With nearly 100,000 participants and an estimated $1B+ in assets on the floor, the National Sports Collectors Convention aka “The National” brought together some of the best parts of the collecting world.
The MAGPIE team jumped right into the action displaying Nick Uliano’s card along the MAGPIE Collector Platform, so that visitors can see how to use MAGPIE to track their collections, particularly if they don’t want to bring everything with them to shows.
The National was an industry event and card show rolled into one. Here are our three big takeaways:
- The corporate section of the floor took up considerable real estate, offering activities, giveaways and new ways to engage with cards and memorabilia. There is significant investment in growing the size of the collecting community and appealing to new and diverse collectors with creativity and innovation that is taking place from the manufacturers all the way across the industry. Collecting has never been more entertaining.
- Technology is changing the industry, but exactly how this will happen and who will win are still unknown. MAGPIE connected with many partners from marketplaces to digital grading to pricing platforms, and it is clear that many challenges remain in this fragmented ecosystem. At the Industry Summit, expect to see some major partnerships and new capabilities announced that change the game and reveal early winners.
- Legacy building and sharing continues to be as important (or more!) than the financial side of card collecting. From the iconic images of athletes to Michael Jordan’s championship shoes to complete sets from the 1950s and 1960s, The National showcased the unique and diverse memorabilia that tie generations together and make sports an important part of our culture. This is not just about American culture. I had a chance to spend time with some of the leading collectors, dealers and card shops from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Korea and Greece. Card shops like Cherry Collectibles in Australia are taking incredibly innovative approaches, and there are huge untapped markets. The National is truly International.
MAGPIE will be launching our National Video series next week, so follow us on Instagram to see all of the latest from The National.
