When the modern sports card boom hit, most collectors chased standard milestones: rookie cards, 1/1s, or jersey-numbered parallels. But for Dallas, Texan’s Bryan (@Bryan_Collects on Instagram and X), a random pack pull ignited a completely different chase, one perfectly suited for the 4th of July.
Instead of chasing jersey numbers, Bryan hunts for American history. Specifically, cards serial-numbered exactly 17/76.
Between Topps Flagship Independence Day parallels and Topps Chrome Olympic US Flag parallels, his collection has grown to over 250 individual cards, featuring some of the biggest names in sports. We sat down with Bryan to talk about how a random James Paxton card sparked the ultimate patriotic PC, buying out his biggest rival, and the massive premium he paid to secure a coveted Paul Skenes rookie.
Here is our conversation.
Every collector has an origin story. How did you first get into the hobby, and what exactly sparked this highly specific 17/76 chase?
Bryan: I started collecting originally from 2000 to 2003, right when I was around 12 to 15 years old. My dad would take me to the card shop after my baseball games and practices. My first ever “big hit” back then was a 2001 Topps King of Kings Mark McGwire bat relic. I actually traded it in for $400 in store credit to the shop. Looking back, I think it sells for like $20 now, but I still kind of wish I had it!
I ended up getting back into the hobby in late 2019, right ahead of the pandemic, after going through some of my old boxes. Then, of course, the hobby just exploded. The 17/76 chase started when I pulled a 2021 Topps Independence Day James Paxton numbered exactly 17/76. Once I saw that serial number, something just clicked. I’ve always considered myself pretty patriotic, and I knew instantly that this was going to be what I pursued as my main PC going forward.
Looking at the photos of your collection laid out on the table, it’s massive. How big is the 17/76 collection now, and how difficult is it to track these down?
Bryan: Between the Topps Flagship Independence Day parallels and the Topps Chrome Olympics US Flag parallels, I have over 250 individual cards. I tend to focus mostly on stars and rookie cards now.
It can get highly competitive. Actually, there was another guy on Reddit named Dylan who collected 17/76s as well, and I’d really like to acknowledge him. I ended up purchasing the majority of his main, bigger-name collection. Once people saw the two of us collecting them and competing, we started getting bid up to like $25 on guys like Connor Joe for a 3rd-year card! Buying him out definitely helped the market.
You have some absolute monsters in this collection. What’s the most you’ve ever spent to secure a 17/76, and what are your absolute favorites?
Bryan: The most I’ve spent is $3,000 on the Paul Skenes true rookie in a PSA 10. It was probably too much, but I just didn’t want the guy to stick it on eBay and risk losing it.
My favorites are definitely that Skenes, and also a Michael Phelps on-card auto. I bought the Phelps raw for $1,100, sent it off to be graded with SGC, and it came back a pristine 10/10.
Speaking of grading, I notice a lot of SGC slabs in your collection alongside the PSAs. Do you have a preference when grading this specific PC?
Bryan: I prefer grading with SGC specifically because they put the serial number on the front of the label. I actually tried many times to contact PSA to see if I could grade the collection as a whole at full price if they would put the serial number on the front of the slab, but I couldn’t get a response. So, SGC is great for highlighting the specific number.
Every collector has their “white whales.” What are the dream 17/76 cards you are still hunting for? And outside of the 17/76 project, what else drives your passion as a collector?
Bryan: My absolute dream 17/76 cards right now are the Bobby Witt Jr. RC, Shohei Ohtani RC, and Nick Kurtz RC.
When I’m not hunting those, I prospect a lot of Bowman—Eduardo Quintero is my main guy there, and I’ve got over 150 of his 1st autos and parallels.
But outside of modern cards, a massive passion of mine is collecting playing-era Negro League memorabilia, alongside autographs of Negro League Hall of Famers and ambassadors. Major League Baseball has finally begun officially integrating Negro League statistics and rightly recognizing these legendary players, but I still think there is a massive gap in the actual card-collecting hobby when it comes to honoring them. Preserving that specific era of American baseball history through autographs and physical memorabilia means a ton to me.
Do you have any patriotic cards in your collection? Let us know on Mantel.
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