Alladan Flinn and Nick Jarman Announce Forthcoming Book Cardboard Kings: The History of Trading Cards
New cultural-history book traces 150 years of trading-card innovation, collecting, community and the modern hobby
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New cultural-history book traces 150 years of trading-card innovation, collecting, community and the modern hobby
ROSEMONT, IL, UNITED STATES, July 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Alladan Flinn, founder of Based Trading Cards, and Nick Jarman, Founder and CEO of the Certified Trading Card Association (CTCA), have announced their forthcoming book, Cardboard Kings: The History of Trading Cards, a comprehensive look at the history, culture and evolution of trading cards.
Scheduled for release during the 2026 holiday season, Cardboard Kings traces more than 150 years of trading-card history, from early trade cards and printing innovation to sports cards, trading card games, pop culture collectibles, grading, modern hobby culture and the collector economy.
The book is designed as a single-volume history for collectors, industry professionals and anyone interested in how trading cards became one of the most enduring and influential collectible formats in the world. The chapter “A World Few People Ever Saw” is available as an early preview of the book over at both the Based Trading Cards website. The chapter covers the origin of the trading card space, and includes the monochromatic 19th century, the imagination gap, and the psychological roots of scrapbooking.
“Trading cards have always reflected the culture around them, from early advertising and sports icons to gaming, entertainment, grading and the modern collector economy,” said Nick Jarman of the CTCA. “With Cardboard Kings, we want to give collectors a clear, thoughtful look at how the hobby evolved, why it continues to matter, and how the stories behind these cards helped shape generations of collectors.”
“Trading cards are more than products. They are pieces of culture, memory, art, tradition and community,” said Alladan Flinn of Based Trading Cards. “With Cardboard Kings, we wanted to tell the story behind the cards we chase and give the hobby a serious historical record that collectors can be proud of.”
Early access for updates, announcements and release information is now available at www.historyoftradingcards.com and the first chapter can be previewed here.
Based Trading Cards website www.basedtradingcards.com
Certified Trading Card Association (CTCA) website www.thectca.org
About Cardboard Kings
Cardboard Kings: The History of Trading Cards is a forthcoming cultural-history book tracing 150 years of innovation, obsession, community and growth across the trading-card world. Written by Alladan Flinn of Based Trading Cards and Nick Jarman of the Certified Trading Card Association, the book explores the people, companies, trends, printing advancements and collector movements that shaped the hobby across generations. The book is scheduled for release during the 2026 holiday season.
Robert Bradley
Bradley PR and Marketing
+1 949-274-9651
press@bradleypublicity.com
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