The Olympics is an event that can drive interest and popularity not only in specific sports or individual athletes, but also in a variety of collectibles. The global nature of the Olympics, the way it cross-pollinates fans of various sports, and the way it attracts very casual or non-sports fans, can drive demand tremendously.
Take basketball, for example. The men’s gold medal game between the United States and France averaged 19.5 million viewers in the United States alone, while the most recent NBA Finals averaged 11.3 million viewers. The women’s gold medal game averaged 7.8 million viewers in the United States (at 9:30 a.m. ET), and last year’s WNBA Finals averaged 728,000 viewers. A sudden influx of new viewers creates a short, immediate surge of interest that quickly fades, but in some cases can be the foundation for long-term growth. It can be an introduction that creates new fans and collectors.
With that in mind, let’s look back at the 2024 Olympics using eBay’s insights.
Athletes (and rappers) who are seeing a surge in collector interest
The most searched for Team USA men’s basketball players on eBay during the Olympics were LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, and Steph Curry. It’s no surprise that James and Curry made it to the top, given their status as legends of the game and how they played in big moments for Team USA. But it’s notable that Edwards was searched for at that level on the marketplace (as opposed to a more general interest platform like Google).
On the day Team USA beat Serbia in the semifinals, Edwards’ ungraded 202o Panini Prizm Silver card (a popular analogue in the most popular NBA sets, with a slightly more favorable supply/demand balance than the plentiful Prizm base rookie cards) was back to where it was at the start of the NBA Western Conference Finals in May (around $320), when he was one of the top performers in the postseason up to that point, before dropping back to under $200 in late June/early July. There was another dip as Edwards failed to make a splash in the semifinals or finals of the Olympic tournament, but the card is still above its all-time low after its elimination from the NBA playoffs. But he should make another leap this season and show up better in key moments to further fuel collector interest.
Steph Curry (L) and Anthony Edwards after receiving their gold medals. (Photo: DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images)
The most searched Team USA players on eBay for women were Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, and Kelsey Plum. Taurasi did not play in the gold medal game and averaged just 1 ppg in the tournament, but she did win her sixth gold medal, a new record for the sport. Notably absent from this group was A’ja Wilson, who was named the tournament’s MVP and is the favorite to win her third WNBA MVP trophy this season. There have always been players who have far surpassed collectors’ interest, but this time it seems like a generational talent/all-time great has been seriously underrated.
The Olympics have given a boost to women’s sports memorabilia. Katie Ledecky sales have been on the rise throughout the Olympics, with her 2024 Topps Chrome Ledecky Legacy autographed superfractor (the one-of-a-kind parallel lines pictured below) selling for a record $4,037. Two Simone Biles cards have sold for more than $2,000 each. But perhaps most impressively, a signed superfractor and a patch from the 2024 Topps Chrome Olympics set of Ilona Maher, a bronze-medal-winning U.S. rugby team star, sold for $1,743 and $1,500, respectively. Not far removed from sales for Biles, a more established star in a more popular sport in the United States.
It’s always difficult to assess the long-term value of an Olympian in a sport that doesn’t get mainstream attention every year in the United States. Ledecky and Biles, the former tied for the most Olympic gold medals (nine) for a female athlete, while the latter comes in second (seven), both have a greater cultural presence and could remain strong. Their legacies are established. But unless rugby dramatically gains popularity, Maher’s staying power seems unlikely. (That said, monetary value is often not a primary concern for collectors, especially if they have no intention of selling a given item. And when a unique item comes out, it’s often impossible to wait for more buyer-friendly terms.)
The U.S. women’s soccer team won gold thanks to the trio of Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson (or “Triple Espresso,” as they call themselves). All of them scored big goals, and each time they did, eBay searches spiked significantly. Searches for Swanson spiked 580% on eBay after her gold-winning goal against Brazil (compared to the previous week). Cards from the 2024 Topps Chrome Olympic set, autographed by Smith and Swanson (pictured below), attracted particular interest, selling for $628 and $700, respectively, on Aug. 18, a week after the tournament ended.
A few non-American athletes also saw a significant spike in searches, one of which was a men’s tennis finalist. After his gold medal, searches for Novak Djokovic were up 450% week-over-week, while searches for silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz were up 80%. These are two of the biggest names in a popular sport, so the fact that success at the Olympics can drive a spike in market searches is a testament to the new, broader audience the event brings. With the US Open currently underway and the new Topps Chrome tennis sets out in the wild, there’s a chance to keep some of that interest.
The Olympics could blur the already-fuzzy line between sports and non-sports collectibles. Snoop Dogg’s custom Olympic pin went viral, with eBay users around the world searching for “Snoop Dogg pin” nearly 140 times per hour on July 30 and 31. And with the 2028 Olympics coming to his hometown of Los Angeles, this may not be the last we hear about Snoop Dogg’s Olympic pin.
Coco Gauff has it @snoopdogg #Olympics Pin 🤩#Paris2024 | #tennis pic.twitter.com/W6zRDFoeae
— ITF (@ITFTennis) July 29, 2024
Industry view
like work out As we continue to expand our coverage of collectibles, we will include perspectives and observations from across the hobby. Since this is our first foray into eBay Insights, we begin with the executives who oversee collectibles operations.
The interest in Snoop Dogg pins and Olympic pins points to a variety of collectibles that have gained popularity in recent years.
“Of course trading cards are a huge part of it, but the interesting thing is that new categories emerge, sometimes they disappear, and sometimes they stay the same,” said Adam Ireland, eBay’s vice president and general manager of global collectibles. work out At last month’s National Sports Collector Convention, he cited sealed vintage electronics and Type 1 photos as examples.
“Someone once said that the nostalgia factor starts to kick in around the 25-year mark, when people start to have money and spend it on things that remind them of their happy childhood,” he said, noting that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles merchandise has been popular because that time period is now relevant to older generations, while new movies and shows in the franchise are also attracting younger generations.
Chad Ochocinco brings the crowd to eBay Live at The National. (Photo courtesy of eBay)
Trading card games that can evoke nostalgia are also drawing a lot of attention. Ireland says they are “very strong.” “Obviously[Disney’s]Lorcana was another big push in that area, but Pokemon is still going strong, and the recent release of Magic: The Gathering has been really, really successful. … (Lorcana) and Disney collectible pins, lots of historical artifacts, toys, vinyl – there are so many categories in the collectibles space, but you find that sports is the single biggest category.”
Ireland hopes the Netflix series “The Collectibles King: The Goldin Touch,” which follows Goldin Auctions, which was recently acquired by eBay, will help broaden interest in collectibles.
“It’s easy to think of collectibles as a niche, but it’s getting to No. 4 on the Netflix charts, and that’s going to bring more and more people into the hobby,” he said. “It’s amazing how many people I’ve talked to who have said, ‘My wife watches this show, and she understands why I’m so excited about this.’ So from that perspective, I think it’s going to open up, it’s going to democratize.”
The Athletic maintains complete editorial independence in all its reporting. We may earn a commission if you click on a link or make a purchase.
(Above photo: Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
