Built by a collector. Inspired by thousands of hours at card shows.
Hi, I'm Steven.
Like a lot of collectors, I loved sports cards growing up. Life got busy, and I drifted away from the hobby for a while. Around 2020, I found my way back—and before long I was spending weekends at local card shows, regional events, and eventually The National.
I loved every minute of it. Walking the floor, digging through display cases, and finding cards I wasn't even looking for—that feeling never gets old.
At one show, I left wondering whether the cards I'd been searching for had actually been there all along.
Maybe another dealer had one.
Maybe another collector was carrying it in a backpack.
I had spent hours walking the floor—and I still had no way of knowing.
That's when one question kept coming back:
"Why can't you search a card show before spending the entire day walking it?"
CardFinder Live isn't here to replace the hunt.
It's here to help you spend less time searching—and more time collecting.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized this wasn't just about finding one card—or even one card show.
Collecting happens everywhere: at shows, inside local card shops, at trade nights, and between collectors. The bigger opportunity was to make more of that world discoverable.
Find the cards you're chasing. Discover shows and shops. See what other collectors have available. Connect, meet up, and make real-world deals.
That's the bigger vision for CardFinder Live.
I realized this app should exist.
The only problem was... I had no idea how to build it.
So I learned.
Eventually, CardFinder Live became real—and it's still evolving as collectors help shape what it becomes.
Thanks for taking a few minutes to read my story.
Whether you're chasing your grail card, heading to a show, visiting a local shop, or connecting with another collector, I hope CardFinder Live helps you discover a little more of the hobby.
See you out there.
— Steven