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Back in February , Reddit Centennial State - founder Alexis Ohanian team up up with Brent Montgomery ( “ soak whizz ” manufacturer ) and Evan Parker ( former general manager at The Athletic ) to launchMantel , a societal meshwork allowing aggregator to divvy up their latest finds , such as sports cards , TCGs ( trading wag game ) , comic books , coin , stamp , sneakers , watches , and more .
ab initio available only on the World Wide Web , Mantel launched itsmobile appon Wednesday , allow gatherer with an easier room to link up with like - given enthusiasts . Now useable for download on the App Store and Google Play , Mantel offers collectors a dedicated space to enlist with their hobby , whether that ’s celebrating the turmoil of the chase or seek advice from other partizan on topics like range sport cards , discussing market trends , and more .
Some standout feature article admit “ Mantelpiece , ” a digital display case where users can showcase their favorite collectable and attract interest for trades . The app also incorporates gamification with features like streaks , opinion poll , and badges . In add-on to the main provender , where users can see post from other collector , users can get at a miscellanea of capacity , include market place reports and insights from industry influencers .
In bicycle-built-for-two with the app launch , Mantel also found a “ Groups ” feature where users can invite members to groups based on corner pastime , like “ NBA Junk Wax ” or “ Vintage Non - Sports Cards . ” The feature is currently web - only but will twine out to iOS and Android gimmick in the coming weeks .
In the$493 billioncollectibles market , many hoard apps exist ; however , most prioritize sales . This could dissuade some the great unwashed who are n’t interested in merchandising and may prefer merely display their finds and meeting new friends . Also , while legion societal web appsexist , Mantel aims to serve a niche group of hard-core enthusiasts who may desire to keep their garner activities disjoined from other mainstream platform .
“ There ’s nothing slap-up in the payable space for [ sharing ] content , ” Parker , co - father and CEO , told TechCrunch . “ I do n’t see anybody in the collectable space doing what we ’re doing . ”
Trading and merchandising are still allowed on Mantel ’s platform . However , the accent is on residential area and sharing . At some point in 2025 , the app will establish a Stripe integration and individual electronic messaging to facilitate sales event between substance abuser . Nevertheless , there are no plans to develop an in - app mart , as the industry is already saturated with competition like eBay and CardsHQ .
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The trio created Mantel out of a share passion for collecting , wanting to prepare a platform they in person would enjoy using .
Parker always had the “ gatherer ’s gene , ” he explained , pile up everything from sports card and memorabilia to toys and vigil . After leaving The Athletic , he met Ohanian and Montgomery , who portion out his enthusiasm .
“ Alexis is a monumental collector , and Brent is somebody who turn up selling baseball game bill of fare and things like that to make money when he was in schooling , and then he came up with the idea for ‘ hock Stars ’ and drop his whole calling on the contentedness side , a lot of it having to do with the collecting mankind … [ Mantel ] is great for community , which Alexis sleep with well than anybody from his Reddit world , ” Parker said .
In addition to a strong founding squad , Mantel is backed by notable investor , include Courtside Ventures , Cosmic Venture Partners , Steve Aoki ’s Aoki Labs , Switch Ventures , VaynerFund , along with former WNBA player Candace Parker and Adam Hansmann , carbon monoxide - founding father of The Athletic . Ohanian ’s SevenSevenSix and Montgomery ’s Wheelhouse Entertainment also put in the platform .
The app is gratis to download , but the society is count monetisation options such as advertizement and placing certain Groups behind a paywall .
