From childhood hobby to a lifelong devotion, collecting sports memorabilia is more than just a pastime – it’s a way of life. Whether fueled by a passion for a specific sport or a desire to relive unforgettable moments with beloved teams and players, collectors pour their hearts, souls, and wallets into their collections. With tireless dedication, they rummage the internet, scour local stores, and attend trade shows in search of that one precious piece to make their collection complete.
Sports cards are the hottest trend right now. Every athlete, whether they played two seconds on an NBA court or twenty years in MLB, has at least one sports trading card. Their card value depends on who they are and how well they played.
Collecting sports trading cards is “like magic in your hands,” said Ted Mann, co-founder and CEO of Collx, an app that allows anyone to snap a pic of any card and instantly get the current market price.
Mann and his team have done in-depth research and found that over eighty-five million adults in America own some kind of trading card and that number is only going to rise. In fact, Neumann University’s own sport management professor, Dr. Caleb Mezzy, uses this app when he acquires a new addition to his sports card collection and is even an advisor working alongside his good friend, Mann, at Collx.
A common trend that explains why many adults such as Mezzy, Mann, and even Neumann University’s Health Science professor, Hubert Lee, have gotten back into trading cards has been their children. Growing up, they all loved watching their favorite players and enjoyed collecting their memorabilia to show off to their friends. The three of them experience a “nostalgic feeling” as they rekindle their childhood passion for card collecting and share a unique connection with their sons.
Professor Lee’s focus is to purchase certain players, such as A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez), Derek Jeter and Bo Jackson, as well as his favorite teams, the Yankees, Vikings, and 76ers. He looks to acquire high end rookie cards and especially autographed ones.
As for Mezzy and Mann, they both love to acquire anything Phillies or baseball related. Mezzy was also inspired by his childhood idol, Kobe Bryant, who sadly passed away in 2020. He was an all-time great, and so Mezzy took a look at his collection after his tragic death and saw his cards were skyrocketing in value. He sold some when they were high and bought some when they were low.
All three of them love to travel to card shows to sell, trade, and buy whatever player or team they are looking for. “There are so many things you can collect that if you don’t have a plan, it can become overwhelming,” Lee said, “I haven’t sold anything in a while, but I do trade and focus on certain things.”
Sports trading cards are not the only sports memorabilia people collect. It could be anything sports related – hats, milestones, tickets, autographed gear, jerseys, and more. Often, someone is not particularly looking for a specific product but simply for whatever speaks to them.
Bob Cohen, senior sport management student at Neumann University and vice president of the Sports Card Collectors Club on campus, created his own business during the pandemic, and said, “I was a little nervous beforehand, but now I love to collect autographs of my favorite players. I have a connection to programs I am into and tickets from events I attend.”
Chipper English and Joe Clark, teammates on the school’s club baseball team, first started to get into sports collectibles after their fathers introduced them to their own childhood hobby. During the pandemic they got more invested in it and began to sell, trade, and collect more. Both of them love to collect baseball cards and prefer to open packs rather than purchase single cards.
It is safe to say that the sports memorabilia market is on the rise, and it will only increase in popularity. This sudden spark is due to a combination of factors, including the growing popularity of all sports, the “nostalgic” feeling of reliving your childhood, and the growing demand for unique, valuable assets for lifelong fans.
As the world of sports evolves and continues to flourish, the sports memorabilia market will ultimately follow suit.
