Mantel is a social network for collectors, where you can share the stories behind your favorite sports cards and memorabilia, and connect with others who share your passions.
As someone who's built communities (shoutout to Reddit) and is a massive collector (sports cards, comic books, video games, toys,... lifesize statues of Iron Man…) Mantel, a social network for collectors, hits home for me. The collectibles market is a whopping $450 billion industry, yet there's never been a go-to community destination that truly brings collectors together in a fun, engaging way. Until now.
Mantel combines two of my greatest passions in business and life: community and collecting. The fulfillment and joy people experience through social engagement around heartfelt hobbies can’t be overstated. There's nothing out there like it. I find myself glued to the screen when scrolling through the feed. Shout out to the team on what they’ve built so far, and the improvements and updates they ship constantly.
There’s finally a non-toxic, purpose built place to go deeper down the rabbit hole. Check it out, and make sure to give me a follow!
?makers any plans to support ActivityPub and connect to the rest of the social web? I love the value prop of this kind of network, but I'm reluctant to sign up for yet another social platform that doesn't connect to my other profiles.
As someone who has spent years immersed in card collecting communities, I can’t overstate how much we’ve needed something like Mantel. Whether it’s sports cards, TCG, or memorabilia, the fragmentation across platforms and the toxicity you often encounter have made finding a truly enjoyable, safe space a challenge. Mantel isn’t just another forum—it’s a central hub built specifically for collectors by people who get it.
Having a singular place where discussions, buying, selling, and celebrating hits can happen without the usual negativity is a game-changer. It feels like the team behind Mantel understands what this hobby is all about: connecting people who share the same passion in a way that’s supportive, fun, and constructive.
This isn’t just another community; it’s a chance to create the best community. If you’re in the collecting world, whether as a buyer, seller, or someone who just loves the hobby, Mantel is where you’ll want to be. It’s time we had a platform that prioritizes the hobby and the people in it, and Mantel nails it.
Cool idea.
With so many different types of collections and personal interests, how will you keep Mantel’s community feeling genuine and welcoming, especially as it grows? How will you handle moderation and trust-building so everyone feels comfortable sharing what they love, without worrying about trolls or negativity?
I feel like there are some many places to start these types of communities, like a Reddit or Twitter community, that I'm wondering about how you