The Hobby

2024

Action / Documentary

3
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 89% · 9 reviews
IMDb Rating 6.2/10 10 140 140

hobby baseball card collecting hobbies sports collectibles trading cards

Plot summary

Follows longtime collectors and a new generation of buyers from the trading card industry, diving deep into the real-time trading card fever as the hobby goes nuclear.

Director

Morgan Jon Fox Photo
Morgan Jon Fox

Top cast

Bob Means Photo
Bob Means as Self - Director of Trading Cards, eBay
Peter Steinberg Photo
Peter Steinberg as Self - President, SGC Grading
Rob Veres Photo
Rob Veres as Self - Co-Owner, Burbank Sportscards
Mitch Guttenberg Photo
Mitch Guttenberg as Self - Owner, The Bullpen
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
816.4 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 28 min
Seeds 1
1.64 GB
1920*1080
English 5.1
NR
us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 28 min
Seeds 5

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by GreenmanReviews 6 / 10

From collectors hands to investors portfolios: The evolution of trading cards

The Hobby has its moments but ultimately feels like it misses the point. The film spends too much time on the financial aspects of the cardcollecting world and not enough on the emotional connections that make hobbies like this so compelling or on the root of the drive/urge to collect. Sure the market dynamics are fascinating but I wanted more stories about the people who simply love their collections not just as investments but as pieces of their personal history.The editing felt a bit choppy and the narrative lacked some cohesion. It would have been nice to see a deeper exploration of the historical roots of trading cards or more time spent with collectors who represent underappreciated aspects of the hobby. There are so so many different collectable cards to collect not just baseball and pokemon.The Hobby gives a surface view into an intriguing world, but it fails to tie that into a cohesive, compelling story.Collectors vs Investors.Worth a watch for cardcollectors or people interested in niche hobbies.
Reviewed by RespectedMann 6 / 10

It serves its purpose

Just like many other hobbies out there, the world of card collecting is a fascinating pass time that deserves way more recognition and analysis.

This documentary, while interesting and well-researched, only covers this activity on a superficial level, focusing mostly on its early days and the financial side of the industry. This limited approach only feels more prominent due to the length of the film, and the fact that the editing is nothing to write home about.

At the end of the day, I think the film serves its purpose of documenting the hobby, but it lacks any real substance to be anything special.

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