Influenced by ‘Nonsense’

A Nolan Arenado card I’d been hunting surprised me in my eBay saved searches last week.

I had a feeling it was going to go higher than I thought it was worth, but I hadn’t seen it pop up in a couple of months. And if I have one consistent hobby flaw, it’s that I play things too safe.

On the March 16 episode of Sports Cards Nonsense, Mike and Jesse got a mailbag question about this topic: overpaying for PC cards. Mike replied that if it’s for your PC, plan to spend at least 10-15 percent beyond comps. Otherwise, someone’s going to scoop it out from underneath you and you’ll end up upset with yourself.

Ken from Sports Card Lessons said something similar in his March 22 episode, and others have also talked about it. So I went for it. I won. And here it is:

2021 Topps Chrome Nolan Arenado SP gold refractor /50.

Did I overpay? Probably, but I’m a sucker for Topps Chrome true golds and I’ve been scooping up Arenado cards in his Cardinals uniform. The emotional cost of potentially missing out on this card outweighed the financial cost of getting it.

Still, I’m constantly reminded how susceptible I am to influence. I listen to a podcast about vintage, and suddenly I’m scoping out Hank Greenberg cards. Thankfully, I’m never influenced to pursue something I don’t want. Instead, someone says something that I want to hear—as if I’m looking for any small reason to go for it—and it’s off to the races. “Oh, did you make a passing reference to nostalgia? Well in that case I’d better start adding Kareem cards to my watchlist."

The point is, in my world anyone with a microphone can be an influencer, because something they say might give me the push I crave, which is different from the push I need. Influencers (capital I) seek followers to elevate their own social capital. I seek influences—not influencers—because I’m looking for any excuse to go after the cards I want.