Ben Reynard: Huh. Hello. Hello. In my eyes, I remember last year at the National and you just popped up out of nowhere. And I didn't know you had the cards you had. And you were just showing me there was like Jordan O and just massive cards. And then every card, every show that I'm into walking around, you just pop up out of nowhere. Crazy more crazy cards. So I put you down as International Man of Mission now. You rocked Cam. Cool. We've got an earnest. Nice title. We have Benny, yeah. Yeah. yeah, obviously you're into the like the higher end older you got Well, I wouldn't say like higher end, but like for Europe it would it would fit that description for the European market well more higher end. Yeah. I is it just baseball or is it No no just basketball. Yeah. I have a lit couple of pieces of the NHL cards because I have sort of like I like to watch the Olympic and World Championship. Yeah. Because it's every year, so Yeah. But mainly it's basketball, like ninety five percent. it's like not a funny story, but I grew up in Lithuania and I am old. I'm forty one. so when I was growing up and I was born it was Soviet Union that time. Yeah. So we didn't have anything. anything. We didn't have like chewing gum. Yeah. Yeah, we had only like candy, three types of chocolates, like milk candy and hard candies, that's it. That was it. That's all you had. So basically, all the fun you had to think of yourself what to do. so what happened, like where my grandmother was living, next to her flat, their neighbors they managed to leave freely to the US in eighty seven. Right. and The their family was coming home for every summer for a month. So they were bringing to us kids like chewing gum, you know, and some candy, some chocolate, some Snickers bar. That was at that time like 1990-91. It's the last year of the Soviet Union, first time first year of n independence. Yeah. And one summer they brought us like the hoops, iconic nineteen ninety-ninety one. Yeah. Two packs of hoops cards. four eight kids. So we like opened those packs, I think it's ten cards inside or eight cards inside and we got two cards each. that's how it started. No, no. It's like we just randomly you get you have this one, you have this one, it was coaches and players. And I still have that card. I get only one card I kept for myself. The other one I don't know where maybe I give it to someone who was younger. so I that card is Don Nelson, coach card from Warriors. Yeah. And I still have it with me. And like fun fact, Taoist re it's like close to me because we had in nineteen ninety two the Olympic Dream Team, like US had Dream Team, and we had the what is it called, like Reborn Team or something, because Lithuania made the the first country independent from Soviet Union to play as an independent country. Because in ninety two Olympics they had the not Soviet Union but it was the United Nations sort of like friend friendship, sort of like is all former Soviet Union states, they had that team built together. So in a group stage we lost against them, but when it was a bronze medal game we beat them. The same team. And how I say it's like sort of related because the Don Nelson, his son, was Donnie Nelson. He was a coaching staff for our national team. So it has a set that Don Nelson first card for me to pull. Of of course it's like round corners, edges, rough. Yeah. But I still have it. Price is it's it's for me close to my heart and close to our history. So that's how it started. It's top five in the ranking in the world. So maybe now it's dropping to top ten, but it's always been like we won the European Championship three times. We have as well three European silver medals. We just haven't got any European bronze medal. We won three Olympic bronze medals and one world bronze. So we're quite good. And it's less than three million people live in the city. Yeah, for a certain size country. Yeah. More impressive is only Serbia, which is slightly bigger, but they have way more gold medals than us. Strong breed. Strong, yeah. Going going from that then. Yes. How did you get to is it just been ever since then? No, it's like because we you couldn't buy anything, so it was a gap for like next seven, eight years. Yeah. Then I was a teenager and it was available to to some cards like suddenly appeared and we were able to buy cards no hobby boxes, just single packs for like from ninety seven to ninety nine. So it was it was more like collecting, opening that fun and joy, and then again nothing for until two thousand ten. Wow. When I moved in two thousand seven to UK, I was living in London from two thousand seven to two very end of twin twenty twelve, like Christmas Eve, I went home. Yeah. F for good. So when I was living in UK, I was buying hobby boxes from two thousand nine to two thousand eleven. Every month I was like salary drops in and I do a treat for myself, like five or ten hobby boxes