World Series Champion and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Will Klein joins Gem Mint & Authentic to talk baseball, collecting, and what life is really like inside a Major League clubhouse.

Will shares how he started collecting Pokémon and sports cards as a kid, what it felt like to see himself on a baseball card for the first time, and why he now collects everything from teammates and legends to soccer, Marvel, Disney and Star Wars.

He also takes us inside the Dodgers clubhouse, including what it’s like playing alongside Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Mookie Betts and Kiké Hernández. Will even tells the story of being too nervous to ask Ohtani for an autograph before eventually becoming his teammate.
Plus, Will talks about his World Series experience, pitching deep into an 18-inning game, the preparation and attention to detail that separates the best players in baseball, his own cards he’s still hunting, and why being a professional athlete hasn’t changed his love for the hobby.
And, of course, Jeff Garlin has plenty to say about Ohtani, vintage cards, modern prospecting, baseball movies and just about everything else.
Gem Mint & Authentic is a podcast about collecting, from collectors, for collectors.

Subscribe for more conversations with athletes, celebrities and collectors about the cards, stories and people that make the hobby what it is.

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Comedian John Campanelli joins Rob Veres, Sammy Veres and Jeff Garlin for a conversation about the side of the hobby most collectors never get to see; what it’s actually like to own a card shop.

John shares how he went from collecting cards as a kid to taking over a card shop during the COVID hobby boom, the incredible inventory they uncovered, and why he eventually walked away from the storefront even though the business was working.

The guys get into the realities of running a card shop, the changing sports card market, vintage collecting, the rise and fall of player values, card breaks and gambling, buying collections, and why sometimes the inexpensive cards are what actually build a business.

Plus, Rob shares stories from building Burbank Sportscards from 50-cent and $5 cards into what it is today... including selling more than 8 million cards on eBay.

It’s cards, comedy, collecting, business and plenty of stories from behind the counter.

Gem Mint & Authentic: A Burbank Sportscards Podcast.

In Episode 2 of Gem Mint & Authentic, Rob Veres (The Cardfather) and Jeff Garlin are joined by Joel Madden of Good Charlotte for a wide-ranging conversation about the hobby that's become one of his biggest passions: trading cards.

Joel shares how collecting evolved from opening Pokémon packs with his son to building an incredible One Piece collection, why he believes TCGs are reshaping the hobby, and what separates sports cards from today's fastest-growing collectibles.

The conversation also dives into grail cards, grading, rarity, collecting while touring the world, the future of the hobby, and why the stories behind the cards are often more valuable than the cards themselves.

Whether you're into sports cards, Pokémon, One Piece, or you're simply fascinated by the culture of collecting, this episode is packed with insight, nostalgia, and plenty of laughs.

Topics include:

• Joel Madden's collecting journey
• Pokémon and One Piece's explosive growth
• Sports Cards vs. Trading Card Games
• Grail cards and hobby philosophy
• Vintage collecting
• The future of the hobby
• Stories from card shops around the world

Gem Mint & Authentic is the official podcast of Burbank Sportscards, where the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and collecting come together to share authentic conversations about the hobby they love.