By Adam Roberts – 5/18/2021
Call it streamers flexing their influence on the youths, call it just the latest fad these past few months, but there has been a notable upswing of interests in trading cards recently. The hobby of collecting cards, thought to be a relic pastime of a forgotten day, has made a resurgence thanks in part to the digital nature of NBA Top Shot’s virtual “moments”. Recently, a Luka Doncic autographed rookie card became the most-expensive basketball card ever sold for around 4.6 million dollars.
And just in case you thought Pokemon cards were no longer a thing, there was a recent incident at a Target in Brookfield, Wisconsin forced the retail chain to discontinue in-store sales of all trading cards. However, you can still buy them from Target online, which makes sense since Target would be foolish to completely abolish an industry that according to eBay saw a 142 percent rise in domestic sales last year.
For many, the most classic of all trading cards remains those of the baseball variety. A collection of rare cards put together by a Florida neurologist who passed away in January is valued at more than 20-million dollars. In the lineup is a 1933 Babe Ruth card in near perfect condition, which Memory Lane Auctions believes will break the five-point-two-million dollar record for any sports card. A total of more than one-thousand vintage and modern sports cards will be up for grabs with the online public auction getting started on June 21st.
I was at the perfect age for the Pokemon craze about 20 years ago or so. In fact, I bet in my dad’s attic somewhere there are still dusty binders filled with the results of many slick playground deals and tense negotiations at the lunch table. Might be time to pay Fond du Lac a visit if I can pay rent with a few spare Charizards I have just lying around.