DragonKing Dark: The sports trading card bust of the 1990s

Continuing my 100 darkest moments in pop culture history series, I examine the sports trading card bust of the 1990s. Generations of sports fans, especially with baseball, collected trading cards. In the past, these cards often also increased in value, especially for rookies who eventually became big stars. Enter the speculators who were then fed by massive overproduction. By the early 1990s, every sport (including pro wrestling, football and hockey) and even pop culture properties…