This July SlabStox monthly trading card report concluded simultaneously with the 2022 National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, N.J., and we had a chance to see first hand what so many told us: The trading card industry is alive, vibrant and growing. Here are a few things that back that up:
- An estimated 90,000-plus card collectors poured into the Atlantic City Convention Center during the five-day run. Crowds at The National in Atlantic City surpassed the 2021 show in Chicago.
- With the huge attendance, one thing was noticeable: More women actively trading, selling and collecting than ever.
- Corporate presence was enormous–the biggest ever seen at the NSCC with not only the old standbys (Topps, Panini, Dave & Adam’s Card World) but plenty of new additions including experiential card shops (@RoadShowCards), investment and asset platforms (PWCC, Collectors, eBay, Alt) grading companies (PSA, SGC, BGS, CSG) and a big, loud presence by the live-stream selling platform, Whatnot.
- Fresh new trading card categories received a tremendous amount of attention—which doesn’t necessarily line up with some of the category data gathered from online transactions. For example, football and racing could only be described by one word–HOT!
There is plenty more about The National in this report and the overall trading card market. We’ll again drill-down into what’s happening, measure where we are, and look to where the market is heading in the coming months.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Take 1: Your Voices from The National: What is the state of the trading card market?
- Take 2: Monthly Market Comparisons
- Take 3: World Cup moment upon us; baseball carries momentum
- Take 4: Modern and Ultra Modern cards level up
- Take 5: Who’s Hot, Who’s Not
- Take 6: The Fanatics Effect: Exclusive interview with Josh Luber
- Final Take: SlabStox view of the current sports card market
Join the SlabStox/CardTalk podcast collab as we break down the full market report scheduled for early August. Stay tuned to social media for updates.
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Besides this report, you’ll get daily card market news, data and charts of trending players, and a whole lot of SlabStox curated top-auction targets to help build your card collection.