Coom & Currie Sports cards

When A Honeycomb Hides In Your Box, What Else Are You Missing

• Ben Coom & Martin Currie • Season 1 • Episode 27

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Shock, relief, and a hard reset—that’s the ride from FA Cup surprises to NFL wild card swings to a ruthless rethink of the personal collection. Brighton sending United out sets the tone for a weekend where nothing feels settled, and that energy rolls straight into the Rams’ late escape and the Bears’ comeback that scrambled my Seahawks hopes. The result is a real-time audit of what belongs in the box and what is just noise.

I walk through a full year of collecting lessons, from the early days of one-touching base to a strict two-box PC rule that forces upgrades and better choices. Product preferences come into focus: Mosaic’s colour, case hits, and vibrancy beat Prism’s reputation for me, with soft spots for Origins and Phoenix when the design sings. A late-night dig turns up honeycombs I’d practically forgotten, and that discovery becomes a checkpoint for tracking, condition, and learning to buy with discipline.

The biggest turn is emotional: letting go of a Roma Odunze Colour Blast that graded a 10. I talk about why the card mattered, why it no longer fit the core of my PC, and how selling it to a true Bears fan helps the story land well. The proceeds point to a JSN chase that feels more aligned, and that’s the theme here—fewer cards, better cards, stronger stories. Along the way, I unpack why NFL cards connect more than my soccer stack, with an Alisson PC as the exception that proves the rule, and I preview a gold-ink Byron Murphy auto that looks even better in hand than on camera.

