Auston Matthews turning the hockey card industry upside down
It has been a long time since Maple Leafs fans have had much to cheer about.
The jokes are prominent, but make no mistake, the Leafs Nation is large.
That's most apparent by what Leafs saviour Auston Matthews is doing to the hockey card industry.
The hobby boomed last fall when new cards of phenom Connor McDavid hit the market.
But this year, Ultimate Sportscards owner Rob Collins says it’s going to a whole new level.
“I would have thought and told people it would start at about $100 and $150 but then he comes and scores four goals in his first game and right away the price goes through the roof,” said Collins, who owns a hockey card orientated business located on Cassells Street in North Bay.
But $150 would be a bargain right now. With his first Upper Deck Young Gun card being released on November 9th, pre-sales are going for more than $300 US each; an incredible price for a card to start right out of the gate.
“What’s happening is, because of McDavid’s Young Gun last year going so high so fast, and selling out, that’s what’s happening with Matthews now. Matthews' Young Gun is not even available, and people are pre-paying for them and paying anything,” said Collins.
Collins says that Matthews hype is great news for the hockey card business.
“It definitely is growing. It is definitely getting stronger and there’s more and more collectors,” he said.
“You see it, there are more and more people buying the cards now. I think it’s these young guys coming into the NHL that have all this skill and talent. It’s also the production, they only make so much product.”
Collins says Matthews' popularity definitely stems from the team he is playing for.
“It’s humungous, Toronto is the most marketable team in the NHL,” said Collins.
“So what happens is, because it’s Toronto, you have all the Toronto base fans buying them and you have all the rookie base guys buying them, so now you have double the people buying Auston Matthews.”
And if Matthews' success continues, there’s really no way to know how much it can eventually go for.
“The product is selling out, Artifacts (another less expensive brand) is sold out, Upper Deck Series One is sold out and it’s not even here until November 9th,” Collins added.
“Upper Deck Black Diamond is pre-sold out. So when you have products that are sold out and they are not even released yet it’s good business right?
“It’s fantastic. It’s fantastic for the hobby.”
