Fanatics has a new chief financial officer for its collectibles business.
Greg Abovsky had been in the same role at online ticket seller StubHub prior to joining Fanatics this month.
He’s expected to be a key part of the effort to build the trading card business Fanatics started last year with its moves to take over licensing for the major pro sports leagues. The company purchased Topps nearly a year ago.
Abovsky started his career in the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley and “has over 20 years of experience in a variety of finance and investment management roles in the media and technology sectors,” according to Fanatics.
The company says he’ll oversee “all business and financial planning, accounting, investor relations, purchasing, tax, treasury and divisional finance” for Fanatics Collectibles.
According to Verified Market Research, the global market for sports cards is expected to reach $98.7 billion by 2027, thanks in part to Fanatics’ global reach.
In addition to its trading card licenses, Fanatics has numerous exclusive agreements with athletes for autographs and memorabilia.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Fanatics currently has about 500 employees working in the collectibles space in some way and has several job openings for jobs ranging from tech to human resources. The company is currently valued at $31 billion.
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An Arizona-based group breaker is planning to open a brick-and-mortar card and apparel shop in Phoenix next month.
Rip Valley will conduct breaks in the shop in a variety of formats.
“We will continue to offer virtual opportunities, but with many of our breaks we will offer the ability to be live in the shop having a beer and watching a game while participating in breaks,” says Rip Valley partner and founder of 12th Man Breaks Brandon Dixon.
They also plan to host athlete appearances, autograph signings and other special events.
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Jerseys worn by the Miami Heat during the 3,000th game in team history are on the block at NBA Auctions.
The 12 City Edition jerseys were worn during the 1st half of the Heat’s 117-112 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on November 10 at FTX Arena in Miami, FL.
Included are those donned by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry and Duncan Robinson.
The auction runs through Jan. 8.
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Fifty goal pucks from 2021-22 and ’22-23 NHL games are up for bids at MeiGray.
The puck from a preseason goal by Alexander Ovechkin and those off the sticks of Jack Hughes, Alexander Kerfoot, TJ Oshie, Evander Kane, Garnet Hathaway, Patrick Laine and Nico Hischier in regular season contests are among those being offered.
There are goal pucks carrying the Seattle Kraken’s inaugural season logo as well.
Bidding runs through Jan.11 at MeiGrayAuctions.com.
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Lelands has scheduled the dates for its first two auctions of the new year. The company’s Winter Pop-Up sale is set for Jan. 8-22 while its Winter Focus sale (primarily graded cards and tickets) will run Jan. 29-Feb. 11
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