Important PSA, adult collectors: Stop taking event-used mementos from kids.
Two weeks ago it was the guy yanking tennis player Kamil Majchrzak’s hat from the in the stands at the US Open. And over the weekend it was the grown woman dressing down a father who had the gall to grab a home run ball hit into the bleachers and gift it to his young son.
It’s a bizarre impulse to want to tussle with a kid over what is essentially a keepsake. The two items in question — a hat and a home run ball — aren’t exactly priceless pieces of memorabilia (cllct’s Darren Rovell , and we’d guess the hat of Majchrzak, currently the 62nd ranked tennis player in the world, would be valued at even less).
Is a $125 ball worth ruining a kid’s day for? Getting canceled for?
Wouldn’t it be more fun to make a kid’s day instead, like the Blue Jays fan who famously gifted a home run ball to a young Yankees fan sitting behind him?
If a video of you at a game is going to go viral, make it be like the one below, please.
Week 1 of the NFL season sparked immediate movement in the collectibles market, with savvy collectors scanning eBay for under-the-radar Prizm Silver PSA 10 rookies poised for breakout value. Justin Fields ($162), Quentin Johnston ($22), and Keon Coleman ($60) headline the list of buy-low targets after explosive showings. J.J. McCarthy may offer better value than Caleb Williams based on early returns, while Bijan Robinson remains bafflingly under $100 . Meanwhile, rookies like Emeka Egbuka and Ashton Jeanty are trending up, and Daniel Jones may be the comeback story worth betting on (words I never thought I’d write).
Topps is launching its first-ever Collector Appreciation Day on September 20, offering exclusive giveaways for anyone who flashes a Topps card at MLB ball parks and select retail stores. Fans at Mets, Orioles, and Reds games can score food vouchers or mystery swag, while nationwide retailers like Dick’s, GameStop, and the MLB Store are handing out pins, perks, and even PSA submission discounts. It’s a simple premise: show a card, get rewarded, and a nice way for Topps to reward collectors.
The Pokémon card market continues to dazzle, with an index by Card Ladder showing a staggering 3,821% return since 2004, far outpacing the S&P 500. Fueled by pandemic-era nostalgia, influencer hype, and a steady stream of new entrants, collectors are treating Pikachu and Charizard like blue-chip assets. From climate-controlled “card vaults” to starter collections rediscovered on paternity leave, Pokémon cards are now seen as alt-investments with sentimental upside, and unlike pro athletes, your favorite fire-breathing dragon won’t blow out a knee midseason.
eBay CEO Jamie Iannone says the company’s collectibles business is now a $10B juggernaut, powered by a rising tide of Pokémon cards (see above), vintage cars, Labubu dolls (but for how long?), and used goods. In a recent Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast appearance, Iannone highlighted eBay’s shift from traditional auctions to a hybrid marketplace, tapping into the resale economy and Gen Z collector culture. With refurbished items making up 40% of sales and global collectibles poised to grow to $422.56B by 2030, eBay’s toolkit for collectors and sellers, combined with economic conditions nudging more households to monetize their closets, puts it in pole position.
What else is fueling that eBay collectibles surge? Could streaming be playing a small role? With shows disappearing from streaming platforms due to licensing shifts or tax write-offs, collectors are turning to physical media for permanence and control. Whether it’s Criterion-hunting, hoarding obscure VHS tapes, or preserving “unedited” versions of beloved series, this analog revival isn’t about sentimentality, it’s about autonomy. For many, streaming feels increasingly unreliable; ownership, even in the form of a dusty DVD, feels like security. In a world where your favorite show might vanish tomorrow, collecting has become a quiet act of resistance.
Christie’s has shuttered its digital art department and parted ways with Nicole Sales Giles, its VP of digital, marking a formal step away from the standalone NFT era that began with the $69.3M sale of Beeple’s Everydays in 2021. The auction house will continue to offer digital art, but only within its broader 20th- and 21st-century art categories. The move comes amid a prolonged collapse in the NFT market with industry data showing that most NFTs are now functionally worthless.
From Rolex GMTs to obscure wood watches, wristwear in the West Wing has become a quiet showcase of power, pride, and personal history. A new Watches of Espionage dispatch captures world leaders and insiders like FBI Director Kash Patel with his Bremont S500, Japan’s PM rocking a Grand Seiko, and Bahrain’s Crown Prince flexing a titanium Yacht-Master. The insider photos are a showcase in style, wealth and function, like billionaire envoy Steve Witkoff wearing a $50K+ AP tourbillon… and yes, Tulsi Gabbard may need a watch intervention. Power, it seems, ticks louder than ever.
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