25 Hot Takes for 2025!

Happy New Year, collectors!

This is about when every media company, newsletter writer and content creator drops their predictions for the new year. Rather than toss out a few of my own tepid takes, we put out an all-call to the Mantel community with a simple request: Send over 2025 predictions but make sure they’re spicy.

So without further ado, here are 25 Hot Takes for 2025 from the Mantel community:

1. We will see a 100 million dollar “Non Art” collectible sale.- @buster

2. Mack Celebrini Rookie card will be worth more than Connor Bedard’s. Bedard hasn't blown people out of the water in his second year, and Celebrini is off to a very hot start for a 1st overall pick (matching McDavid's first year).- @SD28

3. Game-worn (from 2025) will finally have some big moment as leagues / teams / players realize just how special these pieces are and there's some kind of major auction milestone with a game-worn jersey while it's the game is happening.- @alexisohanian

4. In 2025, Fanatics will put out the first ultra rare wax box and charge $100,000 per box and there will be redemptions for events like attend the Super Bowl with Taylor Swift or have drinks with Wemby at the all-star game, etc. “Experience Redemptions”.- @theboovier

5. The Rittenhouse Cheers boxes will be the hardest to find and hottest box of 2025’s first half.- @nando

6. College football and basketball cards, once undervalued, will continue to rise in value as they become the new format for prospecting much like Bowman 1st are for baseball.- @Casabreaks

7. High-end video games are still undervalued, and will move up the collecting totem pole to be in line with comics and trading cards.- @N64collector_IG

8. All major sports will introduce something similar to the MLB Debut Patch cards for baseball as the single rookie card 1:1 to chase.- @vandyfan

9. Lily Yohannes (17 years old) from Ajax and now declared US Women’s National Team member becomes the female sports breakout star in 2025.- @FigoJam

10. Topps will continue to increase prices on products, which will lead to smaller card producing companies (or the return of brand names from the past) looking increasingly attractive to collectors.- @OPCRay

11. In 2025 Topps Flagship baseball cards will sell rather quickly and will remain in the eyes of the collectors due to Barry Bonds signed cards.- @SandovalsCards

12. 2025 will be the year that really kicks the global expansion of the hobby into high gear with massive shows/interest in European markets such as Paris, London, Rome, etc, and Fanatics Live and WhatNot will expand with that as well- @GH5collection

13. We will see a first "game used jock strap" card!- @boblivesinla

14. Licensed sports NFT's will make a powerful comeback in 2025. Topps NFT's being transferred to OpenSea platform will explode due to scarcity (lemonade from a lemon).- @FigoJam

15. Fanatics will increase prices again for all of their more popular sets, Flagship, Chrome, etc. and instead of 10Xing the actual sports card hobby, they will flood the market with non-sports cards and count that as their 10X goal.- @JohnPitts1970

16. Fanatics Fest turns into a mini Comic Con due to Topps getting the rights to Disney and Marvel on January 1st. We will see actors and actresses from the movies we all love roaming around.- @Armyatc22

17. As Bobby Witt Jr. wins his first MVP award, his prices, while already high, will somehow go even higher.- @Soxfan85

18. Physical sports cards will come with embedded AR features, allowing collectors to use their smartphones to bring the cards to life. By scanning the cards, collectors will be able to see 3D holograms of players, watch highlight reels, and access exclusive interviews or training sessions.- @junkwaxhero

19. Topps will add another color(s) to the rainbow of parallels, so they can have even more 1 of 1 cards for all of the players in the set.- @JohnPitts1970

20. Player tech wearables (think Amazon next gen stats for NFL broadcasts) will become sought after relic inserts.- @MahoganyMatt

21. Vintage music - especially cassettes and CDs - will become a hot trend, as will grading physical music.- @NotToddZeile

22. Not only will we continue to see an increase in collectibles sold directly by sports stars bypassing the "traditional" marketplaces, but 2025 will bring the first athlete who sells stocks/shares to fans & investors that are based on their individual performance & accomplishments, future earnings, endorsement deals, etc.- @lancedobbins

23. AI programs like CHCK.AI and Shoebox will change the collectibles landscape forever.- @chuckbutta

24. The National starts feeling the heat from West Coast Sports Card Show (formally Burbank show), due to West Coast show bringing new ideas, new vendors, new collectors and artists, new energy, and much more collector friendly location.- @FigoJam

25. Pokemon will start to take over at card shows.- @Juju

How do you think the community did? Did we miss anything? Any predictions above way off, or way too tame? Come on over to Mantel and let us know.