from US. Yeah. So I was buying heavy at that time. Yeah. So that would that would that be the curry rookie year basketball, a little bit of the NHL as well to make it like bigger packages delivered. I bought some singles as well. But was my that was my main thing from two thousand nine to two thousand eleven. I was buying loads of loads of hobby boxes of the product and opening and hitting curries. No Blake Griffin where everyone was after Blake Griffin at that time. A Tyreek Evans rookie of the year, everyone was buying him. So lucky for me, I had probably like seventy curry rookie cards. And I in two f before COVID, then I had a gap. When I returned back home, I probably bought some NA more NHL stuff in 2015, 16 when the Connor McDavid was drafted. So I was buying more of the but I didn't hit any hit any McDavid cards. So it was just worked out that Turned out the NHL was more for fun. I was still main focus was the NBA. And were you selling then as well or not clutching? No, just buying and just gathering up as much as I could. I managed to sell all the base unwanted stuff like for very cheap, like full big box like the bin for like two hundred Euros. Yeah, you know, just to free up the space. And still have your currency now or have you sold them on just before the COVID I sent everything for grading. Yeah. So the only curries I kept, I still haven't sold the Bauman rookie, yeah, number to 2009 PSA nine. So I still have that one. I have one numbered more card. I sold all the patch cards I have and I have the numbered auto, which I pulled myself number to twenty-five. It's PSA 9. You still have that now. I still have it. I still have it. All other rookies. I had eight PSA 10s only, 50 PSA 9s, and 3 PSA 8s. So all those are gone. I still have 6 PSA 10s with me. And I sold the iconic Tops rookie just today, like half an hour ago, to the American guys, PSA 8. The only reason I did that because at the national I upg I got the BGS nine five, I was same rookie, so now it's like free to go. Yeah. I think you're closer one of the closest people to like a US collector. Sort of Yeah. Over here, like it seems to be sort of people don't try and upgrade with car if they've got a nine, they might try push through a ten but they're not too quiet. That sort of mentality of going, Well, I've got the eight but I want to get the nine five and It's not necessary, it's just like if opportunity comes in. Yeah. I am always happy to like if opportunity comes in and if I am able to execute, I do it. Yeah. Because there's another card, I had the iconic Air Jordan card from the promo card. Yeah when you were buying Air Jordan once, beget that sneaker card. I got it accidentally three years ago in Denmark, in Nordnik Art show in Copenhagen. It was BGS seven. And I had it for three years and at the national I saw PSA eight for a good price. I got it. And I sold that BGS seven to the Americans half an hour ago. Okay. Because and I sold it because I upgraded it. Yeah. So I keep the better one for myself on my PC. Yeah. But I'm selling I'm willing to let go the lower grade. It's just because it's time. I don't see the point to hoard or accumulate because If I want to carry on doing things what I do and grow my collection, I still need things to sell. If you've got a grail car, George Chasen? So if you got a grail car, George Chason, yeah. Something you're building to or I wouldn't say I have a Grail. I thought I had it two years ago when I got my Jordan rookie. Yeah. But I don't feel it when I held it in my hands, I don't feel like it's I more value the curry the one I pulled myself. Yeah. It has a sentimental value, but money wise I couldn't value the Don Don Nelson card. Yeah. But sentimental value is probably it's definitely no one will buy it. Unless I give it to someone for free. But for me that holds as much val value as the curry rookie auto I pulled. Yeah. That's why I'm not bringing to any shows I don't show to anyone, I just show the picture to Charlie. But no one else I showed picture only for free people. Yeah. And unless like collector is willing like he's very good friend of mine and he's willing to come to Lithuania to visit me. Yeah. Then I definitely gonna show him all the best cars I have. Yeah. One day I'm I'll go other. Definitely easy. You're always welcome. Yeah. Why is it c you go to a lot of card shows around Europe? How is that that card scene over there? It's the different country has a specific market. Yeah. So London I come because of friends, friend relationships to meet you guys, to meet Charlie, to meet Ben. Yeah. the other Ben, VP. Yeah. but Norway, Nordic card show. So Nordic card show is expanded from just Denmark to now it's Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Yeah. So I like that show because it's more like you feel more like family gathering. So it's not It's definitely not like for selling, it's more like for