The trading card and collectibles industry is booming, and it appears middle-aged men are driving some of the renewed interest.
Amid what seems to be a spike in trades involving anything from hockey cards, to Pokemon cards, to retro-toys, Steve Rosu, who owns Little Shop of Heroes in Listowel, has a theory as to what is driving up prices on the collectibles market.
Rosu feels men currently aged 25-35 represent what he calls "a generational spike" of collectors that have been able to settle down (no doubt corresponding to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and funds from the federal government's Canada Emergency Response Benefit), and looking for different styles of avenues for investing their money.
He feels this group is viewing the collectibles sector as a better return on investment compared to more traditional avenues such as the stock market.
Rosu says he has seen increased traffic since the beginning of the pandemic, both in his storefront as well as through his online portals, noting it's anything from "sports cards, comic books, Pokemon & Yu-Gi-Oh Cards, even video games, because this is the stuff people grew up with, this is what people have interest in and what they appreciate".
Despite the surge, Rosu does warn against a full utilization of sports memorabilia as a platform for investing, saying "collect what you want, what you want to enjoy, and if it happens to appreciate, that's a bonus, but don't buy it as an investment".
In December 2020, a 1979 Wayne Gretzky rookie card sold at auction for $1.3-million dollars, setting a record for an NHL trading card and marking the first time a hockey card had sold for seven figures.