As the multi-billion-dollar trading card industry continues to grow, new forms of buying and selling, including digital repacks and randomized products with limited transparency around sourcing, odds and value, are raising new questions around consumer protection, accountability and trust.

New cultural-history book traces 150 years of trading-card innovation, collecting, community and the modern hobby (ROSEMONT, Ill) — July 29, 2026 — Alladan Flinn, founder of Based Trading Cards, and Nick Jarman, Founder and CEO of the Certified Trading Card Association (CTCA), have announced their forthcoming book, Cardboard Kings: The History of Trading Cards, a comprehensive look at the history, culture and evolution of trading cards. Scheduled for release during the 2026 h