Chances are, if you grew up a sports fan, there’s a much younger version of you who opened a pack of cards for the first time.
For some, the hobby ends there. For others, collecting cards becomes a meaningful pastime, bridging the gap between their fandom and the teams and players they grew up rooting for.
For the dealers at Fanatics Fest last weekend, the trading card industry became their life.
Sports cards are one sector of the sports memorabilia industry, which is projected to grow from an estimated $33 billion this year to $271.2 billion by 2034, according to a report from Market Decipher.
Interest in sports cards skyrocketed during the pandemic — search interest in the term increased by more than 200% from April 2020 to March 2021, according to Google Trends.
At last weekend’s Fanatics Fest, over 125,000 people streamed through the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center’s doors over the event’s three days of operation, including a sellout on Saturday. Collectors filled the main floor, which was lined with card shops from around the U.S. and Canada. Fans lined up for autographs. Major sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, FIFA, and UFC, hosted activations.
All of this provided a space where dealers could meet collectors and fans, but could feel overwhelming for those new to collecting cards. Here’s what we learned by asking some local card shops about the current state of the hobby and where it’s headed.
A generational tradition
Many collectors were either grandfathered into the hobby or started at a young age, then later moved to buying and selling and opening card shops.
“I’ve been into it since I was a kid,” Chris Zinser, the owner of The Hot Corner in Brooklyn, told amNewYork on Friday during the first day of Fanatics Fest. “My grandpa, passing down cards to me and stuff like that. Started buying and selling on eBay, learning the markets, and now it’s my life.”
“I was born into the hobby,” said Jessie Harrison of the E and J Boutique in Brooklyn. “It’s not something new for me. My husband and I opened up our first shop 10 years ago, and ever since then, it’s just been a big hit.”
Tom Brady, who in May opened a CardVault by Tom Brady location in East Hampton, said that he collected everything growing up. Over time, he developed an affection for cards. During Friday’s “Ready, Set Collect” panel with Emma Roberts and Logan Paul, Brady said that he frequented What’s On Second Sports Cards in his hometown of San Mateo, CA.
“Every time that I got a good grade in school, which wasn’t very often, I didn’t do great in school. I was more focused on P.E., my mom would take me to What’s On Second Sports Cards, which is actually still in San Mateo,” Brady said.
Brady said he had thousands of his own cards. The takeaway: Tom Brady is the biggest Tom Brady collector.
The Fanatics Fest experience
Each dealer we spoke to agreed that the best part about Fanatics Fest was meeting collectors of all ages and interests.
“It’s been very cool to meet people of all backgrounds, of different preferences, sports, Pokemon, the whole mix,” said Samantha Herrera of New York City’s Bleecker Trading. “All the athletes that have showed up, the turnout from all over the country just to be here today.”
“It’s even bigger than I thought it would be for a Friday,” Zinser said. “I mean, it is packed. I’m seeing people, we have customers online to everybody’s coming. It’s a little overwhelming. There’s just everything going on. It’s one of the biggest events we’ve ever been in.”
“I break on Fanatics Live every single day, so meeting the people that support our streams day in and day out, awesome,” said James Ladalia of 528 Collectibles on Long Island. “I wouldn’t trade this in for the world.”
Troy Licastro, a digital content creator at Dave and Adam’s Card World — which recently opened a location in New York City — said that the floor felt crazier than last year’s event. He still found space to capture the little moments.
“We were able to give some kids their first cards,” Licastro said. “Being able to capture that moment of their reaction to getting their first card, that was it for me. That was what it was all about. I feel accomplished now in what we were trying to set out to do. It’s great when you get to connect.”
“It feels like we’re in this totally different space than we’ve ever been in before as an industry,” said Chris Costa of CardVault by Tom Brady. “It used to be this small, little corner of collectors in the world, and our hobby was such a tight-knit community. Now, it really feels like the world has taken notice.”
Costa attributed much of the hobby’s growth to the professional athletes getting involved in the industry. Brady, for example, is very public-facing.
“Tom is an iconic athlete, an iconic celebrity,” Costa said. “He’s a household name across the world, and with that, you would expect some sort of distance from the public. Tom is quite the opposite.
“Once he starts to really fall in love with something, he leans in. That’s what we’re seeing now with CardVault by Tom Brady and the hobby, Tom is fully leaning in. So Tom as a celebrity, Tom an athlete, Tom as an icon. He’s all of those things and well deserved, but he’s so unique in his ability to turn on and to engage with fans and engage with collectors and make himself available to the world in a way that really nobody of his stature ever has.”
A tip for new collectors: Buy what you like
Fanatics Fest, like any card show, can be a lot for those new to the hobby. It’s easy to get swept up in the hype: Graded Victor Wembanyama rookie cards, one-of-ones, patch autographs. The dealers we interviewed for this piece all urge new collectors: Collect what you like. Don’t run rampant, ripping open hobby boxes.
“If you like the Yankees, buy Yankee autographs,” Zinser said. “Collect that stuff, not necessarily the sealed boxes, although it’s fun. Buy what you can, buy what you like. Stay set at your price ranges.”
“You’ve got to know what you’re collecting, and don’t overpay,” Harrison said. “Stick with one thing. So if you like the Mets, stick to the Mets. Don’t go up and buy everything you see. Start small.”
What’s the future of the hobby?
There are two ways to look at this question. The consensus among the dealers is that the trading card industry will only continue to grow. Long term, the sports card boom is contingent on younger collectors getting into the hobby. That’s where Fanatics Fest comes in.
“They’ve added the numbered parallels and all the other uniqueness to the hobby,” Herrera said. “I think it’s only going to continue to increase and improve the fan base as a whole.”
“The amount of kids here and walking around with high-dollar valued cards is crazy,” John Ladalia of 528 Collectibles said. “But it’s good to see. I have four boys at home. I got them collecting wrestling with me, so I like it. It’s going in a good direction.
“This is the future of the hobby right here,” James Ladalia said. “All these kids, the thousands of them here, they are the future. So I love seeing the kids who collect that come to our table, even doing trade-ups. It’s awesome to see.”
“It’s something that it’s no longer niche,” Licastro said. “I think you’re starting to get a lot of people, you’re not afraid to tell people that you collect cards, like, it’s cool to collect cards.”
