💿 Just the Hits: Hot Cards, a CollX Tip, and More '90s Surges

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and being a part of the eBay Partner Network (and other programs), if you follow these links and make a purchase, I'll receive a commission (at no cost to you). I appreciate your support! This is not buying or investment advice. I'm simply reporting the data I'm seeing. Please do your own research and make your own decisions. Just because cards have increased in value up to this point, it doesn't mean they will continue to do so. I don't have a ton of time today, but there's enough going on that I wanted to get some info out. We've got a couple of prospects making noise as the minor league season winds down, some big performances on the MLB side, and, of course, more '90s cards taking a vertical leap. I also wanted to share a quick CollX trick I use when a card looks like it might be listed incorrectly. It's a simple way to double-check the variation and jump into eBay comps without having to start your search from scratch. The days of deep and plentiful hot prospect cards are behind us, but some are still kicking up dust. 'Saturday saw the teams in the Atlanta Braves farm system split their games. It was also the second to last game of the season for both A-ball affiliates in Augusta and Rome, ahead of Sunday's season finale. Connor Essenburg reached base five times, including a pair of extra base hits, while Carter Beck and Manuel Campos were also among the notable games from hitters in the system. We also got to see Cedric De Grandpre make a quality start for Gwinnett.'Source 'PHILADELPHIA -- Aidan Miller did not waste any time reminding everyone on Saturday night why the Phillies were so high on him entering this season. Making his 2026 debut with Single-A Clearwater, the Phillies' No. 2 prospect (No. 61 overall in MLB) ripped a 109.1 mph line drive for a leadoff double in his first at-bat of the season. He later worked a walk and also struck out while playing five innings at shortstop.'Source And then on the MLB diamond… 'Jesús Luzardo struck out 12 and tossed two-hit ball in his first career shutout in 150 starts and Kyle Schwarber hit a solo homer in the eighth inning to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday.'Source 'After stealing three bases in the game's first three innings, Bolte slugged a solo home run over the right-field wall off Toronto starter Dylan Cease in the fifth. Before him, the previous A's player with a homer and three-plus stolen bases in a game? That would be Henderson, who homered and swiped four bags on Oct. 5, 1991.'Source If you're unsure whether or not a card is listed incorrectly and/or you want an easy way to check comps on CollX, here are a few tips. Let's say you see this Emmitt Smith 1996 Ultra Sensations. The blue catches your eye as being different, but the card is listed as base. To easily confirm or get more info, click the '>' to the right of the copy icon. That will take you away from the seller listing and into the CollX database. Here is where you do your check. If the card in the seller listing matches the image in the CollX database, it's probably listed correctly. If not, as is the case here, you'll see the difference. Base is a copper/gold, not blue. From there, if you want to easily check eBay comps without having to manually open the eBay app and type in the card, just scroll down. Remember, the comps CollX is giving you here are for the base version. And, if you click 'recent sales on eBay' the search will be prefilled with the base card info. But often, you'll see the card you're searching for right away. If not, just go up to the search and add or subtract the words you need. In this case, you can add 'blue' to find the comp. I should also add that when you click from CollX to 'recent sales on eBay' it's going to take ALL of the card info with it. Many times, sellers won't include the card number in their listings, so if you're having issues finding comps, remove the card number. And then, just a few of the more recent cards taking a vertical leap… That's all I've got time for today, but hopefully there's something useful in there. The CollX tip in particular is worth remembering. Misidentified cards are one of the opportunities I'm constantly looking for, and knowing how to quickly check what you're actually looking at can save time and potentially uncover something the seller missed. This combined with the '90s market that continues to give us plenty to watch, this should be a primary source for flips. I'll keep digging through the movement and sharing anything that stands out. Leave a comment Subscribe now