Nostalgia collecting has a price tag now, and you didn't put it there. You gave away the toys, tossed the hockey cards, donated the comics, thinking none of it mattered. Then eBay showed up and strangers started pricing your childhood for you. Every garage sale you walk into now has someone convinced their old junk is worth a fortune, and you're starting to think they might be right.

eBay's founder wanted to call it Echo Bay, but a mining company already owned the URL, so he shortened it. Beanie Babies turned it into a phenomenon. The early version ran entirely on good faith: no photos, just text listings and postal money orders mailed to strangers you'd never meet. But once people realized old things had real dollar values attached, clearing out the basement became an investment strategy.

The eighties got squeezed dry. Every hockey card, action figure, and lunchbox now has a market rate, and Ed Conroy traces exactly when that shift started. Once you hear his argument, the next garage sale you walk into will feel completely different.

Topics: nostalgia collecting, eBay history, toonie 1996, Canadian currency, commodification of nostalgia

GUEST: Ed Conroy | http://retrontario.com | @‌retrontario

Originally aired on 2026-02-19

Nostalgia collecting has a price tag now, and you didn't put it there. You gave away the toys, tossed the hockey cards, donated the comics, thinking none of it mattered. Then eBay showed up and strangers started pricing your childhood for you. Every garage sale you walk into now has someone convinced their old junk is worth a fortune, and you're starting to think they might be right.
eBay's founder wanted to call it Echo Bay, but a mining company already owned the URL, so he shortened it. Beanie Babies turned it into a phenomenon. The early version ran entirely on good faith: no photos, just text listings and postal money orders mailed to strangers you'd never meet. But once people realized old things had real dollar values attached, clearing out the basement became an investment strategy.
The eighties got squeezed dry. Every hockey card, action figure, and lunchbox now has a market rate, and Ed Conroy traces exactly when that shift started. Once you hear his argument, the next garage sale you walk into will feel completely different.
Topics: nostalgia collecting, eBay history, toonie 1996, Canadian currency, commodification of nostalgia
GUEST: Ed Conroy |<a href="http://retrontario.com"> http://retrontario.com</a> | @&zwnj;retrontario
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-02-19

Shane Hewitt & The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world—always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.

From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane’s signature style—thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.

If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt &amp; The Nightshift is your late-night companion for real talk, bold ideas, and unfiltered conversations that matter. Hosted by Canadian radio veteran Shane Hewitt, each episode dives into the headlines, human stories, and hidden truths shaping our world&mdash;always with curiosity, compassion, and a sharp edge.
From politics and pop culture to mental health, technology, and everyday life, this podcast is where night owls, deep thinkers, and curious minds come to connect. Featuring expert guests, passionate callers, and Shane&rsquo;s signature style&mdash;thoughtful, fearless, and refreshingly real.
If you crave meaningful dialogue, smart perspectives, and late-night radio energy in podcast form, subscribe now and join The Nightshift.

Shane Hewitt and The Nightshift

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Shane Hewitt is known for his engaging and relatable on-air personality, which captivates listeners. His ability to blend insightful commentary with humour and empathy creates a genuine connection with listeners.  Shane Hewitt and the Night Shift provides relatable content, informative discussions and expert insights – along with a balance of anecdotes and entertainment.

Throwback Thursday: How 1996 Put a Price Tag on Your Childhood

The US military buildup aimed at Iran is the largest in over 20 years, and the strangest thing about it might be how little noise it's making. You'd expect a deployment of this scale to dominate the conversation, but there's been almost no public debate about what the end game is, whether this is a pressure campaign, a prelude to strikes, or something that fizzles the way last year's strikes did without igniting anything larger. The silence around it is its own kind of signal.

Rob Breakenridge puts the week's central contradiction plainly: Trump sat in front of his Board of Peace, visibly disengaged at points, while the largest US military deployment in two decades was assembling nearby. He's made noise about deserving a Nobel Peace Prize. He also has warships in position. China has reportedly been feeding Iran intelligence while Trump works toward a Beijing visit in April and softer relations with Russia, which makes the posture toward Iran read differently depending on which part of the picture you're looking at.

Canada's week had its own strange geometry. A Conservative MP who explicitly said he wasn't crossing the floor crossed the floor months later to join the Liberals as a paid advisor. Rob also breaks down what Alberta's premier is likely to blame for a difficult budget, and it's a familiar playbook with a new target.

Topics: US military buildup Iran, Trump Middle East conflict 2026, floor crossing Canada, Alberta budget, China Iran intelligence

GUEST: Rob Breakenridge | robbreakenridge.ca

Originally aired on 2026-02-19

The US military buildup aimed at Iran is the largest in over 20 years, and the strangest thing about it might be how little noise it's making. You'd expect a deployment of this scale to dominate the conversation, but there's been almost no public debate about what the end game is, whether this is a pressure campaign, a prelude to strikes, or something that fizzles the way last year's strikes did without igniting anything larger. The silence around it is its own kind of signal.
Rob Breakenridge puts the week's central contradiction plainly: Trump sat in front of his Board of Peace, visibly disengaged at points, while the largest US military deployment in two decades was assembling nearby. He's made noise about deserving a Nobel Peace Prize. He also has warships in position. China has reportedly been feeding Iran intelligence while Trump works toward a Beijing visit in April and softer relations with Russia, which makes the posture toward Iran read differently depending on which part of the picture you're looking at.
Canada's week had its own strange geometry. A Conservative MP who explicitly said he wasn't crossing the floor crossed the floor months later to join the Liberals as a paid advisor. Rob also breaks down what Alberta's premier is likely to blame for a difficult budget, and it's a familiar playbook with a new target.
Topics:&nbsp;US military buildup Iran, Trump Middle East conflict 2026, floor crossing Canada, Alberta budget, China Iran intelligence
GUEST: Rob Breakenridge | robbreakenridge.ca
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-02-19

NEW - Peace Prize Speeches and Warships in the Middle East at the Same Time

Manual transmission cars are still out there and they solve a problem you didn't know you had. You can't steal one if you don't know how to drive it, and you can't look at your phone while you're driving it. Both of those things turn out to be features, not limitations, and the list of new cars still offering a stick shift is longer than you think.

