As the Atlanta Braves prepare to face off against the San Diego Padres to inaugurate the 2025 Major League Baseball season, it’s not just the teams that are readying for action. An entirely different kind of team is warming up—a brigade of baseball card collectors, eager and poised at the starting line, peering through plastics for the next cardboard Kirk Gibson or Mickey Mantle. These collectors, eyes twinkling with the dreams of potential jackpots, are strategically elbowing toward the prospect showcase, betting big on names yet to echo in baseball stadiums.
Opening Day hasn’t even lit up the skies, and yet collectors everywhere are diving headfirst into boxes and participating in online bid wars as if they’re in the midst of the seventh inning. For these aficionados, their hobby has transcended beyond mere pastime. It’s now a strategic investment—except the stock market here is made out of cardboard, and this brokerage market thrives on potential home runs both on and off the diamond.
At Cards HQ in Atlanta, which proudly waves the banner of the world’s largest card shop, manager Ryan Van Oost stands amid the fervor and feels the storm in full force. The shop’s visitors have turned what should have been a pastel-painted weekend into a riotous tie-dye of frenetic activity and overzealous bargaining.
“We keep all of our Atlanta cards over here,” Van Oost explains, gesturing to what used to be a bountiful section of Braves singles. What once was a dense forest of Braves insignia now looks like the aftermath of a lumberjack’s weekend getaway—completely picked over.
“Crazy doesn’t even describe the scene,” he continues, shaking his head with a bemused smile. The shop mirrors rush hour more than a leisurely exploration of a hobbyist’s haven, with barely enough room to appreciate the lineup of players both star-spangled and obscure.
But what’s most telling about this whole scenario? It’s not the familiar power players like Ronald Acuña Jr. these collectors are sizing up; the real excitement circulates around names most casual fans might think are new models of cars or exotic fruits. Today, the showroom’s abuzz with talks of a fresh bloom named Nacho Alvarez.
Just 30 major league at-bats in, Alvarez’s trading card is setting accounts back a cool $5,000 at Cards HQ. “This is his first card ever,” Van Oost shares, adeptly describing the kind of jack-in-the-box clamour that accompanies a debut. Collectors, it seems, are delightfully unhinged by the potential for freshman-glow glory.
Meanwhile, Alvarez finds himself momentarily overshadowed by another prospect star yet to grace SportsCenter showcases—Drake Baldwin. No MLB game appearances to his name, Baldwin is the subject of card collector frenzy due to a roster spot opened by unexpected injuries. This is all it took for every keen-eyed investor to zero in.
Van Oost laughs at the pandemonium. “Everyone’s asking about Baldwin,” he explains. “He’s set to start behind the plate—a fact that zapped our stocks. We can’t keep ’em on the shelves.”
It’s almost a time-honored tradition among this community: stake your claim on the unproven, roll the dice, and sit in anticipation. Recently, this gamble saw one lucky individual collect a very profitable draw—Paul Skenes’ rookie card. With a shockingly limited 23 professional outings known to his name, Skenes has scored a card auctioned for a staggering $1.11 million. There was even the cherry on top—lifetime Pirates season tickets for thirty years as part of the golden deal.
“Some kid out in California hit the jackpot,” Van Oost reminisces about the monumental sale. “Walked away with $1.1 million. It’s otherworldly.”
But for every collectible climbing in value, scores of cards languish in penny sleeves—dreams for superstars evaporating like morning dew. Yet for those collectors with just the right intuition—and perhaps a bit of fortune—the payoff transcends that of mere pocket change.
Van Oost is himself embracing this high-stakes world where card flips might rival stock tips. “I’m all-in on this,” he chuckles, projecting a future where sports cards perhaps replace retirement plans. Who needs a 401K when the face of an MLB prospect smiles up from cardboard cuts, promising untapped potential and possibly, tangible fortunes?
