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15 Aug 2008 08:00 AM

Michael Phelps Making Waves in the World of Sports Trading Cards

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

How many of you knew that swimming trading cards even existed?

Join the club.

The average sports memorabilia collector likely has mountains of trading cards featuring the stars of football, basketball and baseball, but only a few savvy sports fans were astute enough to invest in swimming trading cards prior to this year's Summer Olympics in Beijing and now they're cashing--big time.

Of course, those collectors have none other than Michael Phelps to thank for making swimming trading cards mega-popular these days. According to reports, an autographed 2004 trading card of the swimming phenom, who was recently named as the most decorated Olympian in history, was trading for as much as $500 on Thursday. That's nearly twenty times as much as industry experts say the collectible was going for two weeks ago.

And $500 could be considered a steal if Phelps breaks Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics this weekend. Sports memorabilia experts say a single trading card featuring Phelps could go for as much as $2,000 if the elite athlete walks away from these Olympic Games with eight gold medals.

Industry experts say the Phelps phenomenon is unlike anything they've seen in the trading card category. Texas-based Donruss produced about 300 of the autographed Phelps cards in 2004 and about 5,000 "common" cards, which do not feature the American swimmer's autograph. But now the only way you can get your hands on them is if you are willing to fork over a pool full of cash.

Sports memorabilia experts say even the non-autographed Phelps cards have spiked in popularity, driving up the market value. According to industry leaders, last week you could have bought a Phelps trading card for $2.50, but now they are selling for about $25 a piece.

The "common" card was part of a special "Fans of the Game" insert by Donruss that paired celebrities with their favorite teams. Phelps' card features a shot of him standing next to the Baltimore skyline and a pennant of his favorite NFL team, the Ravens. Others cards in the set included actors John Travolta, James Gandolfini and Charlie Sheen. But Donruss reps say none of the cards featuring the Hollywood stars have gotten the response of Phelps' card.

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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