Every collector has a story. All of our stories intertwine with each other as we grow as a community, trade with each other, and build something great. But not every collecting story starts together.
Hi! I’m Katlyn Gacesa, also known as one half of the Sports Card Couple, and the Leader of Sales & Marketing for Stand Up Display. As a new writer here with Hobby News Daily, I want to give you my insight in the hobby but also help you get to know me. The Baseball Collector. The Philadelphia Sports Fan. The Crazy Energetic Friend. The Wife to My Other Half, Joey. To help you better understand my story, you need to better understand our story. Where we came from, how we got here, and how my husband got me into collecting. Let me give you a little back story.
Our Collecting Story
Our journey began when we met on Tinder after both finishing college in 2016. After 3 years of dating we got engaged at the Hershey Gardens on Easter Sunday. That following year, we got married on May the 4th, and yes we had a Star Wars themed wedding. Sports are a big part of our relationship. You’ll notice from our social media posts and personal collection that we are big Philadelphia sports fans. It’s hard for us not to have a game on in our house, though we do enjoy a good Netflix show. A few other things you’ll learn from us is, we are very competitive with each other, we are different personality wise, and we are always picking up new hobbies.
At the end of 2021, Joey’s friend asked us if we had collected sports cards. “Collected what?” was his response. His friend knew we were big sports fans and said we should look into collecting cards. After a few mystery box purchases we took the jump to purchasing our first hobby box. 2022 Rookies and Stars. Our first autograph was a Micah Parson Rookie Auto to 25. This was funny because Micah is from the area we live in. Quickly we realize, breaking football was fun, but if we didn’t hit, we were losing big.
During that summer of 2022, we were really getting into baseball. We were watching the Phillies like crazy, and Joey was spending time learning more about prospects of the game. After watching videos on Bowman products and hearing how affordable other products could be, we were all in. That year, Topps released a new case hit called “Home Field Advantage'' which excited me personally. When we hit two HFA's in our first two blaster boxes, I was hooked. It gave me something to strive for. It’s now one of my favorite personal collections.
From that moment on, we dove head first into baseball card collecting. We started prospect hunting, picking up all types of Phillies cards, and watching more baseball then we ever had before. The thrill of the chase, plus some affordable flagship products made it easy for us to make the switch.
As we started to attend more shows and events, many were surprised that I would attend with Joey. They were even more surprised when they heard I collected and had so much knowledge in the space. When we would run into friends at shows, they would say “Hey! It’s the Sports Card Couple!” After that, it was simple, we should be “The Sports Card Couple.”
Fast forward to 2023, I had the opportunity to interview for Stand Up Displays, to be their new Leader of Sales & Marketing. We were so into the hobby at this point, building friendships, and growing our collection. I knew I had to take the chance to be part of this community full time. One thing led to another and I got the job! I have been with the team for almost a year. It has been so great to connect with this amazing community even more than I had before.
Let Me Hear From You!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for hearing our story of our hobby journey. I know many of you will see us as new to this space but thank you for making us, and especially me, feel welcome and accepted. I’m excited for you to get to know me, learn how we collect as a couple, and share some of my insight and hobby knowledge.
Though I have ideas for future articles and stories, I’d like to hear from you! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or X. You can find me @sportscardcouple on all social media platforms. I’m open to any ideas, and look forward to hearing from you, even if you just say hi!
At the end of each of my articles, I plan to share a quote of meaning that I hope inspires you to go out into the world and be a light for the hobby and our community.
“It is often the smallest steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.” - Queen Elizabeth II
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