It’s Finals time, Collectors, and as Mike Metzler wrote on Monday, the postseason is setting the NBA collectibles market on fire.
The Knicks’ first NBA Finals appearance in more than 50 years is creating a hobby surge, with eBay searches for Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, and other Knicks players skyrocketing over the past few weeks.
And as we cover down below, Victor Wembanyama continues to fuel record-breaking demand after a monster season and run through the Western Conference playoffs.
Last night was just one game… nobody knows how this series will end up… but given the choices are a title-starved (and rabid/insane) NYK fan base or perhaps the most freakishly good global superstar to emerge in a generation in Wemby, there is no way the hype and related buying frenzy will die down anytime soon.
We love it.
At this point we all know, Topps isn’t going to miss a chance to create FOMO out of a major sporting moment, so it was no surprise (at least at Mantel HQ) that Spurs and Knicks jerseys in the NBA Finals all feature a special USA 250 patch that will eventually be added into trading cards. The program builds on the success of Debut Patch and Gold Logoman cards, which have already generated massive collector demand (mostly for the lucky, well-heeled or Fortune 500 collectors). With Victor Wembanyama’s market reaching new heights—including a recent $5.1M rookie card sale—and Jalen Brunson leading the Knicks to their first Finals in decades, patches from this year’s series could become some of the most sought-after modern memorabilia cards ever produced.
As we just said, the Wemby market continues to reach new heights. For most of us who can’t bid on cards that cost 7-figures (or 6-figures… or 5-figures…or…), it can be a hard market to wade into. Thankfully J.R. Fickle picked his favorite sub-$500 Wemby card to collect, the 2023-24 Prizm Deca. But proceed with caution: in the exact same article, Fickle waxed poetic about tennis prospect João Fonseca, who proceeded to get knocked out of Roland Garros less than 12 hours after the prediction was published. Perhaps that means he’s now a more affordable buy?
🦖🦖 DINO BREAK! 🦖🦖
We’ll cover this way more as the auction gets closer, but Sotheby’s announced the coming sale of one seriously impressive T-Rex.
Hey AJ Scaramucci, if you’re reading the newsletter, I think “Gus” fits your Treasure Trove buying thesis!
This news broke just hours after Above the Mantel published last week, so this might be old to many of you, but still, we had to include it. PSA is temporarily shutting down all Value-tier grading submissions after its backlog ballooned past 10M cards. (Yes, 10M cards in the queue). The pause affects its most affordable services and comes on the heels of PSA announcing a $200M infrastructure investment just weeks ago. Higher-end submission tiers will remain open, but turnaround times are being extended (which is not a surprise, given PSA has more than 10M cards hanging around their offices). While we thought the delays could create an opening for PSA competitors, both CGC and TAG announced last week some delays of their own. Maybe keeping cards raw is the move?
Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Sotheby’s might just be selling two of the coolest items of the summer (this one, and you know, that T-Rex I mentioned). Pele’s match-worn jersey from the 1958 World Cup Final is headed to auction with a $6M estimate (which I think it’ll blow through), potentially making it the most valuable soccer memorabilia item ever sold. Worn by a 17-year-old Pele during Brazil’s 5-2 victory over Sweden, the shirt marks the beginning of one of sports’ most legendary careers and carries exceptional provenance, having been gifted directly to teammate Dida after the match. Since the whole world will be soccer crazy in just a few weeks, the seller (and Sotheby’s) couldn’t have timed this any better.
Pokémon’s growth shows no signs of slowing. The Pokémon Company reported fiscal 2026 revenue of $3.34B, up 29% year-over-year, while net profit surged more than 70% to $754M. Trading cards remain a major driver, with roughly 10 billion cards printed in the past year alone and more than 85 billion produced all-time. Demand continues to outpace supply (which is crazy given those production numbers), fueled by new collectors, sold-out product releases, and the success of Pokémon TCG Pocket. In response, the company is expanding manufacturing capacity, tightening distribution control, and introducing anti-scalping measures. Sure, some still think it’s a bubble, but given we read a new story each week about Pokémon’s momentum, we don’t think the burst is coming anytime soon.
