The Flip Files: Prospect Ink, Mini GOATs & a Trip Back to the MVP Promo Well

Four flips. $150 profit. Not every win is loud, but each one tells a story—about timing, attention, and knowing when to make a move.

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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.

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Back to the Flip Files we go, so I can show/remind you what I’m searching for, what I’m buying, and how it all works out. Because flipping isn’t a one-off game—it’s a pattern of small wins, occasional paydays, and always something to learn.

This week’s early batch comes from a mix of instinct, experience, and just staying active. I wasn’t hunting for this top pitching prospect until the data convinced me to. I wasn’t planning to grab another MVP promo card, but there it was yet again. And I definitely didn’t expect to learn about a GOAT’s card I’d never seen before.

But that’s what happens when you’re in the mix every day—refreshing listings, scanning for comps, and catching the stuff others overlook (or undervalue).

So, four flips, just over $150 in profit. All different types of cards, all different reasons for buying, but every one of them had a moment that made it obvious: this is worth grabbing.

1. Jonah Tong: Buying the Buzz

I don’t always dip into prospects, you know this. BUT, I’ll follow the scent and pounce when it makes sense. That is, when I put out the hot card reports, I’ll typically give a courtesy check for most players.

Jonah Tong has been trending all year it feels, and I didn’t buy anything of his the first few times I mentioned him.

But then came the tipping point where the trend kicked it into overdrive.

On 6/7 his base chrome autos surpassed $60, so when I saw a much rarer Yellow auto /75 for around $200 on CollX, it felt worth taking a shot. Beyond the gut, comps made me feel good, too—there was a $275 sale just before on 6/5.

So if base autos jumped from $48 to $65 in just a couple of days, and a Yellow /75 had just sold for $275 before this latest surge, seeing one for $190 felt like a window.

The question becomes, will the value hold long enough for me to buy the card, get it shipped to me, and listed on eBay?

At that point, I simply “liked” the card on CollX, but then I quickly received an offer from the seller for a little bit of a discount.

That was the green light.

I grabbed this one for under $195 shipped, listed it, and got a couple of offers… but it wasn’t enough. Remember, even getting an offer for $50 more than what you paid might not be worth it when you purchased for $195 and the eBay fee is 13%.

Luckily, Tong goes out yesterday and strikes out 11 over 7.2 innings, which certainly helped the cause. Even better, another copy of the same card was at auction and ending around the same time, ultimately the most recent comp up to a $400 sale.

Shortly after that auction ended I received a $365 offer, and took it without hesitation (the card had some condition issues, and I wasn’t in the mood to negotiate over corners).

• Buy: $194.39 (CollX, 6/7/2025)

• Sell: $305.69 (eBay, 6/22/2025)

• Profit: $111.30

Next up…