← Collector Nation
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- [00:00]
A
I made a couple of relic cards for my boys. I posted them online immediately, started getting orders and inquiries. So I'm like, well, I guess this is a thing now. There came a point really quickly where I'm like, I can't do this other stuff. Like, I have to commit to this. The collectibles guru shared one of our movie cards. All of a sudden, my followership just blew up. And then I had MLB player, he got a hold of me to do some personal things for him.
- [00:24]
B
Welcome to the Collector Nation podcast. Here on the Collector Nation Network. Whether you're chasing grails or calling bluffs, we take you inside the hobby. Here's your host, Ryan Alford.
- [00:46]
C
Hello and welcome to Collector Nation. Here on the Collector Nation Network. We appreciate you for tuning in, watching, listening, wherever you are, whenever you are. We appreciate it. We know you got options, but we appreciate you for making us number four in all of sports this past weekend on Apple Podcast. That's not lost on us. And we appreciate you. And you know, I think part of the reason that happens is because we've got a great guest and we got one today. He is the CEO of Reclaim Customs, Eric Wagon maker.
- [01:19]
A
How we doing?
- [01:20]
C
Good, man. I'm pumped. I love this stuff. I'm a creative guy and I got. Getting back to the hobby with the kids has been a blast. But my favorite part has been this custom side of things that's just all, you know, between merch and, I don't know, and seeing a graphic designer bring some of the things on your videos and stuff to life, man. Mad respect.
- [01:41]
A
Thank you so much. Yeah, it's been a fun journey, that's for sure.
- [01:45]
C
Well, I. It did. Funny. It's funny now for me too, because now I'm sort of in the hobby and from a business standpoint, I. If you'd have told me as, you know, a 12 year old kid collecting, that this would be anywhere in my career, I'd have been, hey, sign me up, baby. Right. Did you in your wildest dreams, did you see that coming?
- [02:06]
A
Not at all. No. Not at all. No. Especially when I'm working behind the counter at an H VAC company, you know it's coming.
- [02:15]
C
Yeah. Hey, the success found you or you found it? I think. Where's home, Eric?
- [02:22]
A
We're in Spring Lake, Michigan. So right next to. Right next to Lake Michigan. Spring Lake is right out my window about a quarter mile and then Lake Michigan is just beyond that, like another mile. So we're right on. We're right on the fresh coast, brother.
- [02:36]
C
What's the temp of Lake Michigan today?
- [02:40]
A
Good grief. I wouldn't even want to know. Last week. Last week, it dipped into the negatives here. As far as the temperature, I don't know about the water temp, but, man, oh, man, I couldn't imagine dipping my.
- [02:54]
C
Right now I have a houseboat on a beautiful lake here in South Carolina. And I often think about. Because you could. You could. You don't want to swim in now. You. You could eventually stay in it long enough, like 15, 20 minutes to probably get in trouble. But it takes, I imagine, there about 15 seconds.
- [03:16]
A
Oh, my go. We have one guy who does a polar bear plunge right down here on the beach just down the road every year. And everybody's posting, like, this idiot getting into the water, but whatever.
- [03:29]
C
So what's going on, man? 2021, you know, you get into this reclaimed customs things. Talk to me about what you guys are doing in our audience and, you know, where the passion lies.
- [03:43]
A
Yeah, I mean, yeah, that's kind of when it started. Just kind of fell into it. Like I said, I made a coup relic cards from my boys. They're soccer players, and they were, you know, younger at the time, and like, dad, make us cards. I'm like, all right, I'll try. So I borrowed some crafting equipment, and, you know, I'm a designer. So I very crudely put a couple pieces together for my boys that posted them online, immediately started getting orders and inquiries. So I'm like, well, I guess this is a thing now. So it just kind of took off from there. So, you know, my passion for sports. Grew up watching sports with my dad and then collecting. I grew up collecting with my. My dad, you know, going to the shows and the local card shops. And so it was a. It was definitely a family thing. You know, I remember the first time he pulled down his. His shoebox out of the attic and going through his Mickey Mantles and Hank Aarons and, you know, I had the Beckett Price guy, you know, and the, you know, 1892, 1993 or whatever. And he's like, oh, man, that's what that thing's worth, you know, or whatever. So then he got into it, and he had way more money than I did. So, like, I had a great time watching him spend his money on, you know, kind of build his mantle collection and all that back in the day. But. But, yeah, so just that has kind of driven the passion. And I'm a big history guy, too, so we do, like, a lot of, you know, historical stuff, too. With artifacts and autographs and embedding them. I mean, we do custom trading cards, but, like, you know, I consider Reclaim Customs a custom memorabilia company. So, you know, we will take your memorabilia and we will reclaim its image, and we will reclaim it and make it something even better than it was on its own.
- [05:20]
C
What's the most. What was the time, like, the first project or whatever, getting started where you're like, this is a. Not only is. This isn't just a hobby, this is a business. And, you know, the first thing that I don't know if get. I'm sure you got excited on a lot of things, whether they were business or not, but like the first, like, oh, shit moment.
