Tracking the Hobby’s Monthly Trends
Welcome to the latest column from RIPPED news editor/senior writer Greg Bates. Each month, he examines The Hobby’s current and emerging trends and offers expert opinions on all things collecting.
Judging by all the smiles from ear to ear by collectors, young and old, Topps Hobby Rip Night on Sept. 14 was a gigantic success.
The third Rip Night — the second this calendar year — was different. It was bigger. It was better. It was global.
For the first time ever, this Rip Night included shops from China, Japan, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Greece, in addition to the hundreds of shops participating in the United States. The humongous collecting community became united that night.
It was cool to see shops and collectors worldwide get into the event. But it’s not just collectors who seem to love Rip Night. More and more professional athletes are finding their way into hobby shops to share in the madness. Over 100 athletes attended the various parties throughout the world. Big names such as Tom Brady, Mike Trout, Victor Wembanyama, Dana White, Bronny James, and Kevin Hart were ripping packs and trading slabs with young collectors. That up-close and personal interaction between fans and their idols is priceless.
The unwavering appeal of collecting is hitting an all-time high, and it’s spreading around the globe. It’s obvious that the U.S. is the leader in card collecting, but it’s become very apparent that collectors’ market share is widespread.
A couple of months ago, I wrote a story about the growth of collecting in Europe, most notably in the United Kingdom. London Card Show founder Harry Reynolds attracts more collectors and dealers every time he runs a show. Collectors are traveling from other European countries, including Germany, to participate in the London Card Show.
I recently talked to Jimmy Mahan, who owns Kentucky Roadshow and three other large Roadshow cards shops around the U.S. He’s expanding outside the country. He will be opening Roadshow Colombia in Bogotá around December. After having a breaking operation in Bogotá for the past year, Mahan saw a growing need for a brick-and-mortar store in that area. Remarkably, it will be the first-ever hobby shop in South America.
I also spoke with Steve Guinee, the founder and director of the Auckland Card Show. Yes, even New Zealand is a growing community for card collectors. Guinee is excited about the future of card shows in the Oceania region. He’s already looking to expand into Australia and possibly beyond.
It’s extremely exciting and encouraging that this hobby we all love is spreading its wings worldwide.
Football, Basketball Cards Return
As someone who collected football cards in the late 1980s and basketball cards in the early 1990s, I’m thrilled Topps is producing cards of these sports once again. The collecting world feels balanced.
Let’s be honest: who doesn’t want to see a Topps Chrome Draft Picks card for basketball phenomenon Cooper Flagg once he reaches the NBA? And who doesn’t want to see a Bowman Chrome rookie card of Arch Manning — just like his uncles Peyton and Eli have — when he enters the NFL?
I used to rip packs of 1986 Topps Football looking for Jerry Rice’s rookie cards. From that same set, Steve Young’s rookie card in the Buccaneers creamsicle uniform is aesthetically pleasing—vintage 1980s football. Those green borders with white stripes designed to replicate a football field were legendary. Wouldn’t it be great if Topps dedicated throwback cards to that set? Perhaps we will see a 40-year anniversary appearance in the 2026 product.
Aside from the 1986 set, my all-time favorite Topps football card is the 1984 Dan Marino rookie. Dan the Man was my guy growing up, and his first Topps card was a must-have for my collection. The 1985 set is also a masterpiece.
As for basketball cards, 1992 Topps was my first big year collecting. Going after Shaquille O’Neal’s rookie, check out my column from last month, where I dove into that card. Michael Jordan’s first Topps cards were magical.
A player’s first Topps and/or Bowman card is special. Every kid growing up with aspirations of playing professional football or basketball wants to see their face on a Topps. Now, thankfully, future pros will have that opportunity. Drop me a line at gbates@collectfanatics.com and let me know your thoughts on The Hobby growing worldwide and Topps producing football and basketball cards again. I’ll share some collectors’ thoughts in my column next month.
RIPPED news editor/senior writer Greg Bates writes a monthly column exploring the trends of The Hobby. Before joining Fanatics, Bates was a freelance writer for 10 years for Sports Collectors Digest.
