Getting Graded: Inside the Wild World of Card Authentication with TGA's Tyler Stilborn

Getting Graded: Inside the Wild World of Card Authentication with TGA's Tyler

Ever wondered how a piece of cardboard can be worth millions of dollars? This week, we dive deep into the fascinating (and slightly insane) world of sports card grading with Tyler, founder of TGA(True Grade Authentication), a new Canadian authentication company that's shaking up an industry dominated by American giants.

What You'll Learn:

• Why getting a Wayne Gretzky card graded can cost you $1,000+ (hint: it's not just the grading fee)
• How the hobby transformed from 25-cent packs to $25,000 boxes with "bounty" cards worth seven figures
• The four critical factors that determine if your childhood card collection is treasure or trash
• Why Canadian collectors were getting squeezed out by tariffs and how one entrepreneur saw an opportunity

The Real Talk: Tyler shares his journey from 11-year-old collector to business owner, explaining how a $25 Darryl Sittler rookie card sparked a 30+ year passion that led to launching TGA. We explore the tension between old-school collecting (nostalgia, sentiment, fun) and the new reality where cards are treated like stock investments.

Phil's Journey: Watch our co-host Phil go from complete card skeptic to cautiously intrigued, despite his horror at modern pack prices and complexity. Spoiler alert: Kenny's still trying to drag him to a Toronto card show, and Phil's still saying absolutely not.

 

Find Tyler at: https://tgagrading.com/

Thank you to Field Agent Canada for sponsoring the podcast: https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/

Thank you to LeBeau Excel for sponsoring this episode: https://lebeauexcel.com/