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New ‘Hobby Hustle’ documentary ranks as hobby’s best film
Michael Dault is an author, filmmaker and journalist. He started his own production company, “Tiptoe Productions,” in 2006.
Michael Dault is also a hobbyist who is very familiar with the various terrains of the hobby—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Dault decided to do a full-feature documentary called “Hobby Hustle.” I was privileged to be able to screen the film. It's not the first hobby film, but in my opinion, it's the best one thus far.
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It clocks in at around 150 minutes but it's put together so well it doesn't feel that long.
What I enjoyed most was that it covered so many angles and aspects of this great hobby but avoided the easy pratfall of becoming a fluff film. It's a cautionary tale while informing viewers of some of the warts of the hobby.
One story line focused on the FBI operation “Stolen Base,” which ended one of the hobby’s largest forgery rings, estimated at a $2.5 million intake headed by former ballplayer Cliff Panezich and his group of associates, including his own mother Rose. Panezich wound up serving five years in prison.
The film, which debuted on Apple TV and Amazon on Feb. 16, also highlights the human element of the hobby that some other films failed to capture. It also features the great story of the “Black Swamp” find of 2012 and how those vintage Cracker Jack cards almost became landfill fodder but instead became one of the hobby’s greatest vintage finds in its long and storied history.
The documentary has numerous story lines: the business of the hobby; card shops; the rise of breaking; the Covid effect; and the fact that no matter how old you are or your gender you can enjoy the hobby in many different ways. He does a great job showing how you can participate in the hobby for financial gain, or not.
Dault was my guest on episodes 323 and 324 of Sports Card Nation. He discussed how his prior ventures allowed him to self-fund the production of the film.
I personally am glad that when it came to the forgery ring, he made a point to Illustrate the law enforcement side as well.
Dault’s journalistic expertise shines through in this film. He covered a strong percentage of what the hobby has to offer—great, and not so great. He also told me some of what he shot never made it into the film.
Might we see another film with that?
— John Newman is a collector, dealer and the host of the Sports Card Nation podcast. Catch his Hobby Quick Hits on Monday and his guest interviews on Friday on your favorite podcast platform. You can reach him at sportscardnationpc@gmail.com or on Twitter at @sportscardnati1
John Newman is the host of the Sports Card Nation podcast
