Card collectors spend plenty of money acquiring cards, grading them, and protecting them. Then, strangely enough, many of those cards disappear. They go into storage boxes, cases, drawers, safes, and vaults, occasionally emerging when their owners want to admire them.
Holme & Hadfield co-founders Ian Holme and Phil Hadfield think collectors should be able to enjoy their collections a little more often.
The longtime friends have spent the past six years building premium display products for collectors of watches, knives, coins, and other collectibles, serving more than 150,000 customers along the way. Now they’re bringing that experience to sports cards and TCG with The Trade Deck, the company’s first display designed specifically for sports and trading cards.
And they believe cards could eventually become a major part of their business.
“I’ve been saying all year, this is going to become our business, essentially,” Hadfield told Collectibles on SI. “The demand and the size of the market are there—and until now, the product hasn’t been.”
From Watches to Sports Cards
The idea behind Holme & Hadfield started with a problem that should sound familiar to card collectors. Watch enthusiasts were spending thousands of dollars building collections, only to keep them tucked away in drawers, cupboards, or inexpensive storage boxes.
“There’s no emotional connection to the way in which they were displaying and organizing the things they spent time and money adding to their collection,” Hadfield said.
Holme & Hadfield launched its first watch display nearly six years ago and quickly discovered an audience looking for a better way to showcase what they collected. The company subsequently expanded into displays for knives, coins, pens, and other collectibles.
Trading cards increasingly looked like a natural next step. A visit to the National Sports Collectors Convention reinforced the opportunity.
Holme and Hadfield saw firsthand the scale, growth, and passion of the card hobby, along with collections that weren’t always being displayed in a way that reflected what they meant to their owners.
“People had these crazy collections that meant a lot to them,” Hadfield said. “I see this as different because cards are like actual art. And to be able to share and display your “art”—in this case, your cards— is super important for collectors.”
The Trade Deck Brings Premium Display to Cards
That idea eventually became The Trade Deck, a $395 handcrafted tabletop display designed specifically for sports cards and TCG.
Seven cards sit on a raised display stage beneath a cover that blocks 99.7% of UV rays, while a drawer underneath stores another 22. The top accommodates slabs from PSA, BGS, CGC, and SGC, along with raw cards in toploaders and magnetic holders. The storage trays underneath are sized for PSA slabs.
At more than 15 pounds and constructed with wood and metal hardware, the Trade Deck is designed more like a piece of display furniture than a traditional card-storage accessory you might find at a show. It also comes with a lifetime warranty.
And at $395, it isn’t designed to compete with an inexpensive storage box or binder. Instead, Holme & Hadfield is applying the same premium-display philosophy it has used for watches, knives, coins, and other collectibles to a category where individual cards can themselves be worth hundreds, thousands, or considerably more.
“Ultimately, we’re selling feelings, not just the actual product,” Hadfield said. “It’s the way you feel when you are able to look at your cards and display them.”
Built From Feedback From Card Collectors
Holme & Hadfield did its homework before entering the category. The company surveyed more than 550 card collectors while developing The Trade Deck, with 94% saying they weren’t satisfied with how they were storing or displaying their collections.
But perhaps the most interesting feedback wasn’t about storing an entire collection. Most collectors wanted a better way to showcase their favorites. That’s where the seven-card display came from.
Collectors can choose seven cards for the showcase while keeping another 22 close at hand, making it easy to rotate the cards they display as their collection—or their interests—change.
“Our products are made for the community, but by the community as well,” Hadfield said.
Which Cards Deserve to Be Seen?
To collectors, the seven cards on display don’t necessarily have to be the seven most valuable. They might feature a favorite athlete or character, complete a theme, or simply carry a personal connection. It’s an idea Holme & Hadfield have already seen across other collecting communities, where the story behind an object can matter as much as its market value.
“When you put your collectibles and keepsakes away in a case that’s hidden away in a cupboard or drawer, you forget about some of your collection,” Hadfield said. “We aim to change that for card collectors.”
The Trade Deck may also be just the beginning. Holme & Hadfield is exploring wall-mounted card displays and premium options that could eventually incorporate features such as lighting and additional security.
And that gets back to the larger idea behind the company’s move into sports cards. Collectors spend plenty of time deciding which cards deserve a place in their collections. Holme & Hadfield is betting they’ll increasingly want to decide which ones deserve a place on display.
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Lucas Mast is a writer based in California’s Bay Area, where he’s a season ticket holder for St. Mary’s basketball and a die-hard Stanford athletics fan. A lifelong collector of sneakers, sports cards, and pop culture, he also advises companies shaping the future of the hobby and sports. He’s driven by a curiosity about why people collect—and what those items reveal about the moments and memories that matter most.
