There is enough variety of modern and ultra-modern baseball cards to make a collector’s head spin. Among the many choices are base cards, mountains of parallels, image variations, autographs, memorabilia cards, autographed memorabilia cards and even inserts and parallels that are only available in certain configurations or sold in certain places. Vintage cards seem quaint by … [Read more...] about Dealers Appreciate Relative Stability in Vintage Market
sports card market
Target Focused on Cards as Sales Soar
Trading card sales at Target are booming. The company says card--sports and those tied to games like Pokémon -- are tracking to become a more-than-$1 billion business for the company in 2025. Target has been taking that part of its business pretty seriously lately. “We’ve been leaning in, given the cultural relevance and wide appeal to young fans and adult collectors … [Read more...] about Target Focused on Cards as Sales Soar
20 Years Ago in the Hobby: Cutbacks and Concerns
Twenty years ago this summer, the sports card market was floundering. While avid collectors weren't going anywhere, the leagues and manufacturers were lamenting the lack of growth. Adults were collecting. Kids not so much. "The only cards I like to collect are the ones I can beat my dad with at poker," one youngster told a reporter for his local … [Read more...] about 20 Years Ago in the Hobby: Cutbacks and Concerns
Upper Deck’s Masherah Talks Youth Movement, Broader Sports Interest
It wasn’t that long ago when card companies and others involved in sports collecting feared that the interest was waning from one generation to the next. Would the hobby die a slow death as baby boomers retired?. One trip to a card show or busy shop these days will tell you those concerns seem to be unfounded. Youth is everywhere now. “One of the most encouraging things … [Read more...] about Upper Deck’s Masherah Talks Youth Movement, Broader Sports Interest
Sports Card Dealers on the Triumphs and Challenges of 2024
More than two years out from the COVID boom sports card dealers are still slinging plenty of cardboard. “We’ve completely turned over inventory in the last three months,” said Austin Kasarda of Midlo Sports Cards in Midlothian, VA. “It’s been great from a sales perspective.” Kasarda made the long drive to the final Philly Show of 2024 last week, knowing he’d have a … [Read more...] about Sports Card Dealers on the Triumphs and Challenges of 2024
Altan: Sports Collectible Market Dipped Again in 2023
2023 wasn’t a great year for sports cards according to Altan Insights, which tracks sales in a variety of collectible markets. Using data from Card Ladder, Altan calculated sales for some of the most popular ultra-modern (2009-present) cards to be down 34.8% from 2022, continuing the dip that began some 18 months ago. Modern cards (1984-2008) were down 30.8%. As a whole, … [Read more...] about Altan: Sports Collectible Market Dipped Again in 2023
Show Dealers Dish on What’s Hot, What’s Not
You can always follow sports card prices on eBay and through a few other websites that track pricing. They offer valuable snapshots on everything from Ty Cobb to Corbin Carroll. Centered mostly around online sales, they don’t account for an overall view of the marketplace. Talking to dealers and collectors in person at a busy show containing more than 200 … [Read more...] about Show Dealers Dish on What’s Hot, What’s Not
Altan Insights: Sports Card and Collectibles Market Struggled in Q4
The sports card market encompasses a lot of different elements. Vintage. Modern. Ultra modern. Different sports. Graded and ungraded. The list goes on. Toss in memorabilia--like game-worn and game-used items and getting a handle on what's happening from a "market" perspective becomes broader still. Analyzing can be tricky business but there’s nothing wrong with a deep dive … [Read more...] about Altan Insights: Sports Card and Collectibles Market Struggled in Q4
Sports Card Prices in 2022: A By the Numbers Chat with Card Ladder
For much of 2020, 2021 and part of this year, the sports card market was a snowball rolling through an open field in Buffalo. With a seemingly endless supply of newcomers tossing money at the beast and a perfect storm of pandemic and publicity, prices for everything from low end, high-grade modern base cards to lower cost Hall of Famers rampaged across the landscape like … [Read more...] about Sports Card Prices in 2022: A By the Numbers Chat with Card Ladder
Notes: Sports Card Market Snapshot; Beckett Acquisition; BBCE’s New “Card Bar”
The market for cards now compared to a year ago is…well, that depends on what kind of cards you’re talking about. Overall, vintage is up; modern cards are down. According to the Card Ladder indexes, which track thousands of sales of cards across different sports and eras, “modern cards” (those issued between 1984 and 2008) are down nearly 20.8 percent compared to the same … [Read more...] about Notes: Sports Card Market Snapshot; Beckett Acquisition; BBCE’s New “Card Bar”