If you’re balancing fandom, value, and the pull of a clean PC, this one’s for you. Press play, share your current PC rule you refuse to break, and tell us the last card you sold that tugged at your heart. Subscribe, leave a review, and tag us on Instagram so we can celebrate your latest mail day and your best two-box decisions.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Coom and Curry Sports Cards Podcast We're collecting the game. Welcome to episode 27, podcast vendor today. And uh something a little bit new uh for the Coom and Curry podcast. Uh just an audio only this week. Um I'm sure people appreciate that uh it can be quite difficult with uh me being in New Zealand and MC being over in the UK. Uh unfortunately, one half of the podcast vendors is not well this week. Um but as they say the show must go on. So I think for the second time ever, ever, ever ever, ever, um this will be my another solo show from me. So um each of us have done a solo show. Um this is the second one, so we'll keep it uh fairly short, and then we've got a bonus one coming up uh I think for release on Thursday in New Zealand. Um so it should be quite a busy week. Um, but there's a lot to talk talk about um from the weekend. So I didn't think it would be right to uh to not record. So you've got my uh my what's the word Dulcit tones uh for as long as I can waffle on for or as for as long as you can listen, listen for. So I thought I would start with a little summary of uh I've woke up this morning over here in uh New Zealand to look at the FA Cup scores, and uh I've seen that Brighton have beaten Man U. Um, so obviously a managerial change there hasn't had the uh desired effect that they would have hoped. Um yeah, struggling. That's a that's a poor result, really. So they're out of the FA Cup. So I'm not sure what's left for them this season. Uh Liverpool, of course, playing tomorrow. Uh should be, he says, routine uh victory over Barnsley. Um, but you never know these days. It's a funny, funny football season. Um, but some interesting uh results in the FA Cup. That's that out of the way. Now, importantly, playoffs, what a weekend, what a start. Um we obviously we got the games today, but we had two yesterday, and I'm sitting there as a Seahawks fan, right? And I'm thinking I put a post on last night on Instagram. Uh I'm watching the Green Bay game, so I'm jumping ahead a little bit. Um so I'm watching Green Bay Bears. Uh, and I'm I'm hoping for a Green Bay win for many reasons. One, because they're the seventh seed, and I think other than rather than the Niners or the Rams, I was hoping that Green Bay would win that and they'd come to Seattle with Smash Green Bay, and the rest will be history. Um Green Bay was so far ahead at one stage that I thought I'll I'll jump on Chat GPT and I'll mock up a Fight Knight style poster of Coom and Curry. Um we spoke last week on episode 26 about a watcher-long podcast, something like that, and that was something that was in the that could have been some good content there. Um however I started sending this to knowing he'd be asleep, I started sending this to MC. Uh from that moment things started going wrong for Green Bay. Um, what a comeback. Um interestingly, I had a card up for sale in a group as well, Roma Dunes. Um, and when the bears were getting smashed, I think I put a comment on saying I can feel the dollars dripping off this card. Um, but so I had a finger in both pies in a way. Um I really, really wanted Green Bay to win. Um, got to think about the Seahawks, but the reason I jumped ahead there is because the whole time, you know, with Seahawks late win over Rams and and then beating the Niners, getting the number one seed, good vibes, enjoyed it. What I'm a little bit worried about is I start off watching the Rams Panthers. Rams go ahead, and I'm thinking, probably not everyone, this is gonna be it's a foregone conclusion. Um but Panthers fought back to be leading with not long to go. Um and I think here we go, what a start to the play. I'll see it. Rams going out, um, and then Rams get a late touchdown. Okay, alright, fair enough. Rams are through. Then I'm watching the second game, which is where I started, and Green Bay running away with it. What happens? Bears make that comeback. Now it's good for my card, I won't lie. But now I'm thinking bad vibes, bad vibes, two what would have been good results for the Seahawks um have now turned into not bad results, and I know I'm being negative, and I think when you support a team, you look at things differently, but yeah, I'm a bit worried. Um I think out of the two, I would rather play Niners. Um, Rams look good, Rams do look good. I know it was tight against Panthers, but you'd probably say that's out their system. The Kuwa, unbelievable, can't stand the fella, but quality player. Um, and they've got Devontae Adams back. Um, so the Rams are looking good. Um, but I suppose you've got to be positive about your team. Seahawks on fire, defence is phenomenal. Um, so yeah, I just yeah, really, really looking forward to next week. Um, should be a good one. Um cards. So um with with both footballs out of the way, little review this week. Um, I want to have a quick chat about I know we've done this before, uh, with it being the new year, um, and I I guess a review of my mine and Mark's first year in the hobby. Um, but something got me thinking. So yesterday I spent whilst watching these games, I used the opportunity to sort out my card boxes and have a look at what's in my PC and what I want to be in my PC, and and a couple of things struck me as interesting. So it's weird when you start going through. So I've got two boxes that look worthy