- [05:41]
A
Yeah, that's a good question. I think it was probably, you know, not too long after where, you know, I was like, it was just a hustle, you know, for a while, a side hustle, and I was doing other various artistic things at the time. I really wanted to be self employed, so I was doing some, like, fake brickwork, like around, like, fireplaces, and I was doing some furniture restoration. And I had a booth at this, like, antique shop with all my furniture that I restored and trying to pedal that. And while I'm doing the card stuff too. And there came a point really quickly where I'm like, I can't do this other stuff. Like, I have to. I have to commit to this. So I don't know if there was like one line in the sand where it was like, man, this was the project or this was the contract that put me over the edge. But, like, it was a gradual thing. I wouldn't say gradual because it happened quickly, but it was like a. It was like a roller coaster, man. All of a sudden, man, I was going click, click, click, click. And I was whoosh. I was in, man. So I had to drop that other stuff. I had other furniture clients and, you know, other stuff, you know, going on that I just had to be like, look, I got to commit to this and put my full attention on it.
- [06:49]
C
What. What was the turning point where, like, you felt like the name was out there and you guys, like, started maybe getting contracts beyond, like. Because I know, and I want to talk about, you know, what you can as far as, like, the contracts you have and some of the teams and things that you're working on, the ones you can speak about that aren't super secret, if there are such things. But like, when did it turn from onesie, twosie, independent stuff and you know, like, maybe one of the favorite pieces, you know, of that period that guess probably would be hard with someone that's doing as cool shit as you're doing that. Really. What's your favorite, baby?
- [07:30]
A
Yeah, people ask me that all the time. What's your favorite piece that you've ever made? I'm like the last Running together, right?
- [07:37]
C
Don't they. I mean, not in a bad way, but I'm sure they do, right?
- [07:41]
A
They do a little bit, yeah. But like, it's always like, man, it's fresh excitement, a new excitement for each piece because, man, we never know. You ever. You ever watch Pawn Stars? Like, you never know. You never know what's gonna come through that door. Yeah, we never know. Order is gonna come in, man, like, whether it's a Babe Ruth piece or. Or whatever, man. So I always say my favorite one is the one we just finished. Because all of our attention, all our excitement is on that and our attention and focus. And sometimes I go back through, like, our Instagram. Our Instagrams are really good. Just portfolio of everything we've done to easily scroll through. Sometimes I'll dip back into that, like, oh, my gosh, that one is sweet too. But as far as the one that kind of like, I feel like, put us or put. Before I hired anybody, put me over the edge. I was doing some movie parody cards and just for fun, and the collectibles guru on Twitter shared one of our. One of our movie cards. I think it was a Talladega Nights card that we did. Silly, silly thing. But he's like, could you imagine if this was real? And then, like, all of a sudden, my followership just blew up. And then, you know, I had Evan Longoria, MLB player, he got ahold of me to do some personal things for him, and he started sharing some of my stuff. Golden, Ken golden shared a few of my things. So it's just been like a few. A few breaks that I've gotten from people. It's all been social media driven to be honest and word of mouth. So now, like, you know, on forums and stuff like that, hey, who are the custom card makers I need to go to and to see people, you know, point to reclaim customs is, man, it's just. It never. It never gets lost on me how. How special that is. That means a lot to me. And that's, you know, it's all about the customer. It's all about making them happy. And to see that just continue to elevate us is, man, I feel blessed, man. I don't feel necessarily lucky, but I just. I just feel so Blessed and honored to be here.
- [09:34]
C
I love that, man. And no, it's not loud luck, dude. It's about talent meets, like, opportunity. But you got to take advantage of it. I'm a firm believer in that. I mean, we all get, hey, the coin flips your way every now and then, but it flips the other way, too, so you make your own luck. You with talent, grit, and drive. And a lot. A lot of that talent, by the way. You got to see some of the shit if you have it. We'll have links to all that in the notes. But, Eric, what's the creative process for you? Like, I know guys and girls or whoever comes to you client wise, hey, I got a vision. They might tell you exactly what they want, but generally speaking, when you guys are, you know, obviously you create some of your own things, like, when you get access to things. What's that creative process.
- [10:22]
A
Man? I don't. It's hard to explain how my brain works. It's kind of messed up sometimes, but.
- [10:28]
C
Like most creative people, it is good.
- [10:32]
A
Interesting. It's almost like. I mean, be seen that Robin Williams movie, what Dreams May Come. It's almost like that. That's my brain sometimes. It's just like, things constantly moving and shifting and shaping and, like, I get the. You know, it all. It all depends on the artifact, and it all works around that. And I can just kind of visualize how we're framing this out, how we are. How are we building in the foiling details? What are the foiling details going to look like? What colors can we use? And then it's all like, I work my brain and my mind work in, like, textures and layers and, like, depth of, like, I want. Like I want. Like. Even though we're printing, like, flat cards, you know, they're. It's flat image, and sometimes we have three dimensional things popping out of them. Like this Baker Mayfield piece we just did, it's got, like, a ring popping out of it. I don't know if you saw that.
