Image source, BBC/Jadzia Samuel
- Author, Daniel Sexton
- Role, BBC News, South East
A football card collector has turned his hobby into a profession with a YouTube channel.
Jack Whyte, from Herne Bay, Kent, has amassed over 160,000 subscribers from collecting cards.
He said: “I first started collecting cards in 2006 when the World Cup was on, it was the buzz of seeing them on my kitchen table and then from there I’ve just kept going.
“I then started doing it on YouTube but when I was at university, the numbers went crazy and it kicked on from there.”
Image source, BBC/Jadzia Samuel
He said that the joy of opening packs on his GBW channel is “great”, as “it is an affordable way to have fun, you never know what you are going to get”.
Mr Whyte is a big Queens Park Rangers (QPR) fan and has been collecting cards of former midfielder for the club, Eberechi Eze.
Eze is currently playing Crystal Palace in the Premier League and is also in England’s Euro 2024 squad.
Mr Whyte also owns the only variation of a Charlie Austin card, another former QPR player.
He said: “I’ve got cards in my collection that range from £1-£1,000 and there is quite literally a little bit of everything in it.”
As well as football cards, he also has a collection of former ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley and some Toy Story cards.
Image source, BBC/Jadzia Samuel
Despite his extensive collection, Mr Whyte says he is just a “normal guy”.
He added: “When I go on tours and do meets, it’s weird that people ask for a picture or an autograph. It’s very surreal.
Mr Whyte has also been to the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany and is going back out for the latter stages of tournament.
He is predicting Spain will go all the way and win the trophy.