How the Pandemic Turned Sports Cards Into a Billion-Dollar Craze
From Beyond The Cardboard · 00:09:29
Show by Beyond The Cardboard
In March 2020 the sports world shut down, and the card hobby took off. This episode looks at how the pandemic reshaped sports card collecting.We start with the slow burn before the shutdown: Luka Doncic rookies climbing, Zion Williamson hype, and grading companies getting busier. Then we cover the boom:ESPN’s The Last Dance sent Michael Jordan’s 1986 Fleer rookie from about $15,000 to over $50,000 in a matter of months.Live card breaks became the new stadium.PSA’s backlog stretched from weeks to months.The craze peaked in 2021, with a record $5.2 million Mickey Mantle sale and Logan Paul and Gary Vaynerchuk pulling in mainstream attention.Retail shelves at Target and Walmart turned into battlegrounds, and card shows felt like rock concerts.Then we look at the cooldown. Prices fell, the grading backlog cleared, and the speculators drifted away. But many of the collectors who found the hobby during COVID stayed, and they built communities, channels, and shows that are still going.The gold rush may be over, but what it left behind is a bigger and more connected hobby.Were you buying, ripping packs online, or stepping away during the pandemic? Tell us your story in the comments or on social.🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKezwrdBG20Subscribe to Beyond the Cardboard for more sports card history and stories.
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