Jamie Munro was re-bitten by the trading card bug during the first lockdown.
The best part of 18 months later, the 43-year-old is helping bring even more people back into the fold — and probably a plastic fold in which you can tuck away cards nice and safely.
The hobby has really exploded since Covid and Munro took it upon himself to organise a swap meet a couple of months back at the Village Green.
About 20 or so people attended and Munro has plans to organise future events once restrictions on gatherings are lifted.
‘‘I think if we would have pushed it a bit harder more might have come because there is certainly a lot of collectors around,’’ he said.
Munro’s old passion was rekindled during last year’s nationwide lockdown.
He was a big Michael Jordan fan and started collecting Jordan trading cards in the mid-1990s.
‘‘Back then it was quite a strong hobby,’’ he said.
‘‘There were dedicated trading card shops ... but for whatever reason I got a bit busy with other things.
‘‘I hadn’t collected for 20-odd years and then during lockdown [last year] I saw the Jordan documentary [The Last Dance] and that really inspired me.
‘‘It was not just trading cards but I think lockdown spurred a lot of hobbies, because you had people digging through their attics and stumbling across things.’’
Social media has replaced the trading card stores these days. But it is still good to meet face-to-face and that is where Munro comes in.
He loves a good chat and meeting like-minded people is a big part of the attraction.
The nostalgia and the thrill of the chase adds to the enjoyment as well.
It is an intoxicating mix and there is very healthy scene in Dunedin.
‘‘It’d be in the hundreds,’’ he responded when asked how many serious collectors there were in the city.
Pick-ups and drop-offs can turn into long social visits.
‘‘Two hours later and you are still having a chat. For me it is quite a healthy hobby, because there is only so much TV you can watch and I’ve just really enjoyed getting back into it.’’
