Steph Curry Sells Shoes, Holding Co Buys Event Series

[ASFN Admin]

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Morning, Collectors.


We love when our hobby finds its way to TV, so it was a nice surprise when Logan Paul popped up on Pawn Stars to negotiate with Rick Harrison. Logan had some better luck negotiating with Ken Goldin on King of Collectibles earlier this year, because we think Harrison took him to the cleaners.


Either way, it makes for entertaining TV.

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Image Credit: Topps

Mantel: Fanatics Is Redefining When the NFL Rookie Card Begins​

Yes, you weren’t imagining it. NFL rookies signed trading cards while on stage at the draft. Fanatics introduced a system where draft-night moments were instantly turned into signed Topps NOW cards within about 90 seconds, with a 72-hour sales window that determined final print runs. It was a big moment for the hobby, which created yet another chase for collectors, and the release introduced a new version of rookie cards, tied directly to the draft moment rather than post-performance narratives. Kudos to the Topps team for continuing innovate.

SCD: Sale of Collect-A-Con Card Show by Big Investors Shows Strength of Hobby​

Collect-A-Con, a major U.S. trading card show promoter with 24 events and roughly 500,000 annual attendees, has been acquired by Mari, a holding company led by Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro. Investor interest in the hobby continues to grow, particularly in event-driven experiences that combine cards, pop culture, and live entertainment. The shows are heavily focused on trading card games, especially Pokémon, and have expanded rapidly since launching in 2021.

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Image Credit: Sotheby’s

Bleacher Report: Breaking Down the Sneaker Sales Behind Stephen Curry's $1.7M Charity Auction​

More than 70 pairs of Stephen Curry’s game-worn and pregame sneakers from the 2025-26 season sold for a combined $1.7M at a Sotheby’s auction, with all lots purchased by over 400 bidders across nearly 30 countries. The sale followed Curry’s season without a shoe deal, featuring multiple brands. The top pair sold for $121,600, with proceeds benefiting the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. What we love about this is Curry likely couldn’t have pulled off a sale like this had he been locked into a shoe deal, and he turned his sneaker free agency into content, hype and eventually charitable giving.

Mantel: The Official Collectibles Power Rankings​

The Mail Day team delivered their first “Collectibles Power Rankings” (no promises there will be a second), and the Coca-Cola and Panini World Cup sticker collaboration topped the list, followed by a quickly sold-out InfoWars hat, a novelty Garbage Pail Kids wrapper magnet, Panini’s Monopoly “Free Parking” parallels, and a Panini Instant EuroLeague photo card featuring Sylvain Francisco. It’s a very particular take on Power Rankings, to be sure…

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Image Credit: Bloomberg

Bloomberg: Pokémon’s Multibillion-Dollar Card Boom Sparks a Crime Wave​

We write often about crime in and around the collectible industry (last week’s newsletter was mostly about it), and now Bloomberg is reporting on even more big-ticket thefts. A break-in at a Hong Kong card shop was the catalyst for this story, where thieves ran off with pricey Pokemon. Globally, increased demand in cards has driven prices higher, which of course creates scams and robberies. The market is projected to reach $23.5B by 2030, prompting new security services, trading platforms, and potential regulations around pack sales and consumer protections. As I say too often here, stay safe, Collectors.

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