Behind the brand: The brother-sister duo reshaping the trading card world
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“People can’t believe that a little bit of cardboard can have such crazy values,” says Harry Reynolds, sole founder and CEO of the London Card Show, reputedly Europe’s largest in the world of trading cards.
They have included his sceptical parents as well as former employers, Barclays (BARC.L), who realised Reynolds had a side hustle when he used to take two days off to set up his early shows.
“They weren’t massively surprised. They had done their research and couldn’t quite believe there were that many card collectors in the UK,” smiles the former investment banker.
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“But I had a great relationship with my Barclays boss. ‘If you don’t do it, you may regret it,’ he told me. ‘And if things don’t go to plan, we will have you back.’”
Reynolds, 26, ran his first show from a community hall in July 2021, with 10 tables and 40 attendees. Since then, his company’s growth and trajectory has been “flattering”.
Their tenth quarterly event at Sandown Park Racecourse this month has the largest volume of trading cards to date in the UK, with 550 tables showcasing everything from the popular Pokemon to baseball and Disney trading cards.
“Interest and demand has been through the roof,” adds Reynolds, “demand is higher than ever and so we are giving the people what they want.”
Reynolds was initially a one-man band researching and holding meetings online with US clients outside of his full-time banking role. That is until last August when he took a “leap of faith” and left Barclays.
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In May he took on a director of marketing and communications, his older sister Katie Hughes, who previously spent six years working in marketing for Hard Rock Cafe.
“We bickered when we grew up but we have since been fantastically close,” Reynolds says of the brother-sister dynamic. “Our family has had doubts that it would work but we have very much now proved them wrong.
“We both want the same thing and she wants it to grow at a great rate and for that I’m really grateful. People say don't work with family, but the passion we both have for this brand has created a rock-solid relationship and we just work fantastically well together.”
For the London Card Show, exhibitor tables sold out in 15 minutes. “It was quite emotional at that demand, the support we have is nothing like I have seen before in the industry,” admits Reynolds, who is expecting around 4,000 attendees across the weekend.
As well as the UK, there is a strong presence of collectors from across the continent, including Germany, Finland, Italy and France for the family, inclusive nature. The success of the UK scene has also seen up to 15 competitor shows spring up, albeit on a lower scale.
Communication and building trust have been pivotal in the business growth, says Reynolds. “That’s why the show is what it’s today,” he adds.
“We have been very consistent, we are open and we do what we do very well. We could have grown quicker than we have but we wanted to walk before we ran.”
Reynolds’ journey into the trading card world began during his student days when his penchant for bridging market gaps led him to turn a £10 investment into an impressive £10,000.
He quickly became a presence on YouTube and TikTok and became known for his engaging trading card mystery boxes sent out to subscribers. It led to forming the in-person events and last year the company won the UK Card Show Award.
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Reynolds says: “As a UK entrepreneur, people have a lot of opinions. I had people by my side when it was growing who now have a different mindset. You just have to stay in your lane, keep moving forward and growing as a business.
“Card collecting may be seen as nerdy but at the shows you can be who you are and not be judged. And that’s the best thing about running the show. You can look around and everyone is happy, in a safe space and doing what they love. That’s priceless in my eyes.”
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