buying. Yeah. Because it's really like rare cars from nineties, early nineties, inserts and stuff. Yeah. And it's it's football as well, mainly football. Yeah. But it's always old school cars. Like soccer, right? American Yeah, not American football. It's soccer, but because we're in Europe, so I say football. Yeah. So that's specific. Now next weekend I'm going to Polish card show. That will be also like Polish. So it's football as well. Yeah. So mainstream will be Polish guys, Lewandowski. Yeah. what was the last year they had a friend Blasczykowski Jakub, he's very loved in Poland. He played for Borussia, so I had a couple cars and I got signed them last last year. This year I don't know who's the guest. They don't they hadn't announced yet. Everyone is saying that Leva. But it will be a time when he will retire because now he's playing in the US. Yeah. So it's sort of like a nice show, hundred forty tables. Yeah. Not not expensive. I paid for two days for like seventy Euros. So it's good and it's for me for family because I c travel by car, yeah. Four hour drive. France is specific. They have high end cards. You can find Jordan Autos more than here in UK show, definitely. But it's like a high end but no one is by high end. The shows that I haven't been to is the Spanish ones. Yeah. But I know from the other people experience it's probably language barrier. Spanish people don't want to speak English. No. And they don't want to interact in English. That's what makes it difficult. You have either to have some friends over there to go to the show with them or you need to learn Spanish. See. Yeah. So you know. So every show, every different show in Europe is like it's sort of like different. For me is UK like I say is it's it brings also memories from the time I was living here. Yeah. So it's sort of like nice as well, like, you know. Yeah, it's come back and see everything. Exactly. To see how everything's changed. Yeah, it's good. Tragmatics. Some of the the basketball there is like I think like you say, it's a lot of people sat on it from a long time ago. And they just sort of you don't just don't see it any. You don't see that sort of size or And you know the the thing for German shows, they their shows are so big that they don't need to travel anywhere else. You only see occasionally the Zipser, but it's only the same guys. Zipser, Uncle Shiggy and there's Four or five people who are traveling, yeah. But they are like let's say big boys who have the money and who have the cards. But they're only like only for flipping. They don't they don't PC anything. As as much as I've seen and as much as I've spoke with them and I met them at the national, they're only to make money at this hobby. So, you know, it's like if it's if you travel in between for a like you see, you notice the difference in you'd be picking up cards here to sell everything of course. Of course. Like I have the friend Italian guy. he's the older guy and he's buying football stickers, old vintage. Yeah. Because here they're cheap. He brings them to Italy and he will sell them five times minimum the price what he paid here. Because here no one wants. It t in Italy everyone wants. But the same problem like Spain. Try do yourself. You try to speak English in Italy. Sure in Madrid. In a few months. Yeah. Yeah. Well let you know at that. Yeah, we're looking forward at the next London show to here with your experiences. No, it it's it's interesting, like I think you always look inside the home you're in, so I'd be always around the UK and very rarely we come site is so it's cool to see but you know where US as well is. Feel interesting to see. I had a couple invitations to go to like Birmingham show, yeah, Manchester. And what was someone was inviting me invited like two years ago to Dublin card show. Yeah. But the only problem I tell everyone is the logistics. Like Manchester Cardcon is okay, but from Lithuania we have flights only to Liverpool, direct flights. And Liverpool I know is like one hour drive by car to Manchester. But the only problem the flights are on Tuesday and on the Friday. So I have to spend almost a full week rather than just one day. Dublin is okay, but then Dublin is sort of I don't know So maybe it's sort of maybe that would be like one to go to for the future. It reminds me of sort of like seems years ago in the UK everyone's still learning it g It's still like didn't growing, it's still growing like Yeah. It's it's cool like speaking to Charlie about your sort of your collection and stuff like that and it always intrigues me 'cause like I say you always just pop up randomly somewhere and it c I it sort of classify as like full shit. I like that sort of stuff. It's it's got like it's timeless, it it's cool, it stands out and I love that sort of stuff. So a long quantity. This year I sold probably like half of the Jordan cards I had. Yeah. I kept couple