Happy Hobby Sports Cards Podcast · David Gonos

🎙️26 Rookie Cards We're Excited To Pull in 2026! - Ep. 3.08

·25 min·1 clip

Topps Series 1 pre-order lands January 13, 2026, while Topps NFL cards are slated for April.

David Gunness sets the frame right away: this channel is for collectors who want to improve their sports card collections without blowing through their budget. He treats rookie cards as the fuel of the hobby and looks at 2026 with 2025 in the rearview mirror. The focus stays on the top 26 rookie cards he expects in the year ahead. He says the smart way to think about the chase is to watch flagship products first, then use that knowledge if you want to buy premium products. That budget-first lens shapes the whole list. The countdown runs through 26 rookie cards he is most excited about over the next 12 months. The tone stays loose and conversational. Baseball names get special attention, with pitchers and position players both entering the mix as he weighs hobby upside and the kind of buzz a player can create. Basketball prospects also show up with real excitement. When he talks about a player like Darren Peterson, he focuses on burst and three-level scoring as traits that can translate to hobby interest. He also leans on comps where he has them, including a Jason Tatum comparison for a high-upside basketball prospect. On the mound, he points to Jacob Mizorowski as a pitcher with all-star-level stuff and big strikeout ability. He compares the comp list too, saying Tyler Glass now makes more sense than Paul Skeens for Mizorowski. He also has fun with names and collector appeal. Justins Jostinsen-Garcia gets the playful "The Password" treatment, along with a nod to his loud contact bat and highlight-swing profile. The show keeps returning to the same practical question: which rookies can become hobby favorites without asking collectors to overspend? That question ties the whole ranking together. By the end, the list reads like a scouting board for budget-minded collectors who want a few safer anchors and a few lottery tickets.

As heard by us

A brisk rookie card countdown that favors budget sense over glossy hype.

David Gunness frames the 2026 rookie-card chase as a budget minded map, lining up 26 names to watch without pretending every pick has to be a splashy one. The writeup stays practical.

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Why you'd press play

A 26-player rookie-card watchlist for collectors trying not to torch their budget.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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