The Cardonomics Initiative

About

Trading cards are more than collectibles. Their values reflect personal preferences, scarcity, uncertainty, information, and expectations about the future. Trading card markets offer a unique setting to study fundamental economic questions involving consumer behavior, auctions, bargaining, market design, price discovery, and the role of information in decision-making.

Cardonomics is a research and educational initiative I founded at Texas State University that uses trading card markets as real-world laboratories for economic research and experiential learning.  Spanning both physical and digital marketplaces, the initiative draws on existing market data and original data generated through field experiments to study individual decision-making and market behavior. Students participate in projects across the initiative, and gain hands-on experience in economic research and analysis.

A central component of Cardonomics is the TX Hill Country Card Show, a recurring, on-campus collectibles marketplace connecting collectors, dealers, students, researchers, and the community. Students in Texas State's Agricultural Business Association developed the show's website and play a pivotal role in organizing, promoting, and managing the events.