- [11:21]
C
But, yeah, I did.
- [11:24]
A
Yeah.
- [11:24]
C
It's crazy.
- [11:25]
A
Yeah, that's three dimensional. Like, almost like art popping out of the card. But, like, okay, we're printing flat images. How do we create that depth? So my mind is constantly thinking in depth. Colors, images, textures, layers. So I don't know, it just kind of builds itself out in my mind as. And it all starts around the artifact, the piece.
- [11:43]
C
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A
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- [12:31]
C
What's the, you know, you think about, like, these specialty cards that are in sets that are mass produced, and then you've got guys like you that are, you know, just totally custom. And, you know, there's obviously paper dynamics that might be similar or things like that. But what makes. It's always fascinating to me that, you know, they throw a different color on it and they call it, you know, 10 of 10 and it's got value and then they got, you know, what you're doing, which is everyone's pretty much one of one. Right. It's an interesting thing to think about, especially as it relates when you're about the physical card with memorabilia on it or whatever. I mean, they've now cheaped their way out. I'm not even sure, you know, if, you know, the dog trainer wore the jersey. Now it's like not worn by a specific person in a specific place or a specific time. It's like, okay, what the heck? What is this? What are we doing? But I don't know, what's the, what's the difference there, like, for you or how did you compare those things? I know it's totally different. It's custom art versus mass produced, but. Yeah, I mean.
- [13:39]
A
Yeah. And I, I recently wrote an article on this too. Like, perceived rarity.
- [13:44]
C
Yeah.
- [13:45]
A
You know, companies like you were just talking about, card companies build out these different variations and rainbows and like, you got, you know, the one of 101 out of 499 and then out of 20. So there's thousands of these pieces even though they've, they've given you perceived rarity.
- [13:59]
C
Manufacture, I'd call that. It's almost like engineered rarity, manufactured rarity.
- [14:05]
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's fun. Like in that, you know. Yeah. Guys are chasing the rainbows. Like, that's great, man. Go. Like, if that's what you want to do, go do it. But, you know, it's. It's hard to compare to that to what we are doing because every piece is one of a kind. Even if we get, you know, three Babe Ruth autographs in a row, like, there's going to be different details not only in our design and how we put it together, but like they're different. The autos are going to be different sizes. It's going to require a different cut, it's going to require a new. You know, that just that, that process in my brain that I was just explaining, it's going to create new pathways and like, all right, there's a new challenge here. So like every piece that we do is truly one of a kind, unique. And what's the workshop like?
- [14:54]
C
Like, I. I'm gonna like hold. I'm gonna ask to come visit sometime and bring the video through with. I want to do that on a follow up at some point because. Yeah, let me just say this. I have a passion for this. I make. Cuz I make custom cards for my kids and have. It is not. We're talking if, if you're in the big leagues. I'm in like, not. Single leg wouldn't be even the right word. It's like I'm in little league, but it's fun and I, I am creative and do have ability, but I don't have the time or probably the patience to do this level of skill that you do. But I would love to see it from that aspect. But I also think it'd be fascinating just to see like, what's the workflow, you know?
- [15:36]
A
Yeah, I mean a lot of the, like the secrets and how we do things, I hold pretty close to the vest and I.
- [15:41]
C
Okay, all right. We got some secret sauces.
- [15:44]
A
Yeah, no, yeah, exactly. Like, you know, you're not gonna coke for the recipe. I mean, you could, but they ain't gonna give it to you. But like, no.
- [15:51]
C
We were.
- [15:52]
A
This summer we were on an episode of the Card Life on Google and they kind of. Yeah, it's pinned to the top of our Instagram profile if anybody wants to check that out. But it gives you kind of like a behind the curtains look of our processes and how we do that from design to print to assembly. And I show as much as I possibly can.
- [16:13]
C
Yeah.
- [16:14]
A
Giving up too much. The secret sauce.
- [16:16]
C
Where does the secret sauce come in? Is it in the materials themselves?
- [16:21]
A
Some of it, yes. The magic behind what Reclaim does is we've figured out how to get machinery and equipment to work with each other that was never meant to work with each other. So we had to Engineer certain processes and fabricate a few things. And really, I mean it's been a, you know, almost a six year process of continual refinement and like figuring out. And Aaron, before he worked here with me as a designer, he worked in print world. He was at a sign shop designing. So he had a little more knowledge than I did with like printing and textiles and how to do some things. So we kind of put our brains together and, and we've been able to come up with figuring out processes and how we want to accomplish finishes and foiling and the, you know, all that stuff.
- [17:17]
C
That's interesting. Yeah, the recipe. Sometimes you got to just try like obviously if you're just wanting to print a piece of paper, you know, they got their standard rules but sometimes it's kind of like cooking in the kitchen. You got to like, you just got to try some things and know that it might taste like crap but you could always, you know, start over. Yeah.
