Are We in the “Dead Ball Era” of Sports Cards?
Here we are in March 2025, looking at a sports card market that feels like it’s running on fumes. Sure, there are still flashes of excitement, the recent release of 2025 Topps Series 1 had its moment, but compared to the pandemic boom, it’s night and day. Back then, you could rip a box of Prizm Basketball, pull an Obi Toppin Silver, and somehow still turn a profit. Those days? Long gone. And honestly, that might not be a bad thing.
Right now, the sports card industry is going through its “Dead Ball Era”, a period of correction, recalibration, and maybe even a little soul-searching. Prices on once-hyped slabs are crashing like bad crypto investments, wax is sitting on shelves longer than an aging superstar refusing to retire, and Fanatics is playing Thanos with the industry, collecting licenses like Infinity Stones.
But let’s take a step back. Is this a collapse? Or is it just the market returning to something resembling sanity?