Free e-book from Brett McGrath

Collecting For Keeps: Finding Meaning In A Hobby Built On Hype

You’re not just collecting cards. You’re telling your story. In a hobby loud with hype, hot takes, and high comps, it’s easy to get lost. Collecting for Keeps is your reminder to slow down and reconnect with why you started collecting in the first place: nostalgia, expression, escape, and connection.

Learn how to build a collection that actually makes you happy

Understand the psychology behind letting go and leveling up

Hear personal stories from five years of conversations with collectors

If you’ve ever felt like the hobby was your escape, your fuel, or your anchor, this book is for you.

I didn’t set out to write a guide or give a blueprint. I wanted to reflect. To make sense of what I’ve learned over six years of nonstop conversations with collectors. And to share it with people who are either just stepping in or trying to figure out where they fit.

Brett is among the most thoughtful content creators in any genre of content that I consume, and for that reason I rarely if ever miss a piece from his prolific catalog. That thoughtfulness is on full display in his literary debut, which offers a smattering of insightful aphorisms and anecdotes. I devoured this book in half an afternoon, not because it’s light, but because it’s devoid of superfluities, with every page densely packed with collecting fuel. Within this work, which certainly can be utilized as a manual, and likely with great success, there also is a cohesive collecting philosophy, which is gently advanced, not with the expectation that the reader must follow it, but with the energy of someone who is thrilled to have discovered and refined it after much work and reflection, and is now sharing it with the world.

Chris McGill

CEO and Co-founder at Card Ladder

About the Author

Meet Brett

Brett McGrath is the creator of Stacking Slabs, a podcast and platform helping collectors find purpose in the hobby. He’s published nearly 700 episodes and built a loyal community by putting collectors first.