Replay Sports Cards, formerly known as One Stop Sports, is changing the sports card market by launching the first sports card store franchise program in the U.S. Known for its comprehensive services in buying, selling, trading and grading sports cards, Replay Sports Cards currently operates locations in the Southeastern United States, including Charlotte, Mount Pleasant and Boca Raton.
This new franchise model allows fans to open their own local stores under the Replay Sports Cards brand, backed by the company’s reputation and resources. The company showcased this opportunity at Fanatics Fest NYC and is working with Community Franchise Group to ensure successful expansion while maintaining high standards of integrity and customer service.
According to Kings Research, the global sports trading cards market was valued at $9.69 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.01% to reach $20.48 billion by 2030. However, Market Decipher’s research suggests that sports cards are worth even more, with the market valued at $12.93 billion in 2021 and expected to reach $49.37 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 13%.
The market research firm also stated that North America accounted for the largest market share in 2021, followed by Europe. However, it added that “increasing urbanization and rapid growth of emerging markets such as the Middle East and Asia Pacific are fueling the growth of the sports trading market. In India and China, two of the largest emerging markets, there are many opportunities for business expansion across the sports trading card industry.”
Fast Company reported that Ted Mann, CEO of card scanners CollX and Card Dealer Pro, said that “85 million American adults, or about 33% of the population, own trading cards. While many are only casual collectors, others buy and sell cards for profit.”
While the sports card market is seeing a resurgence in collecting and investing in vintage cards, especially online, thanks to technological advancements, Market Decipher believes the offline industry is facing challenges from esports gambling and the rising prices of cards. There is also a divide in NFT trading cards, creating a volatile market with the possibility of a crash, split, or exponential market growth.
eBay has also made a major contribution to the sale and collecting of sports cards.
The boom in the sports card market was most noticeable during the pandemic. “With widespread lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, people looked for new forms of entertainment and hobbies to pass the time indoors,” reported Sports Card King. “As a result, many began collecting sports cards as a nostalgic and exciting pastime.”
This was further enhanced by the now-common support from influencers, celebrities and athletes. Prominent figures showcased their personal collections, expressed their enthusiasm for sports cards on social media and partnered with card manufacturers for joint projects. “This support helped to increase the appeal of sports card collecting, attract new audiences and create excitement in the industry,” said Sports Card King.
As a result, the trading card market experienced significant growth between 2020 and 2022, culminating in the auction of a mint condition 1952 Mickey Mantle card that fetched $12.6 million in 2022, according to The New Chicagoan.
But since the record-breaking Mickey Mantle sale, the market has shown signs of cooling off. A report from Altan Insights found that card values were stable and “uneventful” in the first quarter of 2024, with modern cards down 0.5% and vintage cards up nearly 1%.
Geoff Wilson, founder of Sports Card Investor, an online database that tracks credit card prices, attributes the decline to the bursting of a bubble inflated during the pandemic and rising interest rates.
“With so many people staying home and receiving stimulus payments during the Covid pandemic, a kind of bubble formed,” Wilson explained. “I think it dried up because people were spending their money elsewhere, had less discretionary money, invested money in other things, and interest rates went up. For all of those reasons, a lot less money was being spent on credit cards.”
But despite declining volumes and prices, Michael Osacky, senior appraiser at Professional Sports Authenticator, believes “a mindset shift has occurred that will change the market going forward.” Osacky explained, “It’s permanent, it’s here forever, and that’s a good thing. Five or six years ago, people didn’t really see sports collectibles as a serious alternative investment. But now they do.”
