Netflix, Ken Goldin Aim to Turn Sports Collectibles Into Reality TV
Ken Goldin is bringing sports card mania to the masses.
The famed collector and auctioneer will debut a new series on Netflix focused on the world of sports and entertainment memorabilia. Called King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, the entire six-episode premiere season drops Friday.
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“We sell the most interesting things in the world from all categories—sports, entertainment, comics, rock-and-roll, movies—and we also deal with an incredible cross-section of celebrities, athletes, serious collectors as well as individuals who may find that one thing that’s going to change their life,” Goldin said in a phone call. “Literally within the first 60 seconds of the show, you will see a $15 million item in my hands.”
The show will feature Goldin and others from his auction house evaluating items at its New Jersey facility as well as jetting across the country to hunt down and acquire rare items. Among the athletes making an appearance this season are Peyton Manning (who is also an executive producer of the series), Mike Tyson, Logan Paul and Joe Montana.
Pitched as Pawn Stars meets sports memorabilia, King of Collectibles is produced by the same team that spawned the hock shop show, Brent Montgomery of Wheelhouse’s Spoke Studios. Manning’s Omaha Productions and Full Day Productions, which produces the Manningcast on ESPN and the ESPYs, also receive production credits.
Goldin has been a collector and auctioneer for four decades. Sports cards and other memorabilia have long had a passionate niche but enjoyed a fresh wave of interest during the pandemic as home-bound people began digging out mementoes from their youth. For Goldin, the burst of collectibles interest culminated in selling Goldin Auctions to Mets owner and hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen. Goldin continues to run the auction house as its own division. The show will reflect the spectrum of memorabilia collectors he deals with, the executive added.
“The business was constantly growing and increasing every year, but in 2020 and ‘21 it just took off to an absolutely new level,” Goldin said. “You have people who are buying and selling and people buying and putting away strictly as an alternative investment, like with art. You’ve got dealers, long-term collectors who never think they’re going to sell anything, and then you’ve got people who aren’t collectors at all, but happen to stumble upon an absolute hidden treasure or the proverbial Willy Wonka golden ticket.”
The show follows a long-running craze for TV viewers to see people discover a payday, large or small, from bric-a-brac. The unscripted collectibles trope got its start in the U.S. in the late 1990s, with PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, an unlikely hit that even sparked a drinking game. In the years since, shows including Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and American Pickers became network stalwarts, something Goldin believes can happen with King of Collectibles.
While Netflix hasn’t officially announced a second season of the show, Goldin said the network has signed him to a multiyear contract.
“I imagine they would love to see this run as long as I want to do it with them,” he said. “We get 5,000 items through our building every week, so it’s very easy to pick out 10-20 items a week that we can focus on for a TV episode. Honestly, I think the show is going to be fascinating to people, even if they don’t collect anything.”
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