Ted Mann, founder of CollX, on how tech has changed card collecting

Aug 04, 2025

TED MANN, COLLX, LIVE FROM THE NATIONAL SPORTS COLLECTORS CONVENTION

App lets users snap a photo of any trading card to ID and value it instantly
- “Take a picture of any trading card… you get the value in under a second.”
Now has over 3.5 million users scanning 2 million cards daily
- “The marketplace is booming… I think it’s become a place people look to buy cards as much, if not more, than eBay.”
Thanks Rich for being one of the earliest to help spread the word
- “I’ve probably had three dozen people come up to me saying they heard about CollX from you.”

Live video selling has exploded—like QVC for collectibles
- “A fifth of the show floor is dedicated to Whatnot streamers and breakers.”
“Breaking” = buying high-end boxes and selling team slots to participants
- “You can buy your team for $50 and get all the cards from that team.”
Whatnot, Fanatics Live, Walmart, and eBay are all getting into the space
- “These streamers are running hundred-million-dollar businesses.”

New trend: buying graded cards in sealed mystery boxes as a product
- “It’s like opening a pack, but instead of raw cards, you’re ripping open slabs.”
Companies like Arena Club and Courtyard are innovating here

AI now helping collectors price and evaluate wax boxes (sealed packs)
- “Platforms like WaxStat let you check if you’re getting a good deal before buying.”
CollX and others using AI to speed up card recognition and value tracking
- “We’ve integrated a ton of AI to improve search and identification.”

Card collecting is booming across generations
- “So many people are getting back into it because their kids are into it.”
Convention attendance was expected to hit 150,000+
CollX has become an entry point for new collectors
- “It’s a mix of nostalgia and new tech that’s pulling people back in.”