My Hobby Blog/Vlog Story of the Month details the sights and sounds of a weekend of Hobby 1st and my personal and vulnerable exploration of what these two experiences meant to me, how they have shaped my collecting journey as a Black Collector, and how I can help move the hobby forward in becoming more accessible and inclusive.
Rip Night—The Question That Sparked Community
When I heard the phrase, “Can I watch you rip,” from the first kid I met, my heart filled with excitement, and I welcomed the young collector into my rippin’ space without hesitation. The courage of this young collector to build community with me during Topps Rip Night was inspiring—this moment would mark the beginning of Rip Night, filled with so many DOPE cardboard moments! Why, first and foremost, having an official rippin’ partner at my first ever Topps Rip Night was cool because, besides the Wheelhouse Crew, I did not know any collectors participating in Topps Rip Night. Second, this unique opportunity to rip packs brought together two collecting generations centered around mutual cardboard exploration, magical cardboard themes, and memorable cardboard highlights. These three core cardboard hobby experiences would shape my second half of Topps Rip Night both directly and as a bystander.
As we began to dive into my second Topps Series 1 retail box, the scenery of this Rip Night cardboard moment was beyond special because it felt reminiscent of my cardboard past—The Stoop, Ludlow, Cruz Playground, and Penn Treaty. Even though the room was full of collectors experiencing a similar moment to me, what made this moment dope was that I wasn’t alone anymore. Inside the larger cardboard ecosystem of Wheelhouse, we created our cardboard ecosystem. Even though this kid and I were strangers, cardboard broke the ice and allowed us to share our cardboard experiences as if we were family. In our ice-breaking conversation, we discussed cards, specifically our favorite pulls from Series 1, our PC players, the sports we collect, and the best cards in our collection. Despite us not pulling any case hits or Elly rookie cards in the packs we opened together, I learned so many valuable life and collecting lessons from this kid.
Topps Rip Night—My Other Hobby Box Exclusive Packs
The first lesson I learned from my rippin' partner was that no matter the product, pack, or what it yields, always embrace the experience of the rip—enjoy the mystery. The second lesson I learned from my rippin’ partner was that rippin’ packs should always be a shared experience—collecting cardboard is a spectator sport. The third lesson I learned was no matter where you are, never hide your nostalgia for cardboard—the world needs to see your joy! The fourth lesson that I learned from my rippin’ partner was that you have complete control of what your cardboard experience looks, feels, and sounds like—the hobby is what you make it!
The fifth lesson I learned from my rippin’ partner was never to be afraid to revere who you PC—stand ten toes down on what you collect. The final lesson I learned from my courageous rippin’ partner was to embrace the magic of your “inner-kid” as a child and adult—regardless of your age, your “inner-kid” must be love! The outcomes of these valuable life and collecting lessons were not foreign to me before RIP Night. However, seeing them in real-time and living through the actions of a courageous young collector as we ripped packs together confirmed why my return to the hobby was necessary. Thanks, Brayden.
Rip Night—My Rippin Landing Spot…A Community within a Community
My cardboard experiences in the aftermath of my communal rip with Brayden were my most memorable and celebrated cardboard moments of Topps Rip Night. These cardboard experiences I had throughout the second half of Topps Rip Night were fruitful and nostalgic because of the cardboard moment that preceded them. Brayden's courage turned my rippin landing into a thriving melting pot that brought multiple generations of collectors together. The population boom my rippin’ landing spot experienced after Brayden left opened the door for a father and son cardboard duo, a girl cardboard collector, and a tag team of cardboard brothers to join me in further cultivating the small cardboard community he and I initially created. The takeaways from these cardboard experiences made me a better collector, a more active participant in others’ cardboard stories, and a believer in the next generation of young collectors.
The Father and Son Duo: When the father and son duo joined my rippin landing spot, we skipped the small talk and jumped right into pack rippin’. As we watched his son open the pack I gave him, I caught myself living vicariously through him—this was a moment he will never forget. He could share this cardboard story with his future children and grandchildren. While he unearthed each card from his pack, I felt something special would happen. When he got down to the final three cards of his pack, his eyes got bright, and I could feel the enthusiasm from the sound of his voice—-he pulled his first Elly. However, the excitement from this cardboard milestone didn’t end there because as the son showed off his Elly base rookie card, the dad shared one of the many beautiful Ken Griffey Jr. insert cards (e.g., Superstar Blueprint SB-7) pulled throughout Topps Rip Night—this was indeed a night to remember.
Topps Rip Night—My Elly and Ken Griffey Jr. Pulls
The Girl Cardboard Collector: As the father and son duo departed from my rippin landing spot, a girl cardboard collector approached me and asked if she could watch me rip my Topps Series I retail box. I said yes, without hesitation, because out of all the collectors inside Wheelhouse, this little girl, who had to be a middle schooler, dared to ask me to participate in my Rip Night experience. As I opened the retail box, I could sense that this cardboard moment would be dope and memorable, and because of my internal belief, I knew I could not rip this retail box alone—so I gave her a pack. In the following cardboard moments, she and I unearthed multiple gold cup Topps All-Star cards (e.g., Corbin Carroll, Masataka Yoshida, and others) and Future Stars-based cards (e.g., Anthony Volpe, Eury Perez, and others). After we shared our favorite pulls, I gifted her a Topps Series 1 Hobby Box, and she walked away with the biggest smile. However, this would not be our last cardboard moment together; a few minutes later, she returned to my rippin’ landing spot with a gift from her PC: a 2023 Topps Mookie Betts Stars of MLB insert card—she left me speechless with her kind cardboard gesture.
Topps Rip Night—My Topps All-Star Gold Cup and Future Stars Pulls, and My PC Gift
The Tag Team Cardboard Brothers: From the corner of my right eye, I saw two brothers watching me from a distance. Before the brothers could utter a word, I asked them if they wanted to rip some packs with me as they inched closer to my rippin’ landing spot. After extending my open invitation, I could see and feel both brothers' hesitation. Respecting their hesitation, I focused on organizing my previous Series I pulls to prepare for my final retail box rip of the night. As I opened the first pack of my last retail rip, I could still see both brothers watching my every move. So, instead of asking the brothers to join me in my final rip, I gifted them a full Topps Series I jumbo box—the moment following my surprise gift was absolutely SPECIAL! The cardboard brothers' eyes lit up; they smiled ear-to-ear, and as their shock and hesitance quickly subsided, you could see the glow of cardboard nostalgia and joy permeate around them—I made their Topps Rip Night.
Topps Rip Night—The Culmination of My Final Topps Series I Pulls
My First Topps Rip Night—The Epilogue (Preview)
My First Topps Rip Night at Wheelhouse was a nostalgia-filled night filled with many magical cardboard themes and memorable cardboard moments. You had to be there to see what Rip Night looked, felt, and sounded like—IF YOU WASN’T THERE, YOU MISSED OUT ON A EXTRAORDINARY CARDBOARD EXPERIENCE!
To Be Continued…
Keep Collecting,
#thesprtzcardcoltr #thehobbyexperience #everycardhasastory #thebrotherlylovecardshow #toppsripnight #wheelhouse #thehobby #whodoyoucollect
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