Collector Erik Myer’s hobby redemption story worth the wait

Anyone who knows me knows I love redemption stories.

I generally root for people. My job in education has me working with kids with various difficulties and helping them as best I can. I go to work each day knowing I will make an impact on young lives. 

I've had some guests on my podcast that would fit the description of redemption. Recent guest Erik Myers definitely fits that bill as well.

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Erik grew up in Texas and he and his dad were Texas Rangers fans. Sports was his passion and he's a self-professed “stat nerd” so collecting cards was a natural progression.

His love for sports translated to him becoming a decent athlete in his own right. However, his demons got the best of him and he started to abuse various substances and wound up losing everything, including the roof over his head. At one point he was homeless and living under a bridge in Dallas, trying to survive but unsure if he would.

Thankfully he did. He's been clean for 19 years.

A few months after getting clean he joined the military. At the end of his military career he was unsure which direction he wanted to go but he knew he wanted to do something he was passionate about so work wouldn't feel like work. He used a $15,000 military bonus to start a sports card business and started to deal with the two sports he loves most—baseball and football.

Myers, who goes by haole_hustle on Instagram, likes collecting everything but has an affinity for the ink side of the hobby. He owns and has owned numerous certified Babe Ruth autographs.

He's been blessed to work for a few hobby entities and travel the world. He loves traveling to Asia but cites the Philippines as his favorite country outside the United States.

I asked Erik with all the cards and collectibles he has sold over the years, is there anything he wishes he still had? He mentioned two cards—a PSA-9 grade 1939 Play Ball Ted Williams rookie that he searched 14 years for, and a PSA 7 1948 Leaf Satchel Paige—but he tries not to get attached to things too much. Through his experiences he knows all too well that things can change fast.

Erik loves how the hobby has grown, especially overseas with the expansion of card shows to other continents. He loves card shows for the obvious reasons but also because there's no politics, no one is Republican or Democrat, we're just collectors sharing similar passions.

I was impressed with how forthright Erik was sharing the highs and his lows of his life and journey. That's not easy to do. He sees every day as a blessing and personifies perseverance. He volunteers at outreach programs and also does social work. He shares his story, trying to help those in a low place like he was years ago.

Myers recently posted this photo with a special message about his journey.

The message read: “Life is so short and when I look at all the blessings that have been given to me it makes me appreciate this journey so much more. Your life is God's gift to you. What you do with it, is your gift to God!”

Erik is proof that you can hit rock bottom, survive and eventually thrive. He's working on writing a book about his experiences and tribulations as well.

Catch his appearance on Sports Card Nation podcast episodes 347 and 348.