KUER
The trading card industry across the country and in Utah has exploded since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Buyers and sellers say it’s because of a combination of people being stuck inside and seeing cards as an investment.
John Zenes lives in Stansbury Park a small town about 30 minutes west of Salt Lake City. In late January, he hosted a video on Facebook live in his Cardboard Dreams group. Zenes co-owns The Cardboard Kids, his trading card business, and has been involved with trading cards since 1979 when he was just 8 years old.
Zenes introduced himself to the dozens of people who tuned in to see what treasure he might find, then he started breaking or ripping card packs that’s the lingo for opening them. The first selection of the evening was a 1980’s baseball pack from the manufacturer Topps.