July was the biggest month in what is shaping up to be another big year for the trading card industry. According to CardLadder, which tracks trading card sales across online marketplaces, more than $308 million was spent on cards last month — and that’s not counting all the in-person deals that happened as The National Sports Collectors Convention got underway in Chicago as July turned to August — the highest monthly total so far this year.

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As by far the largest collectibles marketplace, eBay accounted for about 86 percent (about $266 million, by CardLadder’s tally). So what were collectors buying, selling, and searching for in such big numbers? The answers tell a lot about the current state of the sports card market.

According to eBay, the five most searched athletes on the platform are names that have dominated the list all year long: Michael Jordan, Jayden Daniels, Caitlin Clark, JJ McCarthy, and Shohei Ohtani. But while those names have firmly been atop the most searched list, some newcomers have been on the rise. Search interest in New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo jumped more than 190 percent from June to July and searches for “Tetairoa McMillan auto,” referencing autographs from the Carolina Panthers’ rookie receiver, shot up more than 300 percent, eBay says.

In baseball, four rookies have seen significant increases in searches from March to July:

And those searches for Kurtz have translated to big money moving into the Athletics’ first baseman’s cards. GemRate, which tracks graded card populations, has started compiling eBay sales data, which showed that Kurtz had the biggest increase in money shifting into his cards of any athlete in July.

1. Nick Kurtz: +$935k ($1.15 million total July sales, $2.12m YTD)

2. Hulk Hogan: +$840k ($960k, $1.8m)

3. Caitlin Clark: +$734k ($3.08m, $15.16m)

4. Michael Jordan: +$600k ($5.37m, $34.10m)

5. Shohei Ohtani: +$393k ($3.82m, $24.13m)

6. Ryne Sandberg: +$336k

7. Cal Raleigh: +$316k

8. LeBron James: +$286k

9. Tom Brady: +$270k

10. Patrick Mahomes: +$247k

Some takeaways from this list: While Kurtz’s spike was huge, his overall market is still relatively small. It will likely take a larger sample size of success to grow his market, especially since he’s playing for the Athletics. … The deaths of Hogan and Sandberg prompted fans to pay tribute by adding to their collections. … Just a little more than half this list is active players, showing the power retired legends retain in the collectibles market. … Clark continued to be a force in the card market even as her second season in the WNBA has been hampered by injuries, showing that buyers still see long-term value with her.

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What about the biggest drops in July?

1. Lamine Yamal: -$797k

2. Jac Caglianone: -$728k

3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: -$666k

4. Tyrese Haliburton: -$614k

5. Jacob Wilson: -$305k

6. Roman Anthony: -$283k

7. Connor McDavid: -$249k

8. Jalen Williams: -$208k

9. Chase Burns: -$197k

10. Drake Maye: -$128k

Takeaways: While just 60 percent of the first list is active players, 100 percent of this list is active players, showing the more jarring fluctuations current athletes are subject to in the collectibles market. … This list also illustrates the cyclical and at often fickle nature of the sports card market. SGA, Haliburton, and Williams all saw drops after making big gains during the NBA Playoffs. The same goes for Yamal as European club soccer was in its offseason and McDavid with the NHL campaign ending. Buying increases during the season (raising prices) and drops in the offseason (lowering prices) — it’s a common trend savvy buyers and sellers can take advantage of. … Then there’s the churn of MLB prospecting that Caglianone, Wilson, Anthony, and Burns all fell victim to here. Prospectors like a hyped minor leaguer but once they reach the majors and they don’t immediately play at a Hall of Fame level, it’s on to the next guy. … Even though Yamal had the biggest drop, his sales were still significant. At $1.2 million, they were still higher than Lionel Messi’s ($783k) and Cristiano Ronaldo’s ($305k) combined.

A look at which NFL players buyers are gravitating toward ahead of the new season is also informative:

1. Tom Brady: +$270k

2. Patrick Mahomes: +$249k

3. Joe Burrow: +$218k

4. Lamar Jackson: +$135k

5. Josh Allen: +$114k

6. Michael Penix Jr.: +$90k

7. Barry Sanders: +$88k

8. Ja’Marr Chase: +$76k

9. Anthony Richardson: +$70k

10. Jerry Rice: +$52k

16. Jeremiah Smith: +$44k

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17. Arch Manning: +$42k

For full sales trends check out GemRate.

Takeaways: Quarterbacks naturally dominate the list, but legends at other positions in Sanders and Rice show their staying power and perhaps the strength of nostalgia for their era right now in the collectibles world. Chase stands out as the only active non-QB. Buyers seem to be anticipating a big year from him and Burrow, who’s ahead of Allen and Jackson on the list. … Maybe it’s lack of faith in Daniel Jones, but the money going toward Anthony Richardson seems like a low-cost gamble on him finally fulfilling his rookie hype. Even at the reduced cost, whether it pays off or not is another question, though. … Smith and Manning are included here even though they’re outside the top 10 to show the college players that speculators are consolidating around. … If you’re wondering how McCarthy can be on the list of the five most searched athletes across all sports but not on this list, it’s because his total sales have been consistently strong going back to the spring. A lot of football card buyers have high hopes for him this season and that started well before July.

eBay testing new features likely to impact card sales

Following eBay’s roll-out of extended bidding testing last month that is still ongoing, the company shared details of another new feature test that recently began: real-time auction updates via “Live Activities” on iOS. “The new feature will allow buyers to track the final 10 minutes of any auction via the iOS Live Activities feature,” eBay said. In other words, the days of having to set a separate timer so you can remember to track the final minutes of an auction after getting the “15 minutes left” notification may soon be over. This feature would keep those final minutes of an auction front of mind by surfacing them on your iPhone’s lock screen. Some further details on the test from eBay:

If a user has already bid on the item, they’ll see Live Activities 10 minutes before the auction ends. If their first bid is within the final 10 minutes of an auction, they’ll see Live Activities just after placing their first bid.

The test is for a limited pool of users who have iOS 17.2 or higher.

This rollout is to all auctions, not just collectibles, but is especially important for trading card and memorabilia buyers where bidding is often concentrated near the end of the auction.

An example of what eBay’s real-time auction updates feature would look like. (Image: eBay)

“Our test of real-time updates via iOS Live Activities underscores our commitment to making auctions on eBay as seamless as possible,” said Adam Ireland, VP and general manager, Global Collectibles at eBay. “From casual bidders to serious collectors, this feature keeps buyers in the action right up to the final moments.”

The last part of that quote is particularly interesting. Should the lock screen auction updates and extended bidding both be fully implemented at some point, they could contribute to higher auction prices realized and thus higher card values across the board by keeping more bidders engaged and keeping bidding going for longer. The Athletic will provide further details on these potential features when they’re available.

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(Top image: Scott Marshall/Getty Images)