Mantel’s app lets collectors show off their sports cards and other treasures

Back in February, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian teamed up with Brent Montgomery (“Pawn Stars” producer) and Evan Parker (former general manager at The Athletic) to launch Mantel, a social network allowing collectors to share their latest finds, such as sports cards, TCGs (trading card games), comic books, coins, stamps, sneakers, watches, and more. 

Initially available only on the web, Mantel launched its mobile app on Wednesday, providing collectors with an easier way to connect with like-minded enthusiasts. Now available for download on the App Store and Google Play, Mantel offers collectors a dedicated space to engage with their hobby, whether that’s celebrating the excitement of the chase or seeking advice from other enthusiasts on topics like grading sports cards, discussing market trends, and more.

Some standout features include “Mantelpiece,” a digital display case where users can showcase their favorite collectibles and attract interest for trades. The app also incorporates gamification with features like streaks, polls, and badges. In addition to the main feed, where users can see posts from other collectors, users can access a variety of content, including market reports and insights from industry influencers.

In tandem with the app launch, Mantel also launched a “Groups” feature where users can invite members to groups based on niche interests, like “NBA Junk Wax” or “Vintage Non-Sports Cards.” The feature is currently web-only but will roll out to iOS and Android devices in the coming weeks. 

In the $493 billion collectibles market, many collecting apps exist; however, most prioritize sales. This could deter some people who aren’t interested in selling and may prefer simply displaying their finds and meeting new friends. Also, while numerous social network apps exist, Mantel aims to serve a niche group of hardcore enthusiasts who may want to keep their collecting activities separate from other mainstream platforms. 

“There’s nothing great in the collectible space for [sharing] content,” Parker, co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch. “I don’t see anybody in the collectible space doing what we’re doing.”

Trading and selling are still allowed on Mantel’s platform. However, the emphasis is on community and sharing. At some point in 2025, the app will launch a Stripe integration and private messaging to facilitate sales between users. Nevertheless, there are no plans to develop an in-app marketplace, as the industry is already saturated with competitors like eBay and CardsHQ.

The trio created Mantel out of a shared passion for collecting, wanting to develop a platform they personally would enjoy using.

Parker always had the “collector’s gene,” he explained, collecting everything from sports cards and memorabilia to toys and watches. After leaving The Athletic, he met Ohanian and Montgomery, who shared his enthusiasm.

“Alexis is a massive collector, and Brent is somebody who grew up selling baseball cards and things like that to make money when he was in school, and then he came up with the idea for ‘Pawn Stars’ and spent his whole career on the content side, a lot of it having to do with the collecting world… [Mantel] is great for community, which Alexis knows better than anybody from his Reddit world,” Parker said.  

In addition to a strong founding team, Mantel is backed by notable investors, including Courtside Ventures, Cosmic Venture Partners, Steve Aoki’s Aoki Labs, Switch Ventures, VaynerFund, along with former WNBA player Candace Parker and Adam Hansmann, co-founder of The Athletic. Ohanian’s SevenSevenSix and Montgomery’s Wheelhouse Entertainment also invested in the platform.

Mantel did not disclose the exact number of users but mentioned that it’s in the thousands. On average, these users make more than 30 comments or posts each month and engage with content over 100 times monthly. The platform also boasts “tens of thousands” of posts.

The app is free to download, but the company is considering monetization options such as advertising and placing certain Groups behind a paywall.