The Future of Collectibles: Sports Cards, Non-Sports & the Hobby in 2025

Gary Vaynerchuk on V-Friends, Chrome, and the New Collectible Economy

Gary Vaynerchuk sat down to unpack the origins, ambitions, and hard-earned lessons behind V-Friends and the Chrome release that has collectors buzzing. Across decades of flipping, studying eBay comps, and building media-driven communities, he lays out a measured, experience-based strategy for building products that create emotional attachment and long-term value.

From childhood flipping to intellectual property bets

Vaynerchuk traces a straight line from his early hobby of tracking eBay sold comps to the modern playbook of turning fictional characters into collectible IP. He emphasizes that deep industry experience, curiosity, and relentless content creation matter more than short-term hype. The conversation highlights how intellectual property retains and grows value in a world where many commodities become commoditized by automation.

Product choices, pricing, and the Chrome conversation

Chrome launched with a $99 suggested retail price, a decision intended to balance collector access and prestige. Gary acknowledges the unpredictable effects of secondary markets and says production choices for the 2026 Chrome run are already being sketched—possible sapphire releases, multi-packs, and a Mega Box insert are on the table to manage supply and demand.

Non-sports collectibles as a gateway audience

A central insight is that non-sports communities—comic fans, toy collectors, and Funko Pop enthusiasts—are powerful entry points for card collecting. Gary calls non-sports cards a “gateway” that funnels new collectors into sports cards, expanding the hobby’s total addressable market and diversifying collector motivations.

Storytelling and direct-to-consumer product strategy

V-Friends is not just cards; it’s characters and narratives. The project uses comics, cartoons, and Super Stickers to build emotional attachments that raise engagement and secondary demand. Direct drops, collaborations with PSA Magazine, and targeted comic releases create touchpoints that convert casual interest into committed collecting.

• Case-hit culture: Collector attention is increasingly focused on case hits and low-serial production as scarcity drivers.
• Content-driven demand: Continuous content keeps new audiences discovering characters and drives long-term interest.
• Measured production: Planning larger production runs strategically can reduce runaway secondary inflation while preserving demand.

Lessons for creators and young entrepreneurs

Gary’s advice is practical: follow what you would do for free, understand who you pattern yourself after, and be patient with experience and gray hairs. He stresses humility, long-term thinking, and the importance of building culture through storytelling instead of chasing short-term speculation.

In short, the modern collectible market is being rewired by narrative-driven IP, strategic production choices, and the cross-pollination of non-sports collectors into the card hobby; V-Friends and Chrome are experiments in how to marry story, scarcity, and community to sustain a collectible ecosystem.