Issue #25 | July 4, 2026
Comped
The Numbers
I love the sight of green in the morning
–Baseball continues its recent climb
–Basketball 18 week streak continues in a big way
–Football recent trend up
–Soccer calling a top
–Pokemon 25 consecutive weeks of gains
–One Piece rare two great weeks in a row
–S&P 500 shaking off last week’s woes
–Gold bounces back
–Bitcoin keep a close eye on bitcoin for the future
The last time we had an all-green week was early April, and it extended for 3 straight weeks. Very bullish signal (small sample size).
This week sees pronounced strength in the Basketball and One Piece indexes, an interesting mix of blue chip and emerging market outperformance.
Bitcoin is starting to get interesting at these levels.
The News
🎆Happy 250th Birthday, America! 🎆
I’m always thankful to have been born in the United States of America.
Thus far, the U.S. Men’s soccer team has represented us well! Even with a questionable red card for Folarin Balogun in the last game against Bosnia-Herzegovina that will see the star striker sit, our team is looking strong.
The soccer card market has been looking strong as well, up 93% in the past year.
You may think this is the day I tell you we have a new paradigm for soccer cards, one in which it continues to grow and becomes the biggest card market in the world…but today is not that day.
Aside from spikes from outperformance against expectations, we’re soon going to lose a lot of fresh demand, which usually results in a stagnating market.
In the long term, however, I’m still very bullish in the space, as there’s so much room to grow for soccer cards in the international market, and new blood has entered with the World Cup.
Don’t get me wrong, I am buying rare parallels and vintage grails always in soccer. The struggle of balance of allocation of capital between near term and long term, however, is always real.
Grateful for the soccer card community always; I’ll see y’all at Soco.
I’ve been writing about the World Cup demand for 15 months; it’s been one hell of a ride.
The Framework
I mentioned the allocation of capital above, and thought that deserved some further explanation.
In the Comped Investor issue this week, I wrote about how time is the constraint around ROI that people think least about in cards. This crucial factor comes into play when determining any card purchase from an investment lens.
The time lens reveals how price has been moving, whether its passage decays or strengthens, and ultimately whether your wealth compounds or withers.
I use the term wealth specifically here. Money is a tool, a medium of exchange that standardizes what you have and what I have into something we can barter with together.
Wealth is an accumulation of assets that generate value or appreciation over time.
A true investor will frequently review assets and ask himself “are these still the best path to appreciation over time?” Most novices don’t ask themselves this question, or if they do, do so without full honesty or as frequently as one should.
Are you holding on to any assets that aren’t serving you?
Time is what we want most but what we use worst.
William Penn
Keep Building,
DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. The content reflects the author’s personal opinions and analysis and should not be construed as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any assets. Sports cards and collectibles are speculative investments with significant risk of loss. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The author may hold positions in assets discussed in this newsletter. Readers should conduct their own research and consult with qualified financial, tax, and legal professionals before making any investment decisions. By reading this newsletter, you acknowledge and accept these terms.