Back in February, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian teamed up with Brent Montgomery (a Pawn Stars producer) and Evan Parker (former general manager of The Athletic) to help collectors find the latest He launched Mantel, a social network where people can share their discoveries. Sports cards, TCG (trading card games), comics, coins, stamps, sneakers, watches, etc.
Initially available only on the web, Mantel launched a mobile app on Wednesday, giving collectors an easy way to connect with like-minded enthusiasts. Now available for download on the App Store and Google Play, Mantel gives collectors a dedicated space to pursue their hobby. Whether celebrating the excitement of competition, grading sports cards, discussing market trends, and more.
Some standout features include a digital display case “Mantel” that allows users to display their favorite collectibles and attract trade interest. The app also incorporates gamification with features like streaks, voting, and badges. In addition to the main feed where users can see posts from other collectors, they have access to a variety of content, including market reports and insights from industry influencers.
Alongside the app's release, Mantel also launched a “Groups” feature that allows users to invite members to groups based on niche interests, such as “NBA Junk Wax” or “Vintage Non-Sports Cards.” This feature is currently web-only, but will be rolling out to iOS and Android devices in the coming weeks.
Image credit: Mantelpiece
There are many collecting apps in the $493 billion collectibles market. However, most prioritize sales. This can deter some people who are not interested in selling and would simply prefer to display their finds and meet new friends. And while there are many social networking apps out there, Mantel aims to serve a niche group of hardcore enthusiasts who want to separate their collecting activities from other mainstream platforms.
“There’s nothing great about the collection space.” [sharing] content,” co-founder and CEO Parker told TechCrunch. “I don’t see anyone doing what we do in the collectibles space.”
Trading and sales are still allowed on Mantel's platform. However, the emphasis is on community and sharing. At some point in 2025, the app plans to launch 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 such as eBay and CardsHQ.
The trio created Mantel out of a shared passion for collecting and wanting to develop a platform that they could personally enjoy and use.
Parker always had a “collector gene,” he explained, collecting everything from sports cards and memorabilia to toys and watches. After leaving The Athletic, he met Ohanian and Montgomery and shared their enthusiasm.
“Alexis is a big collector, and Brent grew up selling things like baseball cards to make money as a student, and then he came up with the idea for 'Pawn Stars' and spent his entire career working on this game.” So, a lot of it has to do with the world of collecting… [Mantel] It's great for the community, and Alexis knows that better than anyone in the Reddit world,” Parker said.
In addition to a strong founding team, Mantel is also a member of Courtside Ventures, Cosmic Venture Partners, Steve Aoki's Aoki Lab, Switch Ventures, Vayner Fund, former WNBA player Candace Parker and The Athletic. It is backed by notable investors such as co-founder Adam Hansman. . Ohanian's Seven Seven Six and Montgomery's Wheelhouse Entertainment also invested in the platform.
Mantel declined to give an exact number of users, but said it was in the thousands. On average, these users make more than 30 comments or posts each month and access your content more than 100 times each month. The platform also has “tens of thousands” of posts.
The app is free to download, but the company is exploring monetization options such as advertising and placing certain groups behind a paywall.