By Mark Seavy  

Entertainment and sports trading cards, once a cyclical phenomenon, have shifted from a part-time hobby to a full-time job. 

And while sports cards have a long history, entertainment versions have steadily grown in popularity in recent years by riding trends and waves of interest. Yet the two categories have, in many ways, converged as they evolve from collectibles to investments. 

The signs of this transition are everywhere. 

The Chuck E. Cheese restaurant chain and former parent Showtime Entertainment, for example, launched trading cards in 1993 as a promotion. That changed when Monarch Alternative Capital bought CEC Entertainment out of bankruptcy and embarked on the licensing program that now includes Saturday Morning trading cards, a limited-edition silver set (three cards) of which retailed for $90 and quickly sold out.  

Then there is Epoch Co., which signed a licensing agreement for limited-edition cards for the rock band Mötley Crüe that ship in December. There cards will include not only the band members but also “game worn” guitar picks, drumsticks, and other memorabilia in borrowing from the sports playbook.  

At the same time, Cardsmiths has launched America250 cards. The 120-card collection marks the anniversary of the United States and a select number have the most modern of technologies: cryptocurrency that can be redeemed for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dogecoin. 

Additionally, Chinese trading card and toy company Kayou entered the fray with Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters (June 1), Hasbro’s My Little Pony (trading card game in April), and Feld Entertainment’s Monster Jam (fall 2026). 

In the case of sports cards, some dealers at the recent Nashville Sports Card and Collectibles Show in Tennessee reported sales running into the “seven figures,” according to Sports Collectors Daily. Other dealers, in the manner of a well-honed business, held back some top sellers for larger shows like Fanatics Fest in New York (July 16-19) and the National Sports Collectors Convention (July 29-August 2) in Rosemont, IL.  

The growing value of sports cards is most easily found in Fanatics, which bought Topps in 2022 and has since cinched deals with the four major professional sports leagues. Additionally, the FIFA World Cup license will move from Panini to Fanatics starting in 2031. 

“Essentially, any type of fandom can now find its way into trading cards and, in addition to the big companies, there are the smaller ones putting their spin on the business,” said James Zahn, Editor-in-Chief at The Toy Book trade magazine. “It has created an ecosystem of its own and at retail it has become all encompassing. There is a crossover between kids that want to collect things they are interested in and an adult market with disposable income that looks at the category as an asset class with serious investors that are going after the business.” 

Indeed, there are signs of deep investment not only in the cards, but at retail as well. 

Mass retailers like Walmart and Target have devoted more space to the category, independent toy retailers have returned to carrying cards in bulk, and well-financed companies like Fanatics are expanding their presence at brick and mortar. Fanatics opened pop-up locations in Paris, France (June 20) and Munich, Germany (May 9) in addition to a store in New York. And the company’ annual Fanatics Fest carries a $60-million cost, CEO Michael Rubin said. 

Dave and Adam’s Card World, meanwhile, has four locations, including a European flagship in Roermond, Netherlands and a new store in New York City. It also formed a joint venture earlier this year with Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton to create “Card Culture by Lewis Hamilton,” with the first shop set to open in Frankfurt, Germany this month. Moving forward, there are plans to expand the join venture in the Middle East, Asia, the U.K., and Australia. 

Last year, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady bought a 50% stake in the retailer CardVault, a chain that has expanded to 17 locations, including stores at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, NJ and at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.  

“If the trading card business were to have slowed down or collapsed it would have happened already,” Zahn said. “This is a business that has existed for years and is not showing any sign of slowing down. The adult collectors have always been there, and we have turned the corner where it is okay for them to embrace their fandoms.” 

The growth of fandom culture has helped entertainment brands, in particular, grow their foothold in the category.  

Topps launched Star Wars and Superman II trading cards in the 1970s and 1980s, respectively. It also fielded Garbage Pail Kids (1985-1987) as a parody of the then popular Cabbage Patch Kids, a move that also drew a lawsuit from the latter’s trademark owner Original Appalachian Networks. There were Wacky Packages, Topps cards that were parodies of consumer products that started as a 44-diecut card set in 1967 and switched to peel-and-stick (1973-1977).  

But in the last few years, demand for trading cards inspired by movie, television, and publishing brands has only grown, according to former Topps executive Ira Friedman, who once headed up Garbage Pail Kids and has since introduced his own Craniacs card collection with artis Joe Simpko. Friedman has landed deals with Titan Comics and publisher Simon & Schuster for the Craniacs brand, the latter of which is releasing a book with author R.L. Stein in August. 

“When Covid came, it wasn’t clear who would care about trading cards when they are out of work and trying to put food on the table, but just the opposite happened,” Friedman said. Trading cards played into the expanding demand for nostalgia and the category is only expected to continue to grow.