📈Is the correction over? What cards look attractive with an upside potential?📈

[kipgen]

Originally Posted by threepointplay

The trading card market in Europe has continued to grow post-pandemic and Fanatics are clearly serious in growing the collector base over here.

Five years ago there were no card shows/fairs in the United Kingdom. Literally zero. I went to the first one that took place in a small gym on the outskirts of London in July 2021. Four years later and there are shows pretty much every weekend in towns and cities around the country. That London show has moved twice to larger venues and now runs over three days, four times a year.

Pokemon/TCG has continued to grow and is pulling in children in left right & center. I run & own a record shop in a small town (90,000 people) and three TCG shops have opened up in the town in the last couple of years. The Pokemon shop opposite me seems to be doing very well and the broader collectables space continues to grow; something I have seen with the changing customer base I see in my shop.

Fanatics Collectables recently announced they are opening a large European flagship store on Regent Street (which is one of the prime retail spaces) in London in the Spring, so they are certainly putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to growing the international collector base. I always thought that as a European based business, Panini was best placed to expand things in Europe when they grabbed the licenses 15/16 years ago, but it never really happened.

There might be enough demand to meet the Fanatics supply plans, if they get things right.

What is the most popular sport for cards in Europe? Soccer?

[threepointplay]

Originally Posted by kipgen

What is the most popular sport for cards in Europe? Soccer?

Soccer is comfortably the largest, followed by Basketball, then the NFL, with Baseball a distant fourth.

[Torro]

Originally Posted by kipgen

What is the most popular sport for cards in Europe? Soccer?

Europe is very diverse, its not like USA where there are small differences state by state, the differences are huge country by country. Im sure in UK the soccer is clear nr1, in Scandinavia it must be NHL, in Baltics its NBA. In Germany there are big NBA collectors since 90s, but surely the soccer is gaining popularity rapidly (I believe this is the case in most parts of Europe).

If I had to make a bet then I would put my money on soccer becoming the nr1 in Europe, NBA will be clear nr2, and in the far distance NHL. Not sure about NFL, dont know anyone in Europe who collects it, maybe in UK due to Rugby?

[colbycolbycolby]

Precisely why I never collected baseball and football. No other countries care. And if they do, they either have their own league or they're too poor. Basketball was always the global play and one could see this 20 years ago. Say what you want about soccer, it'll never be much of anything here in the US.

[eastbayak]

Originally Posted by kipgen

What is the most popular sport for cards in Europe? Soccer?

Originally Posted by threepointplay

Soccer is comfortably the largest, followed by Basketball, then the NFL, with Baseball a distant fourth.

Originally Posted by Torro

Europe is very diverse, its not like USA where there are small differences state by state, the differences are huge country by country. Im sure in UK the soccer is clear nr1, in Scandinavia it must be NHL, in Baltics its NBA. In Germany there are big NBA collectors since 90s, but surely the soccer is gaining popularity rapidly (I believe this is the case in most parts of Europe).

If I had to make a bet then I would put my money on soccer becoming the nr1 in Europe, NBA will be clear nr2, and in the far distance NHL. Not sure about NFL, dont know anyone in Europe who collects it, maybe in UK due to Rugby?

Originally Posted by colbycolbycolby

Precisely why I never collected baseball and football. No other countries care. And if they do, they either have their own league or they're too poor. Basketball was always the global play and one could see this 20 years ago. Say what you want about soccer, it'll never be much of anything here in the US.

People seem to be confusing most popular sport with most popular sport for trading cards.

Soccer might be the most popular sport worldwide but that doesn't necessarily equate to soccer fans spending lots of money on soccer cards (or stickers), at least relative to the other main sports.

Also, collectors from other countries definitely care about baseball, especially right now (with Ohtani-mania). Just recently, Topps has released a bunch of different Japan-related baseball (MLB and NPB) products. There's also some big Ohtani collectors in Japan too.

[colbycolbycolby]

Originally Posted by eastbayak

People seem to be confusing most popular sport with most popular sport for trading cards.

Soccer might be the most popular sport worldwide but that doesn't necessarily equate to soccer fans spending lots of money on soccer cards (or stickers), at least relative to the other main sports.

