It seemed the hobby’s tagline for this year’s Fanatics Fest was, “It’s not a card show.” While that’s definitely not the primary focus, Fanatics Fest still delivered a pretty good one, albeit tucked inside a sports festival with dozens of big names.
The second Fanatics Fest last weekend featured more space, more athletes, more noise and more people. On Sunday night, Fanatics announced that 125,000 people attended the three-day event in New York, representing a significant increase from the 70,000 attendees last year.
Lance Fensterman, CEO of Events, said dealers would be more integrated into the event at this year’s show. To that end, Fanatics delivered.
Some booths were set up near the VIP area, and others were located close to the Major League Baseball area, where the Fanatics Games were played. Other booths were located next to a Raising Cane’s sponsorship area, which hosted a celebrity eating match featuring Joey Chestnut.
The purpose was to drive more traffic to vendors and once they had a chance to take a breath Sunday night, most dealers left happy.
“Sales surpassed my expectations, as well as buying,” Kevin Randall of DaCaptain37 Cards told SC Daily. “No other show offers an experience like this. There were high-quality cards in the room, and the experiences Fanatics provided for fans were top-notch.”
Randall had a viral moment last year when Tom Brady stopped by his booth and bought some cards from him. While Brady didn’t come around this year, Randall had another brief but memorable moment with the seven-time Super Bowl champ.
“Tom did walk by briefly on Friday morning and waved to us and asked us how we were doing,” Randall said. “It definitely felt like he remembered us from last year, so that was all I needed this weekend.”
Livvy Dunne Buys Paul Skenes
One of the most circulated card-buying moments this year involved Steel City Collectibles. At their booth on Saturday, a PSA 10 2024 Bowman’s Best Paul Skenes Anime Card numbered out of 5 was sold to influencer and LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, Skenes’ well-known girlfriend. After some haggling featured in a viral video, Dunne bought the card for $2,850.
“Livvy was awesome,” Billy Lesnak, the company’s marketing coordinator, told SC Daily. “She was so kind and sweet, and I think our guys did an excellent job working with her at the show. I think it became a great opportunity for both her and the company.”
While he didn’t buy a card from Randall, Brady did reportedly purchase a LeBron James Topps Chrome rookie card for $250,000 while Josh Harris, owner of the Washington Commanders, spent a half million on a card of his starting quarterback.
As for the show, Steel City Collectables had a successful booth, with higher sales numbers compared to the previous year.
“We definitely felt like we were more part of the show compared to last year,” Lesnak said. “This year‘s show was set up more professionally and exceeded expectations. We don’t have the final sales numbers, but from visual inspection, we were very content with our sales numbers.”
Smaller Card Dealers
Location seemed to be a key factor in whether the show resulted in a lot of sales. Atlanta’s Cards HQ stated its sales were higher at Fanatics Fest than at last year’s five-day National Sports Collectors Convention. Others situated away from the show’s central hub didn’t do quite as well. There weren’t many boxes with $1 and $2 cards but with several hundred booths, there was plenty of variety.
Nathan Olson, a Brooklyn-based dealer who sets up at The National and other major shows, said he enjoyed the Fanatics Fest experience but wishes he had a better location.
“I’ve been in the back as a small dealer, and it was a bit harder for me to buy because most people hit my table last and often were tapped out for the day,” Olson said. “Hopefully, I get moved to the front of the room eventually, and that will change my whole experience, but I still did well this time.
“The show as a whole is a breath of fresh air after the last three Nationals. I will definitely be signing back up for next year just because I love the overall event so much and love the energy.”
Exclusive Releases
Besides the card show, Fanatics Fest was the only place to get exclusive releases. The popular Cactus Jack collaboration with Travis Scott returned this year, selling two-pack boxes for $500, with an autograph or numbered parallel in each box. Topps F1 and MLB Series 2 each had New York City-themed releases, only available at Fanatics Fest.
This year’s show was symbolic of what Fanatics is doing to merge fandom and collecting. By closely integrating card dealers into the show, it moves fans one step closer to becoming collectors, which obviously helps the bottom line of those involved. So, while Fanatics Fest is not a card show, it also wouldn’t be the same without one.
