Albany Card Sharks on the appeal of sports cards collection

ALBANY, Ga. – Buying and selling sports cards is not just a hobby but a lucrative business.

As over the past weekend, we saw a huge increase in one players market.

Take Jayden Daniels, for example. His stellar performance in the division round of the playoffs, where he led his team to victory over the Lions, caused the market value of his cards to double.

However, investing in sports cards isn’t as straightforward as picking the best rookies.

“Very similar to the stock market. Buy low, sell high. Find a player you like. If you see a player that you know, like that guy is going to be good one day, buy him now.
Buy as many as you can within your budget. And you know, hopefully it works like Jayden Daniels. We already knew he would be good. And so when he did pop in and become good, we made 2,000% on our cards. And another player we’re buying right now is Joe Milton. We saw him play with the patriots and we’re buying his cards now. First thing, if you’re new to this, get a budget. That’s what I tell people. Get a budget. You know how much you want to spend, find a reputable whatnot. Whatnot seller that you can use. We know a couple of them, but find a reputable whatnot seller and get with that sale and just buy what you like. That’s the main thing. It is at the end of the day, collecting. So, you want to buy things you like. You know, money will come if you want to try to make money out of it. And, just, you know, buy something that you’ll be happy having,” said Robert Taylor, owner, Card Sharks Sports Cards & Collectibles.

At its core, this is an incredible hobby, so you can’t go wrong buying what you love. But, for those chasing big cards, buying packs can be the thrill of a lifetime.

For instance, this year’s buzz includes a Paul Skenes rookie debut 1/1 card. One lucky 11-year-old pulled this rare find and has already received an impressive offer, if they decide to hand the card over to Skenes himself.

“It was Topps Chrome Update Paul Skenes Card. They were hunting for it. The pirates offered, and the kid pulled it. I think he’s under 13. He put it or they’re offering him 30 years. Season tickets right behind home plate. Bunch of things, paying for his education and all that. So, it’s kind of like a lottery sometimes with this. So, that’s a good thing,” said Taylor.

If you’re already a sports card enthusiast or just curious about all the excitement, there’s an event coming to South Georgia soon that you won’t want to miss.

“Okay. Well, South Georgia and North Florida is a very underserved market in the collecting industries, hardly any shops. Well, the flip, run by Daniel, is doing our super big show in Columbus at Columbus Convention Center, and they will and I’m just going to be a big show with about 200 tables. Saturday, February 1st. So, come out. I have a whole Shark team there. We’re going to have the Shark team there from Atlanta, LA, New York, and a whole ten tables set up. So, come out, we’ll buy your sports cards, give you cash on the spot,” said Taylor.

So, if you’ve never understood sports cards before I hope this gave you a better perspective on one of America’s favorite hobbies.

Gabe Hutton reporting.

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