- [17:35]
A
And I probably get, I'm not kidding you and I'm not exaggerating this. I probably get six, seven messages a day, maybe sometimes more. Hey, what are you using? How are you doing that? What's your card stock? How are you foiling that? Like what are you printing with? Like. And I have a very, very kind and respectful canned message that I send them. I don't get that information out.
- [17:57]
C
All right. Yeah, don't give it all out. Maybe give me like one little insider just for me so I can make my blow my kids mind or something. But I'm not, you know, like, like something that's probably could be found in like 27 Google searches. But you know, not like a secret process but like what's. Talk to me about current projects, like things that are really cool that people go wow, you know, like I heard some things right before the episode that sounded pretty legit.
- [18:28]
A
Yeah, let's see. I can talk to you about the Washington Mystics. We, we are just finishing production for a relic trading card project for their season ticket holders. So that's going to be pretty cool. Once that, once that is released, hopefully in the next three or four weeks those will be done. We are in talks with a couple other professional sports teams that I can't mention because it's not 100 sure yet, which I'm really excited about. And some collegiate stuff.
- [19:04]
C
Is this kind of where they, they're holding back maybe gear, jersey stuff from big event, big accomplishments or games or things like that? Yeah.
- [19:16]
A
And with pro teams too. Like it's interesting because you know, we can't do trading cards with pro teams because of fanatics, God bless them. But so we have to get. We have to think creatively even with what we're producing. So, you know, we have to get into like, more jumbo pieces or like, you know, we're embedding fabrics, you know, jersey fabric relics into like, larger, like, ticket design. Like, it's a design of like a printed ticket. But it's so, like, it's not trading cards, but it's still memorabilia pieces. So we got to get creat native with the pro teams that have the. The exclusivity with, you know, the big. The big guns over there. So.
- [20:00]
C
But yeah, you can't do cards at all.
- [20:03]
A
No, it can't be a trading car. Like, it can't be a traditional trading card.
- [20:06]
C
Two and a half by three and a half, like.
- [20:08]
A
Yeah, yeah. I mean, then you run into all sorts of weird things.
- [20:11]
C
Even for like one to one offs.
- [20:13]
A
Or like, no like one offs for a customer. It doesn't matter. You know, it's considered artwork. So, like when we're doing something with or partnering with a pro club and it gets weird if they have, you know, exclusives with fanatics and stuff like that. Yeah. We're in talks with a professional soccer team out in Europe to do a big line of. Of cards for their team, and they're in their merch and their shops. The Sean Ryan podcast, we did a big run for him last year. We're in the middle of another one now for him. I'm probably forgetting a bunch of stuff, but. And this is just the bigger stuff.
- [20:50]
C
What did you do for his, like, for his podcast?
- [20:53]
A
Yeah, so we just. We get. We made him a bunch of cards. Okay. His military get up and, you know, stuff that he could sign and either sell on his website. I don't know if he did some giveaways. I don't remember what the. What the end result of that was.
- [21:06]
C
But we need some Collector Nation stuff. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. And Collector Station, my store, I'm seeing. All right, all right, this is coming together. And look, I'm holding cards because I'm recording Collector Nation, our weekly topical news episode that airs on Fridays. And I was gonna talk about this because I happened to purchase a few cards this week. I don't know if you can see these from where I'm at.
- [21:31]
A
I see some Jordans, man.
- [21:32]
C
Yeah, Jordan Jordan rookies Jordan sticker, and then an 84 star Jordan here. And I'm going, but I cut the Would I let Eric cut these up and do something?
- [21:45]
A
I wouldn't.
- [21:48]
C
I'm crazy, though. I'm crazy like that I might get. I might send you a Jordan rookie and let you just go to town with it, like, turn it into something like, cut him out. And it would be. I'd be like, we document the whole thing, man.
- [22:06]
A
I mean, we could. Man, that'd be.
- [22:10]
C
I'm gonna let you do that. And the sticker let you do both of them. Like, 86 Jordan. Like, there'd be nothing else probably on earth that was made out of those two. The iconic pieces from his rookie. I don't know. I might to think about that.
- [22:28]
A
Think hard about that, please.
- [22:30]
C
I. I don't have regrets, baby. Once I go in, I'll just be excited about what you do. Know what? I cut this thing up, cut the FLIR logo. I mean, because I think about, like, how much more rare it would make it. Like, you could obviously reprint and do stuff, but that's not cool. No, this was real original, Pretty damn good quality. But might I add, you rookie cards probably 20 grand in. In. In one relic. Hey. Wow, dude.
- [23:01]
A
That would be. That'd be something.
- [23:03]
C
We did that. If we. We have to document that. If we turn that into content or something and made a, you know, like a whole thing, I. I think it might be worth it because then it's just like becomes the true.
- [23:14]
A
You know, that. That oddball stuff, those. Those requests like that. That's what, like. So now you already got, like, you know, you already got me thinking, you know.
- [23:23]
C
Yeah, exactly. I wonder if Jordan would sign something like that. I mean, he's tough to get, but.
- [23:30]
A
Yeah, good luck for decks.
