With a record $5.2 million sale in January of a vintage Mickey Mantle rookie card, soaring speculation about new cards featuring young NBA stars such as Zion Williamson, and unprecedented interest in cards for soccer and other international sports, the industry is booming like never before.
The prospect of finding a one-of-a-kind card is just part of the allure, Mr. Goldin said.
“It’s the Willy Wonka Golden Ticket theory,” he said.
With the luck of the draw and the potential of a profitable investment, opening a deck of packaged cards can be more exhilarating than buying a lottery ticket or purchasing a share of GameStop stock.