Rob Gronkowski, the former New England Patriots tight end, says his childhood hobby of trading card collecting has returned to a “super peak” and is now drawing renewed attention.
He plans to appear in a collectibles event at The National Sports Collectors Convention on Aug. 1 while launching “Gronk Geeks Out.”
In interviews, Gronkowski described collecting as part of his life since he was young, noting that it rose to a peak, dipped, and then surged again.
He said he collected baseball cards and NHL cards as his two favorites during his youth.
Gronkowski also described how a friend followed his playing career through card collecting, spending about a decade buying cards of the former Buccaneers tight end.
The friend accumulated around a hundred cards and told Gronkowski they are now worth even more.
Before the convention, Gronkowski is teaming with eBay Live to launch “Gronk Geeks Out,” a series that follows him as he explores the collecting world and learns its details.
The planned appearance ties his post-football routine to his longstanding interest in sports cards.
“That's when collecting trading cards was huge,” said Gronkowski.
He added that after a period of decline, collecting has reached what he called an all-time high in popularity.
“That was at its peak and then it kind of dipped a little bit, and now it's at its super peak,” said Gronkowski.
Gronkowski said his early collecting focused on two categories and that the hobby began as a pastime he returned to over time.
“I collected baseball cards and NHL cards. Those were my two favorite hobbies to do,” said Gronkowski.
He explained that his friend’s long-running collecting effort began during Gronkowski’s playing career and continued for about 10 years.
“My buddy was a big collector throughout my career, and he was buying cards on eBay of myself,” said Gronkowski.
According to Gronkowski, the friend ultimately told him how many cards he had and what he believed the collection was now worth.
“He did it for like 10 years straight.
Then he finally told me, and he has like a hundred of my playing cards, and he said he bought them all off of eBay.
He says they're worth even more now. So he's all pumped,” said Gronkowski.
Asked about the card he most wants to pull, Gronkowski pointed to high-end basketball rarities tied to Michael Jordan.
“If I ever pulled like a one-of-one, or even a number like a one-of-10 Michael Jordan card, that would be absolutely legendary,” said Gronkowski.
He said he does not know whether such pulls are still possible, but a numbered Michael Jordan card would be his ideal find.
“I don't even know if it's possible anymore or not, but a Michael Jordan pull, a numbered Michael Jordan would be my ideal pull,” said Gronkowski.
