Riding the coat tails of the biggest sporting event in the world, comes a huge industry in merchandise and collectibles.
For instance, in the UK alone the Centre for Economics and Business Research has estimated shoppers will spend up to $3-billion Australian dollars just on clothing goods, during the World Cup frenzy.
With merchants focusing their attention on big-ticket items such as team uniforms and fluffy toys, there’s also a huge cashless trading economy in cards, stickers, badges and other tiny collectibles.
And along with children in the schoolyard getting involved in this trading economy there are the serious collectors: men who spend a great deal of effort chasing missing pieces of a collector’s puzzle.
Adam Connors looks at Australia’s sport trading card and sticker industry, and how this economy captures the hearts of grown men.
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