Chiong of Blackjadedwolf joins ‘The Chase’

By David Yarger

Co-Host “The Chase”

Happy Monday ladies and gents, hope you all had an amazing weekend. We kicked off Monday with another episode of “The Chase” and it was a loaded episode. We had a ton of new release info to get to, some around the hobby topics and of course our guest for the day, Sharon Chiong of BlackJadedWolf, who talked about her journey through the hobby. 

Chiong has been in the hobby for 20+ years as a sports card investor and is also a PSA and SGC dealer. She talked to us about some hot topics in the hobby and even gave some prospective hobbyists some advice to use moving forward. 

She said her love of the hobby really began from her interest in sports at a young age. 

“I love what I do. I love meeting new people, but I love sports. I enjoy watching them. Sunday is like the best day watching football,” she said. “Going home from school, I saw there’s packs in the corner store in New York. … They used to have them in corner stores, delis and stuff and I started opening them and then next thing you know I’m addicted to opening wax.”

After accumulating a ton of cards, Chiong said she Googled the cards, found a store and a few shows in the area and the rest was history. 

Of her name “Blackjadedwolf,” she said there wasn’t a big fancy story to it, but one day she did a random Google generator that asked her favorite color, stone and animal, and that’s how Blackjadedwolf came about. Originally it was just an email, but eventually the name stuck. 

Speaking of cards being in corner stores back in the past, Chiong added she thinks as the hobby moves forward, there will be more places where you can purchase cards such as in stadiums, sporting events, shoe stores, etc.

Recently, Chiong sat on the Women of the Hobby panel at the Industry Summit in Las Vegas, an experience she said she enjoyed. 

“Very humbled, obviously,” she said. “Not a lot of females are in the forefront, but I also want to thank the people that are not getting the attention that have been here before, that have been doing this longer than I have. I want to thank them for that, for opening the gate. The past 20 years there haven’t been a lot (of women in the forefront).”

She added that there are a lot of women in the hobby that aren’t seen as much, but women joining the hobby continues to grow. 

As far as inclusivity, Chiong admitted the hobby is currently majorly white older males, but as time goes on, new blood continues to enter the hobby and becoming a little more diverse. 

“It’s starting to spread. I see more females, I see more minorities and I hope we start to grow and have more business, not just joining the hobby, but build our own business, because I think it’s sustainable. It’s not easy, everyone can make money. But I hope that some of us could actually build something and make a living out of this,” she said. 

Chiong added over the next few years she can see the hobby becoming more diverse. 

She added, she enjoys doing interviews and being seen in the hobby so other females and minorities can witness Chiong participating in the hobby and know that they can too. 

“It’s just to emulate for the younger generation. I get interviewed and some kids, young and female, are taking pictures and asking me questions, and I’m always open to that. If anybody wants to ask me a question, I’ll take my time all the time for that. I hope people take advantage and see we’re out there and hopefully that’s all I could ask for,” she said. 

As far as becoming a new hobbyist or just learning about cards, Chiong recommended you do your research on what you want before you buy it. 

“It’s not just $10 to $20. Some kids are putting thousands of dollars into this. So when you buy something do your research, study, buy carefully or go out and ask some people that you know you can trust and find apps! I know some dealers don’t like, but use the tools that are available for you. Do your research and invest properly, but in the end, you need to love the hobby and it is a hobby still. I know it has a lot of money involved now. But I’m always telling people to love the hobby and know what you’re investing in,” she said. 

To see the full interview, click here. Additionally, follow Chiong on Instagram and check out her website.

Also on “The Chase” …

Today the crew ripped 2022 Certified Football and got to witness some new rookies from the draft class. The hits included patches of Detroit Lions No. 2 pick Aidan Hutchinson, as well as Bills running back James Cook, and the big hit was the Freshman Fabric signature of Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White. 

To win these cards and more, comment on the YouTube video who you believe will win the Defensive Player of the Year Award in the NFL. 

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