Matt and son Christian Webber were first-time vendors at the Regina Sportsworld Collectibles show, where their stands were filled with cards featuring hockey cards, vintage Pokemon cards, and their all-time favourite baseball player:

“Shohei Ohtani,” said Matthew, referring to the All-Star Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher/hitter.

Eleven year-old Christian agreed with his dad, but added that Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement was on his list of favourite players.

Since the age of five, Christian has been interested in cards, and Matt said Christian “learns a lot” about the hobby during his time working alongside his dad, and it has become a bonding experience for them both.

Matt says that “it’s been fun” working alongside Christian, and that he not only helps with the sales of his dad’s cards, but he also has his own collection that he sells. This includes many cards of Chicago Blackhawks forward and captain Connor Bedard, all of them being priced by Christian himself.

Both Matt and Christian started collecting at the same time, as many did, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, using online websites like eBay to grow their collections. They now have hundreds of cards in each of their collections.

As their collections grew, they became interested in attending and selling at local shows to not only showcase what they own, but for Christian, to continue to learn more about the hobby. Christian now has a favorite card he is after — the “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat,” a Van Gogh inspired card worth around $1,000.

Matt, 39, used to have a small collection when he was younger, but never took it seriously until his son began to have an interest in the hobby. Now, Matt was in agreement when asked if Christian was ahead of the game compared to him in his youth. 

During their time collecting, they have come across some highly valuable cards, including their most expensive card, a Pikachu Gold Star from 2006, which Matt described as being “over $15,000” in its current condition.

Both Matt and Christian prefer collecting and buying single cards, rather than buying boxes and packs to add to their collections. 

“It’s just too expensive now” Matt said, and throughout the show that same sentiment was shared. A majority of the show contained vendors selling single cards in glass cases or boxes, and the pair both believe that it is the better way to collect cards.

The Regina Sportsworld Collectibles show was held inside Northgate Mall on Saturday and is one of two major shows the city hosts throughout the course of the year, with the other being hosted by the Nut Man & Card Man. Over 30 tables were buying and selling cards all day, with Matt and Christian table being among one of the more popular stands.

The father and son, after their first experience at the local show, plan on attending more card shows in the future.

“Absolutely … it’s been a great experience.” said Matt.

Feature Image: Matt (Left) and Christian (Right), pose with their personal cards