I have written about this before but as summer has arrived, I feel like this is a great indoor activity (out of the sweltering sun). Card collecting/selling. Since the pandemic the card hobby has been booming and has become a global phenomenon. I have made friends overseas who are in the hobby and it is cool to see the other products around the world.
When I was a child, my parents owned a card shop in Patterson and I remember running around the card shop and also helping my parents put cards in penny sleeves and top loaders. It is a wonderful memory of mine that I frequently speak of amongst my friends and family. I got back into the hobby in 2018 and when I broke my leg in 2019, I opened up my eBay store and never looked back. It is a great way to bond with my oldest son. For him, he likes opening the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) products. He gets really excited when we go to the local card shops and he goes through the “value boxes” and sees some of his favorite wrestlers. He is currently working on filling his first binder full. I am thinking it will be full over the summer.
I can not believe the value of some of these cards that are out there right now. I see cards that are well over $1,000 in value. For example, someone in our card breaking group pulled a 2025 Bowman Shohei Ohtani Anime! (that is a considered a case hit) He sold it on eBay for close to $1,400. Amazing. We all get really excited for the chase or when we see cards out in the “wild” (which means we see cards on the shelf at Target, Wal-Mart or Walgreens). I recently pulled a big hit out of a box from Walgreens. It was a 2025 TOPPS Series One Paul Skenes numbered to 25 (which means only 25 of them are in existence. I could not believe my luck! I posted it on eBay and was thrilled with my return.
It is time consuming but like I said earlier, it’s hot outside and this is a wonderful way to spend time with your kids and also stay cool indoors. Happy hunting everyone!
Dennis D. Cruz is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. He may be reached at drcruz@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 847-3021.
