There seems to be an unfavorable news story coming out each week lately having to do something with the hobby. Well, seeing as the hobby does so much good for so many, we thought an article discussing the positives of the hobby deserved to be written and here it is. "The Magic Inside a Pack of Cards: Why One of Our Oldest Pastimes Still Matters More Than Ever." By Nick Jarman, Founder & CEO, Certified Trading Card Association. thectca.org/oped-magic-insid… #HobbyUnited #TheHobby #HealthyHobby #TradingCards #S3

🌟 CTCA FOUNDING INDUSTRY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 🌟 Today, the Certified Trading Card Association is proud to spotlight one of our Founding Industry Members . Being a Founding Industry Member is about more than putting a logo next to the CTCA. It means being among the organizations willing to step forward early and help shape a safer, smarter, and stronger trading card hobby. C3 Grading's approach strongly aligns with several principles CTCA believes are critical to the future of our industry: transparency, consistency, accountability, innovation, and collector trust. 🔎 TRANSPARENCY IN GRADING C3 uses a dual-grading process and provides subgrades covering centering, edges, corners, surface, and fading, giving collectors more information about how a grade was reached. 📱 DETAILED DIGITAL GRADING REPORTS C3 slabs feature QR codes that provide access to detailed grading reports, including subgrade information. Their reports also identify the professional who graded the card and the slab designer. 📅 GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY C3 includes a "Graded On" date on its slabs, providing additional context and transparency around when an evaluation was performed. 🤝 COLLECTOR-FIRST SERVICE C3 emphasizes accessible, personalized customer support and open communication throughout the grading process. 💰 SIMPLICITY & FAIRNESS Their stated pricing philosophy emphasizes straightforward pricing without value-based upcharges or hidden fees. These are exactly the kinds of conversations and innovations we want happening across the hobby. Founding Industry Members aren't simply joining an association. They're helping build it. Thank you to the team at C3 Grading for believing in the CTCA's mission and for being part of this journey from the beginning. Together, we're working toward a hobby built on greater trust, transparency, integrity and accountability. Safer. Smarter. Stronger. Join C3 Grading and many others today at thectca.org #CTCA #C3Grading #TradingCards #TheHobby #SaferSmarterStronger

🔥 WELCOME TO THE CTCA, CARDTRADE! 🔥 We’re excited to welcome CardTrade as a proud supporter of the Certified Trading Card Association (CTCA)! The future of the trading card hobby won’t be built by one company, one platform, or one organization. It will be built by an industry willing to work together around trust, transparency, education, consumer protection, and responsible growth. Every organization that steps forward strengthens that mission. CardTrade’s support represents another important step toward creating the infrastructure and standards needed to protect what makes this hobby special while helping it continue to grow. The hobby is booming. Our responsibility is to make sure it grows the right way. Together, we’re building a: 🛡️ SAFER hobby 🧠 SMARTER hobby 💪 STRONGER hobby Welcome to the movement, CardTrade. We’re excited to have you with us. Safer. Smarter. Stronger. #CTCA #CardTrade #TradingCards #TheHobby #SaferSmarterStronger

Be sure to check out the website for Alladan Flinn and Nick Jarman forthcoming book this holiday season, Cardboard Kings: The History of Trading Cards. There you can get a sneak peak of what's to come and signup for exclusive updates. historyoftradingcards.com #HobbyUnited #TheHobby #HealthyHobby #TradingCards #S3

🚨 WELCOME TO THE CTCA, FIND MY CARDS! 🚨 We’re excited to officially welcome Find My Cards (FMC) as a Proud Supporter of the Certified Trading Card Association! FMC represents exactly the kind of innovation and technology that can help move the trading card hobby forward. As the hobby continues to grow, collaboration between collectors, businesses, technology platforms, and industry leaders will be critical to building greater trust, transparency, security, and confidence across the ecosystem. Every organization that steps forward strengthens what we’re building together. Welcome to the CTCA, Find My Cards! 👏 Safer. Smarter. Stronger. 🌐 thectca.org #CTCA #FindMyCards #TradingCards #TheHobby #SaferSmarterStronger

After spending three days providing official media coverage at @FanaticsFest NYC on behalf of @collectorsmd, I walked away more optimistic than ever about the future of the collectibles industry. The biggest takeaway wasn't just the incredible attendance or star power - it was the conversations. Everywhere we went, collectors, hobby businesses, manufacturers, platforms, and industry leaders shared a common belief: as the hobby grows, so does our responsibility to support the people within it. A huge thank you to @nickjarman and @thectca. It was a privilege working together to promote The Healthy Hobby Initiative and demonstrate what's possible when organizations come together around a shared mission. As we prepare to head to The @NCPGambling Conference in Nashville this week and @nsccshow in Chicago next week, that message has never felt more important. If we want to create meaningful change, we have to be where collectors are. The hobby is bigger than ever. Now it's our responsibility to help protect it. Read my latest Daily Reflection, "The Hospital Of The Hobby", below. 👇 collectorsmd.com/the-hospita… #CollectorsMD | #RipResponsibly | #HealthyHobby | #CTCA | #FanaticsFest

Greenie Sports Cards Live! Tuesday July 21st, 2026, 7pm EST: Episode 126 Hosts @clevelandevents and @GreenieCards live inside the @BIGPLAYCollect studio. Resident Hobby Insider @Jwysmierski of @phxsportscards helps dissect the latest news and notes within the hobby. Card Show Live previews card shows from around the country. Nick Jarman of the @thectca gives a look into the Certified Trading Card Association with a FAQ of what he's building. @jeffrosenberg, President/CEO of @TRISTAR1 give us a look into the autograph pavilion at the @nsccshow with a special conversation. #gscl #cardshowlive #news #thehobby #nscc

Save the Local Card Shops! #SaveLCS #CTCA #HobbyUnited #HealthyHobby #TheHobby

🚨 NEW FOUNDING MEMBER 🚨 Welcome Sports Card Tax Guy to the CTCA Founding Class of 2026 In today’s hobby, taxes = profit or pain. They help collectors & dealers stay compliant, keep more $, and avoid costly mistakes. This is real value for the hobby. SAFER. SMARTER. STRONGER. 🔗 sportscardtaxguy.com 🔗 thectca.org

CNN interviewed CTCA CEO @nickjarman for a story about the rise in Pokémon thefts across the world. cnn.com/2026/04/04/business/… @based_cards #HobbyUnited #TheHobby #HealthyHobby #TradingCards #TCG

Calling all trading cards shops Stand Out. Earn Trust. Grow Faster. Join the CTCA and become a Trusted Retailer collectors choose first. 👉 $400/year. Real credibility. Real differentiation. 👉 thectca.org⁠ #HobbyUnited #TheHobby #TradingCards #SportsCards #TCG

The hobby is evolving. It’s time the standards did too. On April 1, 2026, the CTCA Certified Breaker Program launches — the first & only standards-based system to vet legitimate breakers. Transparency. Accountability. Trust. Collectors deserve to know who they can trust.