Fans queue for collectable cards in Kensington

Card collecting enthusiasts have packed Kensington’s Melbourne Pavilion for the annual Hobby Hangout card trading show.

The sold-out event saw more than 1500 people crammed into the venue with basketball, Pokémon, and film cards at more 70 stalls being the most sort after, according to the event’s co-director Andrew Perumalla.

He said there had been a spike in interest following the pandemic with the March 5 event bringing the “online world to real world”.

“It was a really nice day out, with loads pf people bringing their family,” he said, adding some collectors were willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for cards, including rookie basketball player cards such as Michael Jordan and LeBron James. •

Captions: Trading cards fan soak up the atmosphere at Melbourne Pavilion. Photo: Sam Kriesel.