Hi Friends,
I hope this weekend finds you doing well!
A typical weekend for me always involves some kind of baseball card purchase, mixed in with everything else that's thrown at me, and this weekend has been no different!
I have noticed that everything is getting more crowded by the day, and our great hobby is no exception!
During the pandemic, there was a huge boom in the sports card market, not just limited to baseball cards, rather, all sports cards.
This certainly made a lot of sense, because people were home, and looking for things to occupy their time. Additionally, there was a lot of extra money that was thrown into the hobby from the stimulus checks that some people had received, and as always, people with extra money will certainly find ways to spend that money!
However, now that the pandemic is "over", that market boom is certainly continuing, with no signs of slowing down.
Recently, I went to the National Card Show in Long Island, and in all my years of attending this show, I have never seen it more crowded than it was. The line to get in was out the door, and once inside, there was barely room to move.
Keep in mind that there were some top names signing autographs at the show, but there were always top names signing at these shows. In speaking with some of the vendors that I know at the show, they said they could not keep up with the people at their tables. They said that they had a rough time juggling between people asking questions about their cards, people forking over cash to pay for cards, and, of course, keeping an eye on the rest of their tables to make sure some of their cards didn't get up and "walk away".
One vendor who I purchase unopened boxes from told me that he regretted not bringing someone with him to help out after he saw how chaotic and crowded it was on that Saturday, because on Sunday, it was just as crowded and maybe even more than the day before.
It's not just in one location or part of the country.
A recent article titled, "Three years after pandemic boom, trading card industry still going strong", John Russo talks about a collector who got his start in the hobby during the pandemic, and attributes the influx of new collectors in the hobby as follows; "...when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, many old hobbies experienced a renaissance, including...." sports cards and trading cards.
REASONS FOR THE CONTINUED BOOM IN THE HOBBY:
The continued interest in the hobby can be attributed to a couple of factors.
The first is obvious, which is that new collectors that came into the hobby during the pandemic have stayed. They have caught "the bug", as I call it, or the desire to keep adding to their collection.
As Russo said in his article; collectors are now "fully immersed in the hobby", which sums it up!
There is something for everyone in card collecting, whether it is unopened packs and boxes, rookie cards, serial numbered cards, short prints, refractors, sets, autographs...there is more than enough to keep everyone hooked and having fun!
On that notion of "fun", there is also something behind that, which is that collecting cards, as a hobby, is therapeutic, and is great for mental well-being. It helps you focus on something positive (an "escape"), brings you a little more excitement, something to work towards, and helps you be a part of something greater than yourself...to be part of a community of others just like you, who love collecting cards!
After all, what’s more exciting than opening a pack of cards and seeing that gorgeous Mojo Refractor "1st Bowman" Rookie card staring right at you! It is a feeling of excitement that only a true collector can appreciate, and the fact that more and more people are experiencing that great feeling is definitely a good thing!
Thank you for joining me today!
Rob
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