I do. I mean, I love the card. My son's been showing it to all of his soccer team, his middle school soccer team today. You know, look at this car. What do you mean? He wore that. He wore that jersey. Oh, my God. You know, really cool, like, fun stuff, you know. So, yeah, hell yeah, I say thank you. But in reality, it's because you guys know how this works. When somebody prints something, it gets printed everywhere. But when there's a retraction, it's in page 11. When the story comes to a conclusion, and it's not as sensational, it doesn't get printed. So I doubt that Collect or the Athletic or the New York Times or any hobby hero or talking head is going to go out there and make a video with their face to the camera talking about how this problem has been resolved. So I'll do it. Because it was resolved for me, and you need to know that. And it wasn't just resolved for me. It was resolved for the other people who are in this situation. I've spoken to several of them this week. Their cards are all being made, their cards are all being graded. Their cards are all either with them already, like mine, or en route to them. Applaud the customer service at fanatics. Applaud Mike Mahan. Because, listen, people make bets. I made a bet on Mike Mahan coming through and sticking to his word, and he did. And I believe that that bet paid off, because there is no way that I would sell that card for what I paid for it. Not even close. So that, to me, means I've won my bet, my bet on Messi and my bet on fanatics and my bet on Mike Mahan. Thank you. That's 15 minutes. Let's talk about a little UFC. Because, you guys know, it's Cage Lawyer. I mean, back in 09 when I found out that Topps was making UFC cards and Anderson Silva had cards and. And, you know, forget about Joe Rogan was not Joe Rogan. I used to throw out the Joe Rogan cards when I opened the boxes. I used to use them to ship cards. You know, you bought. You bought a Jon Jones, you could have a Rogan and a Goldberg card, you know, taped so that, you know, your stuff didn't get damaged and rude. I owned a card. I'll just tell you, I don't care. I Owned a card back then. I owned it with our friend, the UFC card father, who does not know that I bought this card last night. But he and I split a card and we paid several thousand dollars for it at the time. I brought it with me to a taping of a sports show with Regis Philbin and Kathy Nolan, and Dana White was on it, and he was too busy. He didn't, you know, I had the card with him. I wanted to show it to him. Maybe at Fanatics Fest I'll get a chance to show him the card that I bought. Because, yes, I am the person who paid the record price for Dana 1. Dana White. One of one. Dana 1. Dana White's one of one card. That's it back to me. I am a prior owner of that card and I just paid many multiples of what I owned it for. But it is one of those things. A boomerang card we like to call them. I missed it, and I missed having a cool UFC piece added in my collection. I'm cage lawyer for, for God's sake. I mean, I need to have some UFC cards, and that one is what I owned. And that one, I mean, come on now. I hope to see Dana White at Fanatics Fest and maybe I'll sell it to him. Maybe I'll give it to him. Nah, I'm not giving it to him. But he can take a picture with my son holding the card, maybe, who knows? That's the cool thing about this, right? I want that card, and that is a cool card. And the guy who's on it, he's never lost a fight. He's not gonna lose a fight. He's gonna be doing this forever. And every UFC event, it doesn't matter if Tapira wins or loses, Jones wins or loses, Khabib ever fights again or not, Conor gets in trouble or not, Dana White will be there through thick and thin. That's why I bought that card. That guy's the boss, and he's one of us. He's a card collector. How do you beat that? So, yeah, I'm the guy who paid more than anybody's ever paid for a Dana White card. So today, one hell of a hobby celebration for me. Thank you, Fanatics. Thank you, Mike Mayhem. Thank you, Dana White. I got a messy one on one, and soon when it gets shipped, I'll post my Dana White 101. And you guys can tell me in the comments if you think I'm nuts, if you think I shouldn't do an episode like this. You know, I Will tell you. I don't care what you say, but I do care. I love the comments. Tell me what you're thinking. Tell me what your thoughts are. I'm a happy man today. I'm a happy collector. This space has been great for me. It is a great escape for me from. From daily life, from the. From the, you know, the. The craziness that makes up our lives, from the politics to the wars, to just your job and the everyday stress as you come in to escape. And when you can have a win like I had with that Messi card, relying on somebody, you know, standing to their word and then throw a little. A little fun on top and buy a massive, massive Dana White first year tops one of one must. Dana White's rookie card, man, that's the boss's best card. I don't care what anybody said. That's the boss's best card. I mean, you might have Rogan, the Rogan 101 above that, just because there's crazy Rogan fans, but personally, I'll take the Dana White because I gotta tell you, I gotta thank that guy. That's my way of saying thank you, I guess, because I've watched thousands of hours of the ufc. It is. I'm a huge fan of it. I'm a huge fan of the sport. And, you know, when that card came back up and I saw it in that auction, I was like, I am winning this. I would have paid more for it. So there's an episode. We got about 20 minutes in there. Episode 406 of the Hobby of the Cage. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Nice job. Mike Mahan. Brought to you by the Philly Show. I'm doing in reverse order by card ladder use code cage. Save yourself a couple bucks and buy Arena Club. And that's it, guys. I guess today was brought to you by fanatics, too, but I can't really say that because they're. That's. They're not. They're not a sponsor, but they might as well be today, because I. I mean, big thank you to those guys. I'm. I'm a happy hobby participant today. I hope you guys enjoyed this one. I'll talk to you tomorrow. That's 406 of these. Whoa, Rock and roll, man. Talk to you guys soon. Take care, everybody.