If you find yourself at a social gathering, and you’re looking to strike up an interesting conversation, try asking, “Did you collect anything as a kid?”
It’s a fun question that will spark all kinds of interesting stories about bug collections, coins, dolls, baseball cards, action figures, beanie babies, Pokémon cards, comic books, ocean glass, bottle caps, golf balls, and bobble heads.
Folks tend to leave behind their collecting habits as they age, but for some, collecting starts up again as they reach midlife, looking back to earlier times with nostalgia, and plenty of disposable income ready to recapture some childhood magic.
This is where Ken Goldin and his company Goldin Auctions comes into play.
Ken Goldin first started selling baseball cards when he was 13 years old. Over the course of a few years, he earned enough money to pay for his college expenses. After college, he started a business with his dad that signed athletes to exclusive autograph contracts. That company, called “Score Board,” did $1 million (USD) in sales its first year and grew to $100 million in sales by 1994. Three years later, Ken left the company and continued to sell collectibles independently through TV appearances and Instagram. In 2012, he started Goldin Auctions.
Goldin Auctions mostly specializes in sports memorabilia, and the show King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch is a behind-the-scenes look at Ken, his team, and a curious group of collectors around the world who have the most fantastic collections hidden away in basements, attics, living rooms, and garages. Over six quick episodes, these prized collections have showcased a Jackie Robison #42 Dodgers Jersey, an original Apple 1 computer from 1976, a Stephen Curry gold rookie refractor card, a 2017 Lionel Messi soccer jersey, the triple logo man LeBron James card, a Michael Jordan rookie Chicago Bulls jersey, and a rare Pikachu Pokémon card.
Today, Goldin Auctions is a trusted industry leader with sales soaring past $300 million annually. It has quickly grown to be the world’s largest collectibles marketplace with sales of more than $1 billion since 2012—specializing in the biggest names in sports, history, and pop culture. (Rated TV-14, Netflix)
About the Author
Sam Gutierrez is the Associate Director at the Eugene Peterson Center for the Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary. More of his creative work can be found at printandpoem.com