of containing the military codes, that's what that's what I can, that's what I keep my PC in, as such. Um, and then I made these dividers, certain players, teams, whatnot. But as I'm going through, I'm looking at some of the cards and I'm thinking, I'm not sure at the time why I kept that. There was probably too many base cards in there for a star. Um, and having spoke, or maybe maybe this guy didn't realise, but friend of the pod, Brock Nash. Um, I was having sort of exchanging some messages last week, and we were talking about a Bijan Robinson card, which uh I'll be honest with him. This is me talking to you now, Brock. I thought you'd buy, it's a lovely card. Um, but you've made a point that you don't necessarily want to have too many cards, too many players, sorry, too many cards of that player. And I'm look- I'm going through, I'm looking. I've got some I've got uh funny, it's a shame there's no video this week, but I've got I've got two Russell Wilson cards here. So I wouldn't say I've got a big Russell Wilson collection, but I've got two Russell Wilson um cards that I've put in one touches, and I and what's got me with that is interesting how in that year I see posts come up on other community groups where people are just getting into the hobby, and then I think back to when I started a year ago and I knew nothing, and I was googling all the different products, I couldn't get my head round it, but I think going into the breaks, joining the groups, uh, and sadly maybe watching lots of YouTube videos of product being open, it doesn't take long to work out what's what. Um, but but like I said, the most interesting thing is how over that year um the evolution, if you will, of you know what you would keep, what you wouldn't keep is something that I found quite interesting. So, yeah, I've got uh last night looking through it, I've eliminated probably a fifth of my PC now. Um, so I've decided I want to try and keep my PC permanently to those two boxes. So that means once they're full, in effect, you're either going to be upgrading or or moving more towards those sort of grail cards that you want. Um, and I think that's how I'm gonna operate my PC. But again, I refer back to that quote. Um, admittedly, it wasn't red wine, but a glass of red wine and time with your cards, I had a good time yesterday. Um nostalgia's not the word because I've only been doing it a year. But when you take out cards and look at every card, um it's it's bloody good fun. Bloody good fun. But I did have to question why I put a mosaic base Russell Wilson, uh I think it's a 20 2021 in a one touch. Um, and that can't have been that long ago because it's got a Coom and Curry uh sports card sticker on the One Touch, and then I put a Prism Orange Laser unnumbered in a one touch as well. Um, so we'll come back to the base later. Um, but yeah, interesting. So I've definitely taken out a lot of cards now, been a bit more strict on on the type of card. Um, but there are cards in there that I've kept that there are a few base that um that are really, really nice cards. So it's not nothing against base cards as such. Uh I've taken out some inserts that don't do it for me. Um, but I think my priorities now are the players I want, obviously, Seahawks, not all players. I've taken out a lot of um players that perhaps played before my time that that were perhaps on the peripheral of the team. Um, but yeah, just a little bit more strict about what I'm collecting and the type of cards. Um maybe a controversial one, but I'm not really a fan of Prism. And I know that's probably one of the most most uh I guess purchased and popular products. Um but yeah, just not a fan. I'm I I am I think if I had to be uh if I had to choose one product, I'd probably chip uh pick mosaic. Uh everyone knows I love Origins. Um but I just think Mosaic's just got a lot. So it's got some really cool case hits, um loads of nice inserts, the colour, the vibrant. Um, and I just love look looking at um mosaic. So I think if I was pushed, I'd go mosaic. Um yeah, I I don't even think there's a bit of doubt there, really. Um I love Origins and I love Phoenix. Um and then obviously you you have a little dabble with well at my level anyway. I'm sure the people who have got uh untold amount of money will, you know, your national treasures, flawless and impeccable, immaculate. Yeah, you have a dabble with it. Um I like some of the impeccable stuff. Um I've got a nice um JSM base, which almost looks a bit colour blasty, but it's not. But that's in my PC. Um yeah, so you know, I've got a lot of time for that, but I think the level I am, and for the money and the and the the different all the different options you get, yeah, definitely mosaic. Um which actually brings me to something I found mildly amusing last night. So I've been looking at I've actually purchased a JSN uh Genesis uh from this year's product, which will hopefully come next week. Um, absolutely buzzing, like beautiful card. Um, excited to have that in the PC. Um, but I've started looking at honeycombs because they're again a very, very nice uh case hit. Um and I I realised as I'm looking at it, I was gonna look, I was looking at uh Kenneth Walker um honeycomb, and then I thought, I'm sure back in the I guess early stages of collecting that I picked up a honeycomb Ken Walker. So I've got my box out, and uh lo and behold, I have. I've got a honeycomb mosaic Kenneth Walker. Unfortunately, it's got like a little mark on it, um, and I I I think I picked it up off from someone on the group. Um, but but that that example there shows I guess how far I've come or how you know how much I've learned in that first year because A, I didn't