Collecting hobby continues to explode at Fanatics fest

To keep that memory alive, some people collect game-worn jerseys from a particular game. Some get trading cards of a particular player and hold onto them or sell and trade them. There are even baseballs or hockey pucks, you name it, that people get.

“People that you love,” Tom Hughes said. “Your favorite players, your favorite teams. Being a piece of that, getting something that you can own that they had or something like that, is such a cool thing.”

During Fanatics Fest at the Javits Center, it was shown tenfold.

At the four-day extravaganza, there were different collecting groups set up in the collectors’ zone. Many of the stands were trading cards, with people looking to both buy cards or have Fanatics Fest attendees buy the ones they already have.

“here have been millions of dollars spent on cards on the show floor. And to be able to present those cards in the way that they should be and the hobby in the right way is great for us,” Fanatics senior vice President of events Mike Armstrong said. “One of our jobs is to make sure that we’re taking sports fans and converting them into collectors. So, we deliver an incredible experience in the top and the fanatics collectibles booth, and then to see that interest bleed out into some of the dealers and retailers, and see the numbers that they’re doing, the cards that they’re selling, the interest that they have, and what they’ve got. It’s important to us, and we know that we’re going to make sure that the hobby stays on the right trajectory in the future.”

Many of the booths were selling sports trading cards to attendees, and many of them got into it for the same exact reason. Almost everyone had gotten into the selling space at different points of time, but nearly everyone got to experience having a card of a player they liked.

Kevin, one of the sellers, remembers getting into it as a kid. He had been collecting cards his entire life, but only recently got into selling. He’s collected cards from all over, including a gold Jaxon Dart card, which most recently sold for $20,000.

“I have been collecting cards my whole life, and as of a couple of years ago, found a way to turn it into a profession,” Kevin said. “It’s been something I’ve loved to do my whole life and I’m having more fun than ever right now.”

For some of the businesses that set up shop at Fanatics Fest, this is a big way to get people to both buy and sell their cards. At spots like Bleeker Trading, a New York-based shop, they saw people coming in and getting anything they could. Some people bought cards, while others went for Panini stickers sold during the World Cup, which was played in the United States and culminated with the final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

“Fanatics Fest is our Super Bowl,”  Mills from Bleeker Trading said. “As sort of a mom-and-pop car store in New York City. Started on Christopher Street in the West Village. We have a location on the Upper West Side…it’s a huge deal for us and all  these guys, our team, we work 50-60 hours. We’re very  passionate about this. We love Fanatics Fest. We love the hobby. We love that everyone’s here and brought together. It’s been a great summer, Knicks’ championship, and we’ve had the World Cup here as well. Everyone’s really excited, and this is the perfect time and the perfect event.” 

The fans weren’t the only ones with a strong interest in cards; some of the very athletes they watch or have memorabilia of also have a passion for collecting.

One of them might even be the greatest player of their sport, like Tom Brady.

The former Patriots quarterback spoke about his love of collecting cards. He had been collecting since he was a kid, and with the job he had when he was younger, most of his money would go to buying more cards to go into his collection.

“There was a hobby shop in the San Francisco Bay Area where I grew up. It was called What’s on Second,” Brady said. “Whenever I had my paper out and I made $2.50 for the month, I would take my money and I’d go down to what’s on Second and I would buy packs of cards. So by the time I was 8 years old, now I’m 48. I’ve been collecting ever since. 

“And today I walked behind one of the rooms back here, and my favorite baseball player growing up, and the guy that I collected more than anybody else, was Don Mattingly. I had a chance to see Don Mattingly, and that brings up so many nostalgic memories for me as a kid because that’s where I fell in love with sports. I love sports, but one way that I connected with all these athletes that I love, the teams I love, the leagues that I love was through trading cards.”

Veefriends, the company founded by Gary Vaynerchuk, was also prominent over the weekend. Gary Vee had people who had been watching his content since they were kids coming up to him, talking about how much he had helped influence them. While many of the people there were sports traders, his company steers clear of that.

Veefriends cards are a fictional universe of different animals, and many of them are animals with specific traits. This way, people can get into the hobby without dealing with the negative effects it sometimes has.

“I’m about the youth. I want every single one of these kids to do it right,” Vaynerchuk said. You get into this business and card stuff, people start getting a little bit into gambling, to scamming. So, we got to keep these kids on the right path. And a lot of what I’m doing with Veefriends and a lot of what I’m trying to do with Gary Vee is trying to get them to be like, ‘Yo, there’s a better way to do it.’ It might take longer. There’s a more noble way to do it. It’s  harder. It takes longer, but it’s always better, bro”

Cards were at the forefront of the collectors’ zone, but they weren’t the only thing on display. There were signed helmets, jerseys, and game played items that people were able to buy, and those things were just as hot a commodity.

“ It’s a great market. It’s very different,” Collin Hansinger said. “To me, the

memorabilia market’s a little more consistent, where the card market is very variable, where it changes a lot.” 

Hansinger works for Detroit City Sports and grew up an avid Detroit sports fan. He saw Pudge Rodriguez when he played for the Tigers, or Derek Jeter, who grew up in Michigan, and he’s collected memorabilia from them and other players, whether he watched them as a fan or not.

“I love it,” Hansinger said. I think it’s amazing to be able to hang it up on my wall and look at it. Most of the pieces I get, I’ve been able to actually meet the guys.”

Billy Lesnack was the same as Hansinger. The Pittsburgh native grew up watching the Penguins and other Pittsburgh sports teams and eventually started collecting whatever he could from them.

The Steel City Collections worker has been in the space for 10 years, and the company has been in the business for nearly 25 years.

“My grandfather, when I was growing up, had a lot of connections with the Pittsburgh Penguins,” Lesnack said. “We did a lot of signings. We would go and get autographs. I have a picture on my Instagram of me as a baby, like 5 months old, attending my first autograph signing. So, it’s something that I just developed over the years.”

He’s gotten a game-worn Sidney Crosby jersey and other items from the Penguins. For him, it’s the emotional connection that is made with what he gets that makes the difference; there’s always a story behind everything he gets. While he feels like some people may just be looking to make a quick profit, Lesnack knows that the true collectors in the space feel the same way. 

“I think from a collecting standpoint, true collectors, every single card in their collection elicited some kind of emotional response,” Lesnack said. “Whether it’s something they thought was funny, or they were at the game, or they connected with the player, or they just have a nice memory with the card. I think it really is the difference, the connection to the card is a difference between a collectible and just another piece of cardboard.”