This Exciting Hobby In Montana Is Gaining In Popularity

The sports card and collectibles hobby has blown up over the past few years,  and Montana, is no exception. There has been a renewed interest in the industry from both the manufacturers and collectors. I recently spoke with Jason Rivers from Zootown Sports Cards about the renewed interest. 

It definitely blew up over the COVID period, 2020 and 2021. It just kind of exploded. People kind of stuck at home going through their attics and basements and storage and finding their old sports cards and discovering them and then getting into them nostalgically with their kids.

 

The Industry Has Changed Too

The card industry has taken notice too. The cards and autographs aren’t like they were in yesteryear. Jason had this to say, 

Back in our day, we had Topps, Donruss, Fleer, and Upper Deck. They didn't print anything special in the 70's and 80's. It wasn't rare cards. Then they started inserting relics, pieces of uniforms into the cards, autograph cards, and it just blew up. From there. It started to get more and more popular.  

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Could Someone In Montana Find A Rare Card

The rarer the card, the more valuable. That doesn’t mean a card has to be old. There are valuable and rare cards that are in packs that you purchase today. I asked Jason about the odds of someone in Montana getting one of the rarer cards. He said, 

Your odds are, technically the same. Wherever you are buying it. You know, those big, big cards are rare. They're there. They're highly valuable; because they are very rare. 

Sports Card and Collectible Show In Missoula

Zootown Sports Cards is located in the Stephens Center in Missoula and they are putting on a “Sports Cards and Collectibles” show, April, 1st at the Hilton Garden Inn on North Reserve in Missoula. There will be no admission and it is for the entire family. The event will have more than just sports collectibles, they will have Pokemon cards too. If you have an autograph that you would like to have authenticated, they will have representatives on hand from JSA, who can help verify an autograph for a fee. For some, sports cards are more than just a hobby and nostalgia, they can potentially be worth a lot of money.