- [23:31]
C
I know, I know. It's like we could pull his signature off of something else, right?
- [23:38]
A
Oh, yeah. If you had like a sticker or like, if, you know, if we got a cut or something like that.
- [23:42]
C
Yeah, exactly. Let me think about that. If no one buys it this week, maybe we'll see. I've got the whole box of 86 FLIR. Dude walks in. We're gonna talk about this on the show this week. Dude walks in. 86 FLIR. Full box, full set, all stickers, all Jordans. But the day before we even opened our store, and I was like, is this happening like that? That doesn't walk in the door very often, you know. 86 FL, man.
- [24:12]
A
I got. I got that set in the safe, man. All PSA 8. Yeah.
- [24:15]
C
Yeah. How long you had it?
- [24:20]
A
I. I just got The Jordan. The 56 was 56 or what's, what's his number? 53. 52. Is it 53?
- [24:28]
C
I can tell you right here. Number 57.
- [24:30]
A
7.
- [24:31]
C
Good grief.
- [24:32]
A
That's probably something I should know anyway. Yeah, so that was the last one I got.
- [24:38]
C
But that's a, that's a big buy there.
- [24:41]
A
I mean like, I think when I got it, I think I paid eight grand for it.
- [24:45]
C
That's a good deal. It's probably worth twice now.
- [24:48]
A
You can't find for 10. So.
- [24:50]
C
Yeah, yeah.
- [24:51]
A
So it's just over a year ago, I think I completed that set. So that's, that's in the safe. That's part of the, that's part of the retirement package.
- [24:57]
C
There's. Yeah, that's a good set. I believe in. That's crossed my mind. It. It's not an eight though. The whole set's not an eight. Like, did every card graded.
- [25:06]
A
Yep, everyone is.
- [25:08]
C
See, that's ridiculous. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, yeah, this, this was just. They're all raw, but I mean there's probably none of it's track. They're not a single card with a crease. I mean it's, it's, I'd say five to nine, you know, and more, probably more sixes and sevens than nines.
- [25:31]
A
Yeah, I mean it's just an iconic set. It's, it's not, I mean there's, that's the thing, like there's so many of them out there, but it's not even about like supply because like it is so iconic. There's always a demand for it.
- [25:45]
C
Always, always.
- [25:46]
A
And the way that the trajectory of the, the hobby in the market right now, like that's, that value is not going down anytime soon.
- [25:53]
C
What's your thoughts about. I want to get back into some projects, but what are your thoughts about the hobby in general these days?
- [26:00]
A
I mean it's booming, man. I wrote an article about this too. But you know, with cultural icons, celebrities and pro athletes getting in on the hobby has magnified it to a point where it's, it's only getting more popular. You know, they've, they put their spotlight on it with their brand and with their, their reach and now other, you know, it, that, that ripple effect in my opinion is astronomical. So I think, I mean as long as that kind of thing and I think that interest amongst, you know, celebrities and athletes and cultural icons, you know, I think that's only going to continue to increase because they got reaches with each other too. And you see that trickle down effect with them and that's just like, so it's not going anywhere, man. I think the hobby's in a really healthy place as far as that's concerned. My, my big concern is the fact that there's so much money behind the hobby now that, you know, you have, you know, collectors buying up, you know, Beckett PSA and SGC and, you know, conglomerates, you know, coming in and doing things. I don't know how. I mean, it's going to make it harder for it to feel like a hobby, I think to where, like, there's going to be so much money in it and things are going to. It's going to drive up prices. And I don't know, that makes me a little nervous. But overall, the state of the hobby, like, man, I think it's. I think it's in a good place.
- [27:30]
C
Couldn't agree more. Talking with Eric Wagonmaker. He is the CEO of Reclaim Customs. Eric, how does your company scale when everything's customs? It's just more. More crafters. It's like, I think I was thinking about that because, I mean, I have a business show. I'm a business guy first. I'm in a hobbyist my whole life, but let's just be honest, that pays the bills and being a business guy. So it's like I was going, how does Eric scale and how does this scale when it's so custom and so unique?
- [28:06]
A
Yeah, and I think through that every day, Ryan. So, you know, with bigger runs, like, if we're getting an order for like a thousand, we. We have to lean on manufacturing, so they're still going to get the same great design. And you know, the manufacturers that we use are also used by some of the big card companies, so we have access to. To them to still create great pieces with all the textures and finishes that we want with that. Now with the one off stuff, like, orders are always coming in fast and furious. So I do have. I brought on another designer part time to help sift through that all production of the one off stuff. And the shorter runs are still here in house at Reclaim. At the cardistry cave, as we call it around here.
- [29:00]
C
Yes, I got to come to the cave. I'm coming, you know, and then I need Eric to be and like, do you know, like a weekend or something? Like a crafters weekend or something here at the collector station. It's just a man cave, Eric. I'm just telling you, it's man cave. My wife just says, I built my own man cave. And I'm like, oh, you're right.
