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Online card breaking gains popularity during COVID-19 pandemic

Posted at 8:35 AM, Aug 26, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-26 09:35:38-04

Card breaking – it’s an old hobby with a new twist. You don’t have to be a sports fan to take part and you could make some serious cash.

A lot of the traditional sports card stores, like the ones we had back in the day, are starting to stream card breaking events online.

Several people buy portions of a card pack and they get to keep whatever is in that portion, regardless of how much they paid for it.

“The whole philosophy behind it is a lot of people can't afford to buy the whole pack. We offer a lot of packs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, which are very expensive,” said Charlie Parrino, co-founder of Just Rip It.

Just Rip It streams these events on Facebook and YouTube. They say there's been a lot more interest recently with a lack of sports and sports betting. It also gives a shot of nostalgia.

“Opening those packs brings up a good memory for a lot of our customers who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s, even 60s, where they relive their youth on a live stream at home and watching great packs,” said Perrino. “Even if you're in the pack or not, it's just fun to see those little time capsules open.”

Some people may pay under a hundred dollars for a break. There's a chance a card is worth millions.

“I mean, we [WOO!!!!!] set that button off, we have a lot of soundbites that we do when we pull the cards,” said Perrino. “We make it exciting, but I tell everybody it’s the community and the cards that are there that make the show exciting.”

While you could win nothing, card collectors say they've never seen a higher return on investment with sports cards.