the ones which are like on a cheaper side and maybe I put a little bit more work into getting them. Yeah. So I kept those Because to see if the things the way they are going right now, if they're still gonna be the same thing like going just up and up and up for next year, I'm gonna sell that one at the next show. Yeah. Because I think there couldn't be something like next year. Something could happen. And you know, we'll see, we'll find out. So I'm trying like to jump onto other things. That's why I fought the opportunity to sell my Cool Jordan Auto from last year, but I got Curry rookie patch auto and I got Kobe patch auto for that. And some money for how much I got for the MJ. Yeah. So we'll see how that goes. If someone was wanting to get into buying like a your goats of a Glassigore, where would you start? Is there a specific crowd that you look like? If I want to start life Yeah, so say someone was transitioning from sort of like the newest to looking at the more classic old Okay. It dep it depends like if you're depends if you're build building collection or you want like to make money. If you want to make money, there's always two types of making money. If you can sit on the card or you need to flip it. Yeah. I don't do the flipping game as much, so I stay away from the kids who play less than five years. Yeah. Because that's where the most flipping is happening. The first two First two, three years the guys with a lot of potential because a lot of them they have a lot of potential in the first year. Yeah. Usually ninety percent is a second year slump and then the third year they're getting back. but if you want to make money, just from my experience so far, I would go like particularly right now, I would probably buy the She Gilges Alexander cards. Yeah. Because he won the championship, he won that MVP. Yeah. He has accolades to his C V. Same thing with I would do with the Joker. Yeah. Because I bought a couple of Joker cards internationally. Not rookies, I sold rookies, but I bought other cool shit, which I might show you next year. Yeah. If I still have it. But very likely I will have it. who is from that sort of category? So you'd go Maybe Jason Tatum because he has all won the champion, but he's not MVP, he's not Finals U Queen. Yeah. So I would like very cautious on him. So look you avoid the hype, you go off for the at all. I try. Yeah. I it's not not always I managed to stay away from it. I made huge mistakes buying Luka Doncic rookie PSA ten base for fifteen hundred USD and then ended up selling for five hundred. Yeah. Or less. So I made those mistakes. So I'm staying away from Luca Dunchu. We're obviously getting quite a few people and and everyone was there's an established saying the same thing. They've all made big mistakes on on buying the hike and buying that. So that's my Luca. Yeah. That's my Luca. I lost like four K in free cards. nine million. But at that time it looked good. Yeah. But like I say I had funny money, so I couldn't I could I can't afford to do such size mistake. Yeah. I also lost on Yannis Rookie Silver BGS ten. I I paid for close to three and a half thousand euros and this national I thought it was finally it's the time to move it because in Europe you cannot sell it. But I sold it for three thousand USD. So I sold one thousand I lost one thousand USD on that card. But like I say I can't afford it because before COVID I bought wax. I invested all I my money I had into wax. Yeah. So I spent ten thousand USD on wax. And during COVID I tripled the money. So that was my the biggest base. Yeah. Like that my budget where I could afford to make those mistakes. And also I made I bought good purchases, not all w not only bad ones. Yeah. But I c I could afford it because for some people you lose four K, that's the end of a hobby. Yeah. He just sells everything and forgets about it. Yeah. Actually First of what did you do on purpose to buy in and hold that product or was it just a map? No, it was just worse that way. Yeah. I didn't had that plan. Yeah. I thought because I still from that good old days, I still have one case of the Conini Prism eighteen nineteen. Shea Gilges, Luca, Jalen Brunson rookies. Yeah. Full case. It's about five K now. USD, five K USD. So I told Charlie that will be my probably like birthday present for next year. I will open that case. Because no one won no one wants to buy it full case. Yeah. Nob neither any breaker in Europe or in US. They want to buy like one, two blasters. Yeah. By it might be black Luca. Yeah, my Maybe Gold Shea. Maybe Gold Kobe. Kobe auto. Who knows? I will find out on my next birthday. You've got a lot more shame than I have. I'd be ripping inside another time. my wife says the same thing. You have patience, you have patience. So lucky. Pays off. Lucky. Yeah. It's a long run. You gotta reach your time. Thank you for your time. Pleasure. And at at the next show.