- [29:19]
A
Yeah, dude, I Have mannequins with, like, game used jerseys and stuff all over the cave. And my wife swears to life at night. And, like, he's like, oh, well, I guess it could be worse. You know, I guess you could, like, collect something super creepy. But anyway. But yeah, scaling, like, I mean, yeah, the one off stuff, like, it's just a matter of. Because, like, I, like, you know, we have our. We. We have what makes us unique, and that's how we design it and how we craft it and how we assemble it. And, like, every detail is poured over. So, like, scaling, that is tricky because I don't ever want to lose that because those are our roots. That's how we started. That's what makes us who we are. Yeah. I think, you know, the next step is probably, you know, if we continue to get bigger orders is our own manufacturing and our own facility that can do that. But I don't know. I'm not. I'm not there yet. And that's fine. Like, we operate this all out of my house right now, so I love that, you know, the overhead is very low. That's just materials and labor, so.
- [30:29]
C
Smart business model, actually.
- [30:31]
B
Yeah.
- [30:31]
A
Yeah. So, no, I think through that every day. You know, I do, because like I said, orders are constantly coming in. I'm like, well, do I. Do we do an application process for custom orders so we can, like, pick and choose what we're doing, which is going to make what reclaim? Like, if you have a reclaimed piece, it's going to make it that much more bespoke and rare? Or do we just continue to take every order that comes in? I don't know what the right answer is, but it is something I'm constantly thinking through.
- [31:01]
C
Let's walk through. All right. The custom process. So I'm someone listening. I go watch 5 seconds of video and I'm ready to order. What do I need to, you know, like, me? I'm like, josh, how's my favorite player? And you're like, oh, I have some golden, you know, foil stuff or whatever the shield. And do people come to you? They need to obviously probably have an idea of, like, a player or, like, how does that process work for getting something custom done?
- [31:32]
A
Yeah. So, I mean, a lot of it honestly starts with they either fill out our contact form or they get ahold of me on social media and they start asking questions. And usually the first place I direct them to is the frequently asked questions page, because I'm constantly updating that. Like, the more questions I get, I'm.
- [31:50]
C
Like, That's a good question. I mean, I don't want to answer that.
- [31:57]
A
So all of our pricing is there. All of, you know, all those questions that people ask. But then, like, yeah, there's a. There's an order form right on our website. They fill that out. It's pretty detailed, it's pretty thorough, and, you know, they explain exactly what they want. And again, if they start, I got this, I got this autograph, but it's like bigger than a trading card. It's, you know, four inches wide. Well, then we have jumbo options, you know, so then they can check that. And then. So our website is pretty. It's pretty thorough and complete as far as what they can figure out there. But if there's still questions, and that's the thing, like, almost with every customer, we still have to have a conversation or a couple emails back and forth to dial in. Because like I said, like, I don't want to miss any detail. And at the end of the day, like, this is good. Like my goal, like, every customer that gets our final product in their hand, like, they're gonna be blown away. Like, you are gonna be blown away with what you have from us. And that's my goal. So, yeah, it's. That's. That's kind of the process. And then, yeah, if they. Sometimes they have, you know, very specific ideas about the design that they want, they want a little more creative control, which is totally fine. They can have as much or as little as they want. Most of the time they just pass it over to us because they've seen our work, which is great. We thrive on that. And then, you know, they're always going to approve the design, the mock up before it gets sent to print, and then it's printed, photographed in our studio, and shipped on its way.
- [33:26]
C
I love it. The.
- [33:28]
A
That's in a nutshell.
- [33:29]
C
Yeah.
- [33:32]
A
So do we.
- [33:35]
C
And I don't, you know, it's hard. I don't care. We don't even have. We can keep this in or keep it out, Eric. But, like, do you budget? So someone that's listening that wants a custom card, do you mind giving a budget range or you don't want to go there?
- [33:48]
A
Yeah, no, I can. That's totally fine. This is all on our website, too.
- [33:51]
C
Yeah. Let me tee that up then.
- [33:53]
A
Yeah.
- [33:54]
C
I love it, Eric. So talk to me. Okay. Somebody's. They're listening. I think. I would think the most common. Don't let me put words in your mouth. Is probably, I want a custom card, you know, that's probably your most custom or common order. What does someone need to budget for a reclaim custom card?
- [34:11]
A
Yeah, sure. Minimum order is 250 bucks. So that would be the minimum order. So, you know, is that going to.
- [34:20]
C
Get you something pretty good? 250?
- [34:22]
A
Yeah, it is. Yeah. So 250. So like we always say, like, okay, a relic card. Like, so if you're embedding an autograph or a relic and you want that into a card, that price point starts at 150. But you're either, you're going to need to order two or you're going to add on. You're going to need to add on some foiling or some embellishments of some sort. So you add holofoil to that cut card. You're at 250 and they're. You're at your minimum. But then you want to add the texture holo foil, kind of like what the flawless and national treasures do, you know, Then you're at another price point of an extra 150. So you're at 150 and 150 is 300. So jumbos are a little bit higher price point. The foiling bumps up a little bit too. So depending on what you want, you can, you can get something great for as little as 250. But I mean, man, there's. There's some jumbo pieces on our, on our Instagram that you'll see that, you know, it was, you know, up upwards of two or three grand for a piece. So it just depends on how many bells and whistles and how, how much time you wants to spend on it. We will do anything you need. I promise you that. We will get it.
