Dallas Sports Cards Shop Owner Says Industry In Midst Of Major Comeback
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - COVID-19 has been tough on many industries, but sports cards evidently isn't one of them.
Collectors and sellers alike say buying, selling and trading cards is as popular as ever.
It's the ultimate comeback story after sports cards tumbled from their glory years several decades ago.
"I don't think I can recall a time, either as a collector or as a shop owner, as seeing things as busy and prices as high as they are currently," said Dean Fuller, owner of Nick's Sports Cards & Memorabilia.
Thanks to Covid and stay-at-home orders, he said, former collectors started dusting off their old treasures.
That plus nostalgia, and the market responded.
"Then 'The Last Dance' came out. Michael Jordan show. Supply chain interruptions, all of those things have created the perfect storm, and the card market industry is just, you know, blowing up now," he said.
It's not just baseball cards, but basketball, football, soccer and Pokemon.
Fuller said, as nice as it is to be a seller, it's even better to be a collector.
"I figure it'd be a good time to sell and then maybe reinvest and get back into things," said Fernando Lorenzana, who was at Nick's selling old football cards.
For some, it's not just a hobby but an investment.
According to online auction house PWCC Marketplace, since 2008 trading cards have outperformed the S&P 500 by more than double.
"You see investor money coming from the stock market into the card market actually right now, so that's pretty awesome, too," said Fuller.
He also said card manufacturers have gotten savvier by limiting production.
"Cards we were probably selling at 3, 4, 500 dollars [several years ago] are several thousands of dollars nowadays," he said.
A trend he thinks will continue.
"It's been great. There's no other way to describe it."
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