know I had it. Um well, I guess I did, but you know, wasn't at the forefront. Uh, and B, I probably didn't think to give it quite the examination that I do now when I purchase cards. Um, so it's an interesting one. But not only do I have a Kenneth Walker honeycomb, I also have a Cooper Cup honeycomb. Um and I think I I did know about the Cooper Cup. He unfortunately he's in a Rams uniform, but I probably didn't know what I was buying at the time. Um, so that has possibly changed where I want to go next. Um, but yeah, two two really really nice cards. I'll I'll bring them along to the next podcast in the week so we can get them on camera. Um, but yeah, particularly the Kenneth Walker one, chuff with that. Um Cooper Cup one's good, in in really, really good condition. Um but unfortunately in a Rams uniform. Um but yeah, it you know that coupled with what I've what I've taken out of the PC was uh a bit of eye-opener, a bit bit thought-provoking, and um another direction that I've decided to go in is I started dabbling. We you know, a lot of people, if you've been listening to all the podcast, know that it started for me when I was in Seattle last year and I picked up the Tyler Lockett card. Um that was the catalyst, um but I also started dabbling with uh football as in what I would call proper football. As in oh, that's the wrong word, isn't it? Um should edit that out really. Um as in soccer, hate saying it, hate saying it. Um but I've I've I've recently decided that it I and I was talking to Cargeezer about it. There's something I've got I want a couple of Salah cards, Mo Salah, I'm a big Liverpool fan. Um I've got a Virgil, I've got quite a few Virgil van Dyck and uh Jotta cards and stuff, but they just don't do it for me. Um and that I I guess that's what I need help with. If anyone else out there who who does collect a bit of both has got a re you know would want to sort of fill me in on why that is, but I I think I feel with NFL, as Kardizer said, you feel part of the game. Uh it feels quite an important part. Um but with with soccer, it it just it just doesn't. I mean, right now I'm I'm sitting here and I've got a uh a Jeremy Fringpong Leverkusen card auto. I remember at the time buying it because there was rumours number to 50 as well, rumours that he was going to go to Liverpool, which he's now there. But I don't I don't feel anything towards the card. Um while I was in England, I bought a Diogo Jotta uh mem or relic card that was player worn. I spoke about it, number to 75. I mean, it's it's a beautiful card, absolutely as a card, it's lovely. Um, but I'm looking at it and it just doesn't do anything for me. It's not something that I want to keep in my collection. So this week I've been on a uh on a soccer page, I've listed a few cards, got rid of quite a lot. Um, I'm I've got a few graded Van Dyke cards, Salah cards, which I'll keep. Um, and obviously my Allison Becker PC will hopefully continue to grow, and that will always remain. So I won't sell my Allison cards. For those of you who don't know, Allison, he's a goalkeeper for Liverpool, in my opinion, one of the best that's ever played. Uh love the guy, um, model professional. Um, so yeah, I'll I'll be keeping that. But I've been selling stuff like my Harvey Elliott graded rookie card that's sold. Um, yeah, loads, loads of bits. Uh, haven't been able to shift the Jotta card yet. I don't know if that's because people don't want to pay the money, so I'm gonna have another go with that. Um, but on that subject, uh I had another weird feeling this week as well, and this was only yesterday. I decided in the I guess in the pursuit of narrowing down the P the PC and being more specific about what I want to collect. Um the Roma Dunes colour blast. Now, the video of me pulling that from uh an international mega is on my Insta, so have a look. Um, because that was the biggest card I ever pulled myself, it it meant quite a lot to me, and I remember at the time thinking, and and again, you could you could link that a little bit to an experience in the hobby, but I I was convinced that it had print lines down it. Um, and I remember speaking to um Matt at Card Crazy um sending him pictures, that's where I got the box from, saying, What do you think? and he wasn't sure, so I just thought I'll send it off to be graded, and it got a 10. And when it came back, it just holding that slab with that card in it, it's a phenomenal card. Um, and it's one I guess I've got a little bit of attachment to. Um, but in reality, I you know, I don't I got I don't I'm not a Bears fan, I've got no reason to to collect a Bears card, and then obviously I've got my Jalen Milrow colour blast, which I drove eight and a half hours to collect. Um so since I got that, obviously the thought has continuously been in my head about shifting the Adunzo. Um, but as I've mentioned quite a lot, it's it your market's quite small over here, so usually there's you know, you're lucky if there's three or four people per team. Well, that's how it feels, anyway, that you that you know. I'm not I'm not professing to know everyone in the game here. Um, but it's definitely harder to shift this level of card. Um, but that said, I've never listed it before. Um, so I debated it. I'm holding it now, and it's just uh the card that is, let's be clear. Um and it's uh it is a thing of beauty. Um so I posted it yesterday um on a site and I've sold it. Um yeah, it's a bit of a milestone for me. Selling a card for um$700 is a weird feeling. Um, because it's a lot of money, it's a lot of money for a start, and like I said, it I didn't think I'd have this attachment to a card, but I do, you know, I pulled it. Um but it's