- [35:21]
C
Y' all do booklet cards?
- [35:22]
A
We do booklets.
- [35:23]
C
Yep.
- [35:23]
A
You can do booklets. They fold just like it's pack pulled. But yeah, yeah, like I said, the best place to look at our portfolio is our Instagram. It's all cataloged so nicely.
- [35:32]
C
There's. Yeah, I'm asking questions I know the answer to audience, just so you know, because I've already been down the rabbit hole. But I want, I want him to answer it for you guys. That IG account got a lot. I kind of, you know, I pride myself. I don't get on TikTok anymore. I appreciate it as a marketer, but I don't get on anymore because I just don't like going down the vortex of losing, you know, where did that hour go? You know? But I lost several hours on Reclaim Customs. I'll just say that. Yeah, that's why he's here. And that's what I love about what I. I get to find talented people and shine a light on them and if nothing else, just learn and embrace it all with my kids. Eric. So we don't have a favorite piece because they're all your kids, but is there anything else that might. Would get people's attention or things or custom things that you've done that might be a good story?
- [36:27]
A
For sure. And that's what it's all about. We want to tell stories with these pieces that we do. I think that. Okay, yeah, I don't have a favorite, but the things that are. Man. What is most touching to me, I'm getting chills just thinking about it. Most meaningful to me is when we do family type stuff or heirloom type stuff or dedication tribute. We're in the middle of a couple of projects for people's fathers where they're sending us clothing or stuff that he wore that he had passed away. And we're doing tribute pieces for fathers and being able to work with those customers. I haven't lost my dad. I still have my dad, thank God. But I know there's a day where I won't have him, you know, but being able to put. To be able to be a part of a legacy of a family and something that I know is going to be on their shelf and pass down from generation to generation, that's so meaningful to them, man. Dude, that's what. That's the stuff that does it for me is those types of stories and those types of legacy pieces that we can do for people.
- [37:38]
C
So I think that's a good point of things that you don't. Might not immediately have thought of. Like you think of games and players and all that, but there's, you know, so much. And it goes to like, the. Almost the heart of why I do this show. And it's, it's. There's something about collecting and these treasures, you know, for whatever reason, might be a favorite game for player or favorite memory with a family member that is at the heart of us as human beings. I don't, you know, we all collect something and it's when someone ties together the magic of that with the talent that you have, it's really special.
- [38:22]
A
Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. Like I said, it doesn't get lost on me. And there's a weight, there's a responsibility in that that, like I said, I hold dearly and I don't take for granted. I don't. I don't take one Second of this for granted, man, but like I said, man, we're in the business of doing memorabilia pieces and trading cards and all that stuff, but man, we're in the people. We're in the people business too, you know, So I love people. I love the collaborative, the collaborative aspect of it and being able to rub shoulders with people and talk to people, hear their stories and why these, why these pieces are memorable, whether it's a family heirloom piece or a Babe Ruth autograph that their grandfather left them or you know, a game that they went to and they got this ticket and they got this whatever and you know, a piece of confetti or whatever, you know, it's. It all ties together to story and humanity and we're all on the same page and we're on the same team.
- [39:22]
C
Yeah, man, 100%. You said something. Maybe think of it. It's kind of come and gone, but I don't know, it's just. Oh, I know what it was. Where does your mind fall, Eric, on digital versus physical? So, you know, the younger generation, I didn't think it would ever happen. And I'm, I think, more ahead of the game than most being in the industries that I've been in with technology and stuff like that. Do you even entertain the idea of this, I don't know, digital aspect of what you're doing, of, you know, capturing that in some way?
- [40:03]
A
Yeah. Are you talking about like NFTs and stuff like that?
- [40:07]
C
Yeah, NFTs. I'm kind of a. I'm not the most biggest proponent of nft, you know, like, I don't love that, but it's more the. If it's not an nft, it's like.
- [40:20]
A
Digital car, stuff like that.
- [40:21]
C
Yeah, yeah. Like. And I know there's, I guess, I mean, more than just taking a picture of it, but maybe like how that could be encapsulated digitally or, you know, I don't know and I, you know, something to think about.
- [40:36]
A
I haven't really given that much thought, like, you know, collectibility wise. And just my personal opinion is in order for me to be passionate about it, I kind of have to understand it.
- [40:48]
C
Yeah.
- [40:48]
A
Don't. I don't. Understand that. Maybe.
- [40:52]
C
Do you have kids?
- [40:53]
A
I do. I got two boys.
- [40:55]
C
How old are they?
- [40:56]
A
15 and 12.
- [40:57]
C
Okay. They play Roblox.
- [41:00]
A
That rings a bell. Maybe a pretty or over the dinner table.