Brian Makse spent the last few days driving a Mazda MX-5 manual on California roads and says there was no moment to even consider picking up his phone. Cadillac makes a luxury sedan with 640 horsepower and a manual gearbox. The Porsche Boxster and Cayman were headed for permanent retirement as EVs until that plan was scrapped and both are now coming back. BMW, Honda, Ford, Jeep, Volkswagen and Acura all still offer manuals. Audi doesn't anymore, and the BMW Z4 manual is about to end production.

The Save the Manuals merch line is the top seller on Brian's store, and his YouTube audience skews younger. The people buying manuals right now aren't the ones you'd expect, and some of them are brand new drivers whose parents figured out the phone problem before the car companies did.

Topics: manual transmission cars 2025, save the manuals, stick shift anti-theft, distracted driving solution, Porsche Boxster Cayman return

GUEST: Brian Makse | makse.com

Originally aired on 2026-02-19

Manual transmission cars are still out there and they solve a problem you didn't know you had. You can't steal one if you don't know how to drive it, and you can't look at your phone while you're driving it. Both of those things turn out to be features, not limitations, and the list of new cars still offering a stick shift is longer than you think.
Brian Makse spent the last few days driving a Mazda MX-5 manual on California roads and says there was no moment to even consider picking up his phone. Cadillac makes a luxury sedan with 640 horsepower and a manual gearbox. The Porsche Boxster and Cayman were headed for permanent retirement as EVs until that plan was scrapped and both are now coming back. BMW, Honda, Ford, Jeep, Volkswagen and Acura all still offer manuals. Audi doesn't anymore, and the BMW Z4 manual is about to end production.
The Save the Manuals merch line is the top seller on Brian's store, and his YouTube audience skews younger. The people buying manuals right now aren't the ones you'd expect, and some of them are brand new drivers whose parents figured out the phone problem before the car companies did.
Topics: manual transmission cars 2025, save the manuals, stick shift anti-theft, distracted driving solution, Porsche Boxster Cayman return
GUEST: Brian Makse |<a href="http://makse.com"> makse.com</a>
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-02-19

Shiftheads - The Cheapest Anti-Theft Device on the Market: The Clutch Pedal

Coin collecting in Canada has a secret hiding inside every Coinstar machine at every Walmart in the country. You dump your change in, the machine rejects certain coins because of their weight and calibration, and you pocket them as useless and walk away. Those rejected coins are old silver quarters and they're worth eight to ten dollars each. The machine knew. You didn't. And Michael Findlay, president of the Canadian Association of Numismatic Dealers, has been watching this happen for years.

The internet gave everyone access to coin pricing and a sense that they already know what things are worth, but knowledge and recognition aren't the same thing. The Royal Canadian Mint has issued decades of commemorative colored coins that people buy thinking they're collecting something valuable, and most of it will never be worth much. Meanwhile, Canadian pennies issued between 1922 and 1926 are genuinely expensive and getting harder to find, and the coins most people consider ordinary change are quietly becoming the ones worth chasing. Michael has been in this business since he was six years old, following his coin dealer father to shows, and the gap between what people think they know and what they actually notice hasn't closed as much as the internet would suggest.

Before you dump the piggy bank into a machine, it's worth a few minutes with someone who grew up knowing what to look for. Some of what's in there is worth exactly face value. Some of it is worth considerably more, and the machine will helpfully tell you which is which by handing it back to you.

Topics: coin collecting Canada, numismatic dealers, Coinstar silver coins, Royal Canadian Mint commemorative, rare Canadian pennies

GUEST: Michael Findlay | Canadian Association of Numismatic Dealers

Originally aired on 2026-02-19

Coin collecting in Canada has a secret hiding inside every Coinstar machine at every Walmart in the country. You dump your change in, the machine rejects certain coins because of their weight and calibration, and you pocket them as useless and walk away. Those rejected coins are old silver quarters and they're worth eight to ten dollars each. The machine knew. You didn't. And Michael Findlay, president of the Canadian Association of Numismatic Dealers, has been watching this happen for years.
The internet gave everyone access to coin pricing and a sense that they already know what things are worth, but knowledge and recognition aren't the same thing. The Royal Canadian Mint has issued decades of commemorative colored coins that people buy thinking they're collecting something valuable, and most of it will never be worth much. Meanwhile, Canadian pennies issued between 1922 and 1926 are genuinely expensive and getting harder to find, and the coins most people consider ordinary change are quietly becoming the ones worth chasing. Michael has been in this business since he was six years old, following his coin dealer father to shows, and the gap between what people think they know and what they actually notice hasn't closed as much as the internet would suggest.
Before you dump the piggy bank into a machine, it's worth a few minutes with someone who grew up knowing what to look for. Some of what's in there is worth exactly face value. Some of it is worth considerably more, and the machine will helpfully tell you which is which by handing it back to you.
Topics:&nbsp;coin collecting Canada, numismatic dealers, Coinstar silver coins, Royal Canadian Mint commemorative, rare Canadian pennies
GUEST:&nbsp;Michael Findlay | Canadian Association of Numismatic Dealers
Originally aired on&nbsp;2026-02-19

Throwback Thursday: How 1996 Put a Price Tag on Your Childhood

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