going to a good home. Uh the the the buyer is uh a Bears fan. Um so that's the important thing. It's not should it matter? Should it matter what the what the buyer's doing with it? Probably probably not, not really. Um not with 99.9% of cards, in my opinion. If you want to sell a card and someone's gonna buy it, then it's just a card, isn't it? So it's up to it's up to them what they do with it. But I think whether or not it's right or wrong, or people think it's weird, because you know it was my first year in the hobby, I pulled it myself, and I remember doing the video. I was watching as I'm filming it, I'm doing the video through my phone, so I'm watching it through the phone, and I didn't actually realise at first that that I'd actually pulled it, um, which is I kind of make makes part of the story, and then you instantly sort of concern with what it would grade. Um, so there's a yeah, there's a lot of um attachment to it. So in this particular case, I'm glad that it's going to someone that wants it as part of their PC. Um, so yeah, I'm chuffed. Um, and then I'll keep the money and look for um something else, probably for the JSN uh PC. So everyone's a winner, but it's definitely a weird feeling selling a card for money like that. Um a new one for me, but long may that continue. Um and I am on the hunt now for another nice piece for my JSN. So if anyone wants to uh reach out with with something that they might have, it'd be nice to have a little look. Um now this week was supposed to be the last all about that base. Um we'll shift that to that midweek podcast, our midweek special. Um need to give Mark some pelters over Green Bay. Um although I do I do feel I possibly ruined that for him, so I'll take that one on the chin. Um but I am gonna I am gonna do an all about that base. Uh I haven't got the technology that Mark's got, so I'm gonna try and uh replicate it all about Martin Bish. So this week, um I guess having sort of chatted about what I have and the changes that I've seen in that year in terms of my knowledge and what what I'm holding, I'm gonna put in, complete with uh one touch and the Kumakurry sticker, I'm gonna put in the Russell Wilson base card that I bizarrely decided to one touch. Um I feel like and this one definitely won't be getting graded because of the one touch. Um, so I know people probably won't care, but whoever gets the collection, uh, you know that you've got a card there with a bit of a silly story behind it, which is for me what it's all about. Um when you know, when I used to keep, I think we were all inspired by uh Simon Lemker from another pod and his ticket collecting. Um, but I used to do the same as did many of my mates, and I always used to say, whenever you look at when I framed them, whenever you stood in front of those tickets, someone I said, look, you know, say to someone, pick a ticket, tell me, you know, I'd tell you a whole story about that night or the gig or who I was with and stuff like that, and that was what it's all about. Um, cards is a little bit like that for me. Um generally, the extra special cards, you know where they've come from, or if there's a bit of story, it's like my JSN downtown, the chap I bought that off, his mate, uh his mate's daughter pulled the card. Um, and that story was then relayed to me. So they had a bit of an interest in what it graded and where it went, I guess. And I think similarly to the a Dunesay card for me, um, I think ideally that they wanted that to go to Seahawks fan, it makes sense. Um, but it's funny when you pull um a car like that and then become attached to it. So so yeah, I think for me, one of the reasons why I've enjoyed this hobby so much more than anything I've ever done is that you've still got that element as well. So you've got elements of um you know previous collected experiences, if you will. Um yeah, makes a big part of it for me. So so yeah, that's all about the base. Um Mail Day. Um I think I think I'll I'll save mail day for our midweek uh podcast where we've got the cameras back on, um, and they got Mark there as well, um, because I've got some nice stuff. Um not to let anyone down, I'll go with something I've not photographed yet. This will be going on into the probably this afternoon, but I got a nice Byron Murphy auto uh from Brock Nash. Um it's last year's Prism, it's uh it looks like a silver laser. But what I quite liked about this is the the autographs in a gold pen. Um and I think that looks good against the silver. Um and Byron Murphy has been he's been phenomenal for me. Um a really good player, so yeah, tough with that. Um I've had quite a few other bits, um, hopefully some more stuff to come this week. Um, so yeah, should I mean possibly before um the midweek special podcast? So there could be a lot of new new cards talked about on that episode. Um but yeah, so I'm looking forward to that, and hopefully um this half an hour of me waffling on hasn't been that boring. Uh hopefully you found it interesting. Um we've got the remaining wildcard weekend games coming up today, so I'll be glued to that. So a lot more to chat about in the week. We'll have clarity over who's going to Seattle. Um, so very excited. Um, but yeah, cool. Um there's no one to say regards to your families other than the listeners. So, for those who are listening, regards to your families. Hope you have a good week. Um, enjoy yourselves, relax, watch the football. Uh, get on my Instagram. Two followers now away from three thousand. So that's a good good milestone. Um over and out.

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Ben Coom

Host
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Martin Currie

Host