- [41:06]
C
And it's definitely not as much as people make it out to be, but it is fascinating that they put skins on players and they do things and like, they have. They put. They assign value that I don't remember assigning to digital things. Right.
- [41:21]
A
Yeah.
- [41:22]
C
It's fascinating. Not that there's. I don't think you need to confuse your worlds with that. I'm just more than my Brian. I get started brainstorming, like, business stuff, like, going, you know, if there's a documenting, you know, what you do in some way creates some kind of, like, I don't know, video aspect of it. Like, is it, like, camera angles of how it was created that then becomes a bonus? Hey, I'm creating a revenue stream for you, Eric. That's what I'm doing.
- [41:51]
A
Yeah, yeah, we did some videos. Like, it's been a little over a year since we did them, but we had a series on YouTube called Inside the Cardistry Cave. And we did, you know, episodes. I think we did, like, man, I bet a dozen episodes at least. But then we just, like. Because it was just Aaron and I and we just ran out of time. Like, okay, we can keep doing these videos and spending all these hours editing. Editing them, or we can keep.
- [42:16]
C
Just do the work. Yeah. You know, hey, that's a separate team, Eric. You gotta, you know, if it's worthwhile, you know.
- [42:24]
A
Yeah, no, there's some there. If you get on our YouTube channel, there are some.
- [42:29]
C
I gotta go find those. I hadn't seen that one. I'm in that. I'm in some of the rabbit holes, but not that one.
- [42:33]
A
Yeah, go find our YouTube inside the Cardistry Cave. There's. There's a few episodes there you get a kick out of. We went one episode, we went to a farm and we were, like, racing chickens and stuff like that. It all ties into cards, I promise.
- [42:44]
C
Yeah.
- [42:46]
A
You know, my crazy. My crazy.
- [42:48]
C
What's your favorite card? Not that necessarily you've made, but, you know, do you have a favorite, like, in my collection or collection or what you're hunting?
- [43:01]
A
Come on.
- [43:02]
C
Grail or something?
- [43:04]
A
Yeah, probably in my collection.
- [43:07]
C
Jeez.
- [43:09]
A
I mean, the ones that are closest to my heart are the very first ones that I made of my boys when Reclaim Customs got started. No assigned value to those, but, dude, man, it's so hard. I, I, My collection is so vast. Okay, I'll tell you, it's not even a card. Is that all right? It's memorabilia.
- [43:28]
C
Yeah.
- [43:29]
A
Okay. So I'm a big Cinderella man fan. James Braddock Bear. You know that movie?
- [43:35]
C
Oh, yeah.
- [43:36]
A
Okay. All right, So I have a letter written by James Braddock one week before the Max Bear fight, and somebody was asking for his autograph. And it's a letter to this woman. It says, thank you so much for your interest in my handwriting. I'm getting in swell shape for the Max Bear fight coming up in a week. I hope this will fit the bill. And he signs it James J. Raddick. There's nothing else out there that's like that, that he writes a letter, he mentions the fight. And it's a week before the fight. And so I have a ticket to that fight. I have some customs that I've done of their autographs, some exhibit cards. But yeah, the vintage boxing that is around that time period, the depression. And it points to that fight because that's my favorite film. So that's probably. That's probably the coolest piece in my collection.
- [44:26]
C
That's definitely the rare and unique. I don't. I heard of a lot of things, but that's up there. When I think about, I don't know, the combination of variables there.
- [44:37]
A
Yeah.
- [44:38]
C
Yeah. So, hey, man, I could talk to you all day. I really appreciate the time and you're breaking away from your incredible task talent and you know, building cards that are probably way cooler than the show. But I, I just want you to know I personally appreciate what you're doing in the hobby and hope to highlight that any way we can, man.
- [45:00]
A
I appreciate being on here and yeah, for the opportunity to talk to you. It's great to meet you.
- [45:03]
C
Yeah, yeah.
- [45:04]
A
Come on out sometime to West Michigan and wait to warm spring or summer. It's, it's. It's pretty sweet out here in Grand Haven, so.
- [45:14]
C
All right, I'm gonna think about this. Jordan too.
- [45:16]
A
That in mind too. Yeah, you let me know.
- [45:19]
C
That could be something interesting. I need Brian. I'm on next with the CEO of Linux. He might have to toss me off the ledge, but we'll see. I don't know. It sounds like it could be fun.
- [45:30]
A
All right.
- [45:31]
C
Yeah. Hey, guys, you're gonna find us the collectornation.com you'll find the full length episode today with Eric, CEO of Reclaim Customs. Highlight clips, links to their stuff. Go get a custom card, man. Nothing like it. You can't pull. Look, this ain't in no pack. This is custom, handmade right by Eric and his team. And it's time you do something different. And that's what they're doing. We appreciate them. We appreciate you. We'll see you next time on Collector Nation.
- [45:59]
B
Thanks for tuning in to the show. Be sure to follow us on your go to podcast platform and catch the full video episode over on YouTube. Visit us@collectornation.com and follow Ryan on Instagram at Ryan Alford. Now get out there and collect yours.