Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot, and who's not. This week's list in...
When Stephen Nhan flips through his Pokémon collection, he sees more than just cards; it’s a piece of his childhood.
He attended the Sportsworld Collectibles Show hosted at Regina’s Northgate Mall, with a large black binder filled with vintage sets of Pokémon cards.
Read more:
- Case of vintage hockey cards discovered in Sask. sells for more than $5M
- Hobby collectors raise thousands for childhood cancer research
- Explore the Saskatchewan rock museum one kid built from scratch
He started collecting in the late 90s and is in awe of how Pokémon cards have continued to grow in popularity.
“Back when I was a child, Pokémon was the “it” thing, and it’s still one of the “it” things nowadays,” he said.
“So it’s kind of cool to see how it’s still relevant.”
Stephen Nhan’s Pokémon card collection is impressive. However, he is unsure of the monetary value of the cards within his binder, as all he cares about is a complete collection. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
While Pokémon cards were a hot ticket item, there was something for everyone at the collectible show.
“I think collectibles, they do bring all walks of people together,” Nhan said.
“It just brings everyone together, which is so nice to see, and just forms a little community.”
Flipping through Nhan’s binder, it’s easy to see that a lot of thought and effort has been put into the collection over the years.
Each card has a specific spot, and empty spaces indicate what cards are missing.
Nhan said completing his collection would provide a sense of closure.
“This has been an active collection for more than 30 years,” he said.
“So having a complete collection would just mean, ‘Wow, I’ve done something.'”
Out of the 575 cards to complete his specific collection, Nhan is on the hunt for 61.
The number of cards at the Sportsworld Collectibles Show is nearly endless. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Hobby welcomes new collectors too
While Nhan has been collecting for nearly three decades, a new generation of collectors have stepped onto the scene.
Although they’re new to the game, Ashton Reyes-Kriekne and Roselena Lidd have an impressive collection of their own.
“We’ve got the addiction on lock,” Reyes-Kriekne said with a laugh.
Ashton Reyes-Kriekne and Roselena Lidd are new to the card-collecting game but have become “addicted” to the rush. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
The pair were in the process of getting some of their cards PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) graded.
Collectors have to pay to get their cards graded and “slabbed”, but once that process is complete, the cards’ authenticity is verified, no questions asked.
While it just started out as a hobby for the pair, after pulling a rare card, they’re thinking about getting into collecting more seriously.
“We just pulled this Ho-Oh card from the newest set, and now we’re just checking it out and thinking about sending it in (for grading) because we saw the price of it,” Reyes-Kriekne said.
If the card is graded high, it could be worth $400.
Depending on the grading, this rare Ho-Oh Pokémon card could be worth $80 to $400. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
He admits getting into card collecting now has been challenging with the rise in popularity, but he is having fun in the meantime.
Reyes-Kriekne echoed the same comments as Nhan, saying that card collecting brings the community together.
Something for everyone
The man behind the show is Kelvin Roemer. He’s the show promoter and owner of Sports World in the Northgate Mall.
He’s been putting on shows for over 25 years in the city, but this was his first run doing it in the mall.
Kelvin Roemer started collecting sports cards around 45 years ago after his wife said he needed a hobby. When his card collection got too big, she suggested opening a store. The rest is history. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
He said card collecting really took off during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for Pokémon cards.
“The best part about it is that the kids collect it, teenagers collect it, adults and seniors collect it,” he said.
“When you have those factors, it’s a winner.”
In his collection, Roemer had a PSA graded nine Wayne Gretzky card. He sold it around 25 years ago for $5,000. He said that the card is now worth $220,000.
“Ouch,” he said with a laugh.
Roemer said there is truly something for everyone when it comes to collectables. He suggests collecting what you like.
“You can collect players. You can collect teams. It’s endless. That’s the best thing about the hobby. You can spend a little money, or you can spend thousands,” he said.
The next Sportsworld Collectibles Show is set for Oct. 18 at the Northgate Mall.
The collecting business runs in the family. Kelvin Roemer (right) runs the store with his wife, daughter (middle) and her boyfriend (left). (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