Also, collectors from other countries definitely care about baseball, especially right now (with Ohtani-mania). Just recently, Topps has released a bunch of different Japan-related baseball (MLB and NPB) products. There's also some big Ohtani collectors in Japan too.

Japan collects Ohtani, not MLB baseball in general is what I just read. Also, Americans will not care about that NPB product which is also what I'm saying: there's a disconnect in common collecting ground. USA and Korea/Japan care about baseball, but not the same league. Not enough for high-dollar cards anyways. Foreigners don't care about the MLB or the NFL, but they do care about the NBA. And as a collector of basketball for the last 25 years, that makes me feel vindicated in the marketplace.

[eastbayak]

Originally Posted by colbycolbycolby

Japan collects Ohtani, not MLB baseball in general is what I just read. Also, Americans will not care about that NPB product which is also what I'm saying: there's a disconnect in common collecting ground. USA and Korea/Japan care about baseball, but not the same league. Not enough for high-dollar cards anyways. Foreigners don't care about the MLB or the NFL, but they do care about the NBA. And as a collector of basketball for the last 25 years, that makes me feel vindicated in the marketplace.

Tell me you don't know what you're talking about without saying you don't know what you're talking about.

[colbycolbycolby]

You literally just said foreign collectors care about baseball because of Ohtani. Really? Europeans? Chinese? Brazilians? Canadiens? They all now care about collecting baseball cards because of Ohtani? Get real.

And then you mention Topps is coming out with an NPB product like Americans (or those foreign countries I mentioned) give two shits about on a macro level.

Basketball cards are king on a global scale. MLB cards, NPB cards, baseball cards just aren't and never will be.

[MyckKabongo]

I remember people touting the overseas market quite a bit back in the Covid era as a bull case for Basketball. Basketball cards then fared far worse in the post-crash recovery than football and baseball. The overseas market that was touted so much just didn't matter.

[colbycolbycolby]

Originally Posted by MyckKabongo

I remember people touting the overseas market quite a bit back in the Covid era as a bull case for Basketball. Basketball cards then fared far worse in the post-crash recovery than football and baseball. The overseas market that was touted so much just didn't matter.

The overseas market is only going to grow more for basketball if what that Londoner said about them coming around to collecting is true.

The British, French, German, Chinese, Australia, Latin America.... they just don't care about baseball and football. So if collecting does grow globally as many people here have mentioned recently, then it really does only benefit NBA collecting- not MLB, NFL or NHL. Certainly not the NPB like the guy is getting hard for.

[Nomad]

Plus everyone needs a good playoff series about now to get their minds off reality.

[Torro]

Originally Posted by colbycolbycolby

Say what you want about soccer, it'll never be much of anything here in the US.

With the "soccer" World Cup in 2026 in USA and with Messi in MLS, its more likely that the soccer cards will become more popular in USA vs NFL/MLB cards becoming more popular in Europe (or anywhere else in the world).

Basketball is popular everywhere, its nr2 sport in Europe with +100m fans. Sure collecting cards culture is not in Europe nowhere near to the USA, but thats also due to the availability / and marketing of the product (where Fantics has a potential for growth).

All together basketball and soccer has a lot of room for growth (from global markets), while NFL and MLB has already peaked as its purely USA thing and has been a thing there for +50 years already (will there be suddenly more people starting to collect NFL and MLB cards now if its always been there?)

[KhalDrogo]

Collecting sports cards is a rich man’s game. Always has been, and is even more so today thanks to Fanatics. Europeans won’t be able to play.

[Torro]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Collecting sports cards is a rich man’s game. Always has been, and is even more so today thanks to Fanatics. Europeans won’t be able to play.

We playing even now when we need to order product from USA, pay $50 shipping and 20% tax on it. Its way more expnesive for us in Europe to participate, without the shipping and tax $300 hobby box feels pretty cheap for us lol

We also cannot grade the cards with PSA, its pretty difficult and expensive. Imagine if we could walk in a store to buy product and grade them the same way like people in USA can, you dont think that we would participate more?

[KhalDrogo]

Originally Posted by Torro

We playing even now when we need to order product from USA, pay $50 shipping and 20% tax on it. Its way more expnesive for us in Europe to participate, without the shipping and tax $300 hobby box feels pretty cheap for us lol

We also cannot grade the cards with PSA, it’s pretty difficult and expensive. Imagine if we could walk in a store to buy product and grade them the same way like people in USA can, you dont think that we would participate more?

I think cards have become too expensive for enough Europeans to be able to participate and it to achieve even a fraction of the popularity it has in the states. The household wage gap is large, and cost of living considerations don’t cover it.

[Nomad]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

Collecting sports cards is a rich man’s game. Always has been, and is even more so today thanks to Fanatics. Europeans won’t be able to play.

I don't think that's at all true. I mean, there are so many opportunities to buy true rarities of players (outside those that are used as standard currencies), at prices that most in developed countries can afford. I'm pretty transparent about the Nesmith prices. Haven't budged at all and he is way more recognized than he was even a year ago.


An example of a /25 rookie $50 purchase that you could find the equivalent of with many mid-tier players.

Now the aim may be to sell out, once rings are achieved and the wealthy collector investors become interested in and covet a player....

On the Europe tip.

Europe is many things, but it is not poor. Don't let the current talking heads fool you.

Also, the aim of the current US administration to tank the economy and devalue the dollar could lead to.a rapid dollar depreciation slide. A lot of wealth reflects the status given 70 years ago as world reserve currency. Europeans in general have a higher standard of living, whatever the relative currency values. If we use metrics such as walkability, public transportation, safety, access to affordable health care.... And now they are kickstarting defense industries. That will shift the gravity of wealth creation, always does. May foment war and neocolonialism, but that's what we voted for, right.

[Torro]

Originally Posted by KhalDrogo

I think cards have become too expensive for enough Europeans to be able to participate and it to achieve even a fraction of the popularity it has in the states. The household wage gap is large, and cost of living considerations don’t cover it.

Sure, not many will be buying case of national treasure etc. and PMGs for 100k, and all that crazyness that is happening in USA with high end stuff. But couple hundred dollar hobby box time to time, some retail boxes, you dont need to be rich for that

[Nomad]

The USA high end stuff... isn't that market actually centered in Asia?

[Torro]

Originally Posted by Nomad

The USA high end stuff... isn't that market actually centered in Asia?

I remember 15 years ago or so there were some Asians on Youtube opening Exqusite basketball case after case after case

[Nomad]

That's about as conclusive as where all my NT printing plates come from.

Just saying, this forum is all about half baked theories. Europe has money if they see something as collectible and it's readily available.

[yiguiri2002]

There's a reason Panini started releasing those "International" boxes and it's not aimed at Asia.

[1980bust]

FWIW I'd say 80% of my recent basketball sales have been to buyers in Hong Kong or China, so maybe they're actually the ones with the $$$?

[Antman5]

What’s going on with Kobe’s and MJ’s lately? I’m seeing them sold for almost 50% than their last sales from last year- mainly autographs/patch autos.

Weird though that the 90’s inserts have somehow remained the same.

Is there another mega pump/ massive shilling I’m not aware of?

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by Antman5

What’s going on with Kobe’s and MJ’s lately? I’m seeing them sold for almost 50% than their last sales from last year- mainly autographs/patch autos.

Weird though that the 90’s inserts have somehow remained the same.

Is there another mega pump/ massive shilling I’m not aware of?

The market is healthy right now, for top tier player in particular.

If you have the right stuff, it's doing really well. 2023-24 seems like it was the bottom (at least for now, anyways).

[jacksonjj]

Originally Posted by tjforce

The market is healthy right now, for top tier player in particular.

If you have the right stuff, it's doing really well. 2023-24 seems like it was the bottom (at least for now, anyways).

Agree, if we turn off CNN and the economy is crashing because of tariffs nonsense, you can see a very healthy uptick in stocks and the collectibles markets over the past year.

Every year millions of college grads in the world dump into the working economy. While there aren't enough jobs for everyone, there are some and they are being filled. That's more money being pumped into the overall economy, while spending of the current working generation is not slowing down.