I was very lucky to have a father who educated me about sports from the moment I was born. I learned about everyone from Mike Curtis to Tris Speaker with that education. Sooner or later, I ended up going to baseball card shops with my dad to see pictures of these great players I had heard about. It started my love of cards. I wouldn’t collect Sandy Koufax or Wes Unseld cards without my father’s stories.
Fast forward many years and now I’m a father who wants to pass that passion down to my kids. But will they care? Is there a next generation that will love cards like I do? These are the things I think about. Let’s be clear, my full-time job is to work in the sports cards and collectibles industry. I work as a consultant to several companies, and I have friends and business partners all over the country.
Without a doubt, the industry has been growing consistently and rapidly during the last three years. Many new collectors, companies and websites have entered the market recently. It’s a very exciting time to be a sports fan and work in the business.
However, there is something exciting for me as I look toward the future of cards. With smarter people entering the industry, female collectors represent the fastest growing market — not women’s cards, but the collectors themselves.
They are the daughters of the last three or four decades who grew up as sports fans. They are Ravens fans who talk trash and know as much as anyone. They are sports fans who know as much about cards as anyone. And, most importantly for the market, they are passionate. They are opening card shops and tech companies to analyze cards. They are buying for themselves and for business. They are the future and maybe the present!
In early October, I attended The Industry Summit, the largest business-to-business conference in our industry, in Las Vegas. Some of the legends in the world of sports cards were there. Johnny Bench gave the opening remarks. It was a who’s who of card companies and dealers. Fanatics, Beckett and more were all front and center.
But there were some other companies and people worth highlighting from the conference. Kathryn Harrison (@your.magpie on Instagram) is the founder of MAGPIE, a technology company that is developing a full suite of software to help manage card shops and collections with financial analytics, inventory, online sales and more. Harrison said she got into the business after having personal experiences talking to card dealers.
“The lack of consistent information for dealers and all the work that they did to control their store was overwhelming,” she said.
This led to her using an IBM background to create a growing startup to change antiquated technology for dealers.
Sharon Chiong (@the_blackjadedwolf) is the owner of Black Jaded Wolf, one of the top card shops in the country. She has a physical store in New York and travels the country with her team selling cards as a dealer at card shows. Chiong has created one of the top brands and a high-end reputation for premier cards. She is relied upon as a true industry insider and diehard sports fan.
If you like card breaks, think about supporting Stephanie Garcia (@mamabreaks) or Sara Layton (@laytonsportscards). If you use data from Card Ladder, you should meet Kristina Thorson (@kristinaspc). These are all leaders in the field who run fantastic businesses.
These are some of the many women leading all of us forward as collectors and businesspeople. It is imperative that all kids should be exposed to sports and sports cards, even if it might not be their thing, as is the case for my three kids.
However, the industry should be rolling out the red carpet to welcome a generation of women and young girls. As parents and role models, we need to highlight this as a great hobby for all kids. It can also create those bonds that last a lifetime, just like the ones with my father.
Danny Black currently serves as an adviser to MAGPIE.
Have you had cards since you were a kid and now you want to sell them? Please email any questions to Danny@SportsBalt.com or visit SportsBalt.com
Photo Credit: Danny Black