Catalyst Calendar — SlabAnalyst

Sep

7

2026

Football

NFL Season Kickoff — Year 2 QBs

Cards to Watch

Caleb Williams '24 Prizm RC PSA 10$210

Drake Maye '24 Prizm RC PSA 10$195

Jayden Daniels '24 Prizm RC PSA 10$245

+28%

Avg price movement for Year 2 QBs who win their first 3 starts, based on Mahomes ('18), Burrow ('21), and Allen ('19) data.

SlabAnalyst Take

Williams at $210 is the most asymmetric setup in football cards right now. He's priced like a bust — a strong opening month rewrites the narrative fast. Buy before Week 1, not after.

Sep

30

2026

Baseball

MLB Wild Card & Playoff Race

Cards to Watch

Gunnar Henderson '23 Prizm RC PSA 10$225

Elly De La Cruz '23 RC PSA 10$148

Paul Skenes '24 Chrome RC PSA 10$185

Sep 15

The real buy window. Playoff contenders' star cards start moving mid-September as media attention builds — 2 weeks before the market fully prices it in.

SlabAnalyst Take

Don't chase during the postseason — prices spike and retrace hard. Identify your playoff team conviction bets now and act before the field does. Henderson in a deep BAL run is the cleanest setup.

Oct

21

2026

Basketball

NBA Season Tip-Off

Cards to Watch

Cooper Flagg '25 Prizm RC PSA 10$320

Wembanyama '24 Prizm RC PSA 10$590

Brunson '18 Silver Prizm RC PSA 10$420

+11%

Avg "media attention" price bump for star cards in the 14 days surrounding tip-off, as preview coverage drives hobby discourse.

SlabAnalyst Take

Brunson's tip-off bump is likely already priced in post-championship. Flagg is the real play — if he comes out of Year 2 hot, $320 looks like the floor of this card, not the ceiling.

Oct

24

2026

Baseball

MLB World Series

Cards to Watch

World Series MVP — key RCvaries

Series hero performances+during run

+67%

World Series MVP's key rookie card averages +67% in the 7 days post-clinch. Hot performers can temporarily 2–3x during a deep run.

SlabAnalyst Take

Classic buy-the-rumor situation. The spike happens fast and retraces faster. The disciplined move is locking in your target player in mid-September. Series buyers almost always overpay.

Nov

12

2026

Baseball

NL/AL Cy Young Announcement

Cards to Watch

Paul Skenes '24 Topps Chrome RC PSA 10$185

+31%

First-time Cy Young winners average +31% in the 60 days post-announcement. Starting pitcher cards historically lag their performance — there's structural upside here.

SlabAnalyst Take

This is the clearest buy-before-catalyst setup in the hobby right now. Skenes at $185 is pricing in doubt, not dominance. A Cy Young win is a repricing event. If he doesn't win this year, he will.

Nov

14

2026

Baseball

NL/AL MVP Announcement

Cards to Watch

Gunnar Henderson '23 Prizm RC PSA 10$225

Soto '19 Prizm RC PSA 10$365

Judge '13 Chrome RC Auto BGS 9.5$1,290

+22%

AL MVP winner's key RC averages +22% in 30 days post-announcement. Non-winners typically dip 5–8% from their pre-vote highs.

SlabAnalyst Take

Henderson is the most interesting play — MVP-caliber for two seasons, never won it, cards still priced below his production tier. A win is a re-rating event, not just a bump. Highest upside of the three.

Dec

12

2026

Football

Heisman Trophy Ceremony

Cards to Watch

2026 Heisman contenders — college cardsTBD

Panini Prizm Draft Picks — winnerTBD

+44%

Heisman winner's Panini Draft Picks RC averages +44% in the week post-ceremony. Runner-up cards typically dip 15–20% as premium collapses.

SlabAnalyst Take

Watch October CFB standings. By November you'll have 2–3 clear Heisman favorites. Buy the top 1–2 contenders' Draft Picks cards before the ceremony — the premium window is narrow and closes fast post-announcement.

Jan

21

2027

Baseball

Baseball Hall of Fame Announcement

Cards to Watch

2027 first-ballot candidates — key RCsvaries

Returning ballot players near 75%varies

+45%

First-ballot inductees average +45% in 30 days post-announcement. Surprise inclusions show the biggest moves — the market doesn't fully price first-ballot locks until they actually get in.

SlabAnalyst Take

Research 2027 eligibility now — players whose last season was 2021. Near-certain first-ballot candidates whose key cards are still reasonably priced in Oct–Dec are high-conviction setups. The HOF premium is real and sticky.

Feb

15

2027

Basketball

NBA All-Star Selections

Cards to Watch

First-time All-Stars — key RCsvaries

Year 2–4 bubble selectionsvaries

+18%

First All-Star selection creates a "legitimacy moment" — the market prices the narrative shift quickly, averaging +18% in the 7 days following announcement.

SlabAnalyst Take

Study rosters in January for players in their 2nd–4th seasons posting All-Star numbers but not yet selected. Getting ahead of their first selection is where the real return is — the announcement window is short.

Feb

8

2027

Football

Super Bowl LXI

Cards to Watch

Mahomes '17 Prizm RC PSA 10$810

Lamar Jackson '18 Prizm RC PSA 10$640

Participating QB — key RCvaries

+38%

Super Bowl winning QB's cards average +38% from game-day to Monday morning. Losing QB dips -12%. Cards peak during game — most post-game buyers overpay.

SlabAnalyst Take

The play is conviction-buying the likely QB matchup in January, 3–4 weeks before the game. Game-day and post-game buyers are buying at the ceiling. Know your exit — Super Bowl premiums retrace significantly within 30 days.