Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski returns to childhood hobby, says it's at its 'super peak'

Rob Gronkowski is back in the card collecting game. The former New England Patriots tight end says his childhood hobby is currently at its super peak. Gronk noted that he kept up with baseball and hockey cards as a kid and now he is re-entering the market as the industry sees massive growth.

To document this return, Gronkowski is partnering with eBay Live for a new series called Gronk Geeks Out. The show follows his experience learning the technical side of the modern hobby. During his NFL career, a friend quietly built a massive collection of Gronkowski cards off the secondary market. That friend now holds a significant inventory that has increased in value over the last decade.

While Gronkowski is focused on his new project, he has a specific dream target. He identifies a rare, numbered Michael Jordan card as his ideal pull. Whether that specific card is still available for discovery is unknown, but the quest remains his top priority in the hobby.

The sports card market has seen a shift from simple childhood pastime to a complex asset class. Gronkowski is just one of many former athletes who now participate in the hobby as both collectors and investors. The National Sports Collectors Convention serves as a major hub for this activity, where Gronkowski will make an appearance this August.