Industry Spotlight

Nick Jarman's mission began with the same excitement that brings so many people into cards: finding a favorite player and feeling part of a community.

Today, the founder and CEO of the Certified Trading Card Association (CTCA) is working to preserve that experience for the next generation.

Jarman founded the nonprofit trade association in 2025 to bring greater trust, transparency, accountability and collaboration to the industry. His guiding belief is simple: "The Hobby Is Worth Protecting."

From Dan Marino cards to a larger mission

Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Jarman was a Miami Dolphins fan with a particular enthusiasm for Dan Marino. Cards connected him to the players and teams he loved.

At shows at the Prime Osborn Convention Center, he remembers tables filled with cards, the search for something special and the people he met along the way. Collecting was about the hunt and the memories, long before he thought about the business behind it.

"The cards may be what bring us together, but the people and memories are what make us stay," he says.

As the hobby grew more commercial, Jarman began noticing challenges involving trust, consumer protection and accountability. Those concerns eventually led him to establish CTCA.

He still considers himself a collector first. The difference is that his attention now extends beyond the next card for his collection to the future of the industry itself.

"I've gone from collecting cards to helping protect the hobby that gave me so much growing up," he says.

Building trust into the transaction

Jarman points to the Global Trading Card Registry (GTCR) as one of CTCA's most meaningful initiatives. He describes it as an independent trust and safety platform designed to help collectors identify graded cards reported lost or stolen.

CTCA is working to expand partnerships and technology integrations so that Trust Checks become a natural part of buying, selling and trading cards. For Jarman, helping someone avoid unknowingly purchasing a stolen card gives the effort a practical purpose.

The association is also expanding its Certified Breaker, Trusted Retailer and Trusted Seller Programs, with standards centered on transparency, education, consumer protection and accountability.

"Our goal is to make trust a competitive advantage for businesses that are committed to doing things the right way," he says.

Jarman sees a broader need for cooperation among collectors, retailers, manufacturers, marketplaces and industry leaders. His proudest accomplishment is founding CTCA and seeing people begin to rally around that shared purpose.

The measure of success, he says, is leaving the industry safer and more united than he found it.

A growing industry, a shared responsibility

Jarman sees the rise of live breaking, online marketplaces, grading technology and investment-minded collecting as a defining change. In his view, that growth has moved faster than the infrastructure needed to support it.

He believes the next chapter will depend on verification tools, stronger standards, responsible business practices and greater collaboration. His ambition is to help the industry address challenges proactively.

"The future of the hobby isn't just about making it bigger. It's about making it better," he says.

For newcomers, his advice starts with collecting what they love and learning before chasing the next investment. For business owners and creators, it starts with reputation: be transparent, treat people fairly and put trust ahead of short-term profits.

He also encourages people to attend shows, support local shops, ask questions and find mentors. Relationships are central to his own journey, too. He credits his wife and family, along with D.J. Kazmierczak, Alladan Flinn, Josh Pankow and Phil Chronakis, among those who have supported him.

"Build relationships, not just transactions. Protect your reputation, not just your profits. And always leave the hobby better than you found it."

What's next?

Alongside CTCA's registry and certification programs, Jarman is developing The Hobby Forum, an educational, knowledge, and resource-driven event. His vision is an event that brings collectors, businesses, manufacturers, and other industry leaders together to learn and celebrate the hobby and discuss its future.

Outside cards, family remains his foundation. Married for more than 24 years and a father to three daughters, he also cares deeply about mental health and personal well-being, priorities reflected in CTCA's Healthy Hobby initiative.

Why Nick Jarman matters to the card industry

Jarman brings a collector's perspective to a business challenge: sustaining confidence as the hobby grows. He did not arrive from a major manufacturer, grading company or marketplace. He saw a need and set out to build an organization around it.

"I'm not doing this because I think the hobby is broken. I'm doing it because I believe it's worth protecting," he says.

His goal is to establish CTCA as a lasting, independent institution. The collector searching for Marino cards has become an advocate for the people and experiences that made those cards matter.