According to one industry official, the Covid pandemic “supercharged” the trading-card business. Former collectors dusted off and re-engaged with their wares during the long lockdown, while sports fans looking for a new hobby helped breathe new life into the sector—and not just in its traditional American base. Global interest in trading cards has taken off, boosted by the expansion of the hobby into sports that are even more popular abroad than, including Formula 1, soccer and tennis. In Europe, Italy has the most active trading card market, while Asian nations are catching up.
For the players, the tennis card business is a windfall. They reap 70 percent of the profit in royalties, but it’s distributed equally among all players who signed up to participate in the program, regardless of status, or even how many cards bear their likeness. The pull for the stars who might consider a standard royalty chump change is the additional money they earn for autographing cards, donating memorabilia and even making appearances. The process is surprisingly simple: Winner’s Alliance teams go out to tournaments to secure autographs from players and/or to offer them related income opportunities.
This is now a multi-billion dollar industry. So in addition to those 9 through 13-year-olds that love to collect, you have some adults who really seek higher-end cards. . .and they like to trade those at a higher price point. Eric Winston
The learning curve in the trading card game is flat, with a lot of terminology and seemingly arbitrary distinctions to wade through. But the basic premises that ruled back in the bubble-gum days still dominate. Different products are produced in different print runs, some mass-produced and some extremely limited. The most highly-prized cards are called “chase” cards. That includes “rookie” cards—a player’s cards produced during or near his or her first season—as well as cards featuring established players. There are numerous variations, or “parallels,” in the look and composition of those cards, in addition to features like autographs or relics (match-worn garments, or pieces of racquets or other gear).
The industry has expanded its palette of sports and athletes. There have also been seismic changes in how the cards are produced (using cutting-edge materials and prism or holograph-like effects), distributed (on-line or in hobby shops in various packaging configurations), and traded (on-line, although a friend’s basement rec room or garage still works).