Sunday, 24 Aug 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > Rare Pikachu, Kobe’s sneakers — a hidden vault guards it all
World

Rare Pikachu, Kobe’s sneakers — a hidden vault guards it all

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
Rare Pikachu, Kobe’s sneakers — a hidden vault guards it all
SHARE

The ordinary brown brick building, tucked within a nondescript block on a street in Delaware, would probably not garner much attention if it weren’t for the razor wire and armed guards outside — hints that something important lay inside, possibly even precious.

Fort Knox it is not. But the stash of collectibles the building holds is undoubtedly worthy of guarding.

There’s a rare Pikachu card and a century-old one of baseball great Honus Wagner, which recently sold for $7.25 million in a private sale. In addition to the trading cards, there are baseball bats and basketball shoes, including a pair of sneakers worn and signed by the late NBA great Kobe Bryant.

In all, $200 million in collectibles are stored in two vaults inside the building, equipped with some of the latest technology to keep the valuable cache safe from harm or thieves.

“A lot of people don’t keep jewelry at their house. They keep it at a safety deposit box,” maybe at a secure bank, said Ross Hoffman, the chief executive officer of industry giant Collectors, which operates the vault, a high-security facility specializing in protecting collectibles.

The building has no signage, and the company asked that any hint of its location not be divulged. Inside is a technologically advanced facility with a guarded vault, equipped with seismic motion detectors that will sound the alarm should anyone try to jackhammer through walls.

To move from room to room, a security guard ushers you through a card-activated double door entry way, letting the first door close before passing through the next. There are surveillance cameras everywhere.

Behind one of two 7,500-pound (3,400-kilogram) vault doors, each more than a foot thick, are rows of shelves that extend to the building’s rafters. Rows upon rows of boxes are filled with collectors’ items — including some with relatively little monetary worth but that represent sentimental value for their owners or that could someday be worth much more.

Hoffman called the facility a “pain killer.”

“There’s pain of things getting lost. There’s pain in the things getting stolen,” Hoffman said.

Interest in sports collectibles and memorabilia has boomed in recent years, not just high-ticket items but also for rediscovered pieces that had been tucked away in attics or basements. In August, a mint condition Mickey Mantle baseball card sold for $12.6 million, surpassing the $9.3 million paid for the jersey worn by Diego Maradona when he scored the contentious “Hand of God” goal in soccer’s 1986 World Cup.

“A lot of times people have collectibles for the bragging rights to show it to other people so they can go, ooh and ahh,” said Stephen Fishler, founder of ComicConnect, who has watched the growing rise — and profitability — of collectibles being traded across auction houses.

But some people don’t want the burden of being responsible for securing their property, which they view as investments akin to stocks, Fishler said. These storage facilities help better liquify collectibles by treating them as assets that can be more easily bought and sold.

Hoffman, whose company also runs one of the leading grading and authenticating services, said his newest venture is an acknowledgment of the big money now involved in collectibles.

Before the pandemic, the sports memorabilia market was estimated at more than $5.4 billion, according to a 2018 Forbes interview with David Yoken, the founder of Collectable.com.

By 2021, that market had grown to $26 billion, according to the research firm Market Decipher, which predicts the market will grow astronomically to $227 billion within a decade — partly fueled by the rise of so-called NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, which are digital collectibles with unique data-encrypted fingerprints.

While digitized NFTs don’t require vaults for safekeeping, the trade in physical collectibles is expected to remain busy and lucrative.

“For a lot of people that buy cards, they have an intention of selling it,” Hoffman said, “so to to keep it liquid and safe is a great thing.”

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article North Korea continues missile barrage with ICBM test North Korea continues missile barrage with ICBM test
Next Article G7 ministers meet with Ukraine war, China ties on agenda G7 ministers meet with Ukraine war, China ties on agenda

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Michael Keaton Dedicates ‘Dopesick ‘SAG Award Win to Late Nephew Who Died from Drug Addiction

Michael Keaton gave a heartfelt dedication for his big win.The Dopesick star, 70, was awarded…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

¿Cuánto tiempo puedo usar el mismo respirador N95, KN95 o KF94?

Nunca intentes limpiar tu cubrebocas de alto rendimiento. Aunque parezca un tejido sintético, las mascarillas…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Packers All-Professional Harshly Dismisses Rivalry With Montez Sweat

(Picture by Michael Reaves/Getty Photographs)   One of many NFL’s oldest and most fierce rivalries…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Ukraine Live Updates: Russia Casts Doubt on Future of International Space Station

Graham Phillips in 2018, as he was being escorted away by police officers after he…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

‘A dangerous moment’: the emboldening of Britain’s far proper
World

‘A dangerous moment’: the emboldening of Britain’s far proper

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Trout farm in Cotswolds vacationer hotspot accused of welfare abuses
World

Trout farm in Cotswolds vacationer hotspot accused of welfare abuses

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
UN-backed specialists declare famine in and round Gaza Metropolis
World

UN-backed specialists declare famine in and round Gaza Metropolis

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Putin needs to ‘wriggle out’ of assembly, Zelenskyy claims, and says Russia doesn’t need to finish conflict – Europe stay
World

Putin needs to ‘wriggle out’ of assembly, Zelenskyy claims, and says Russia doesn’t need to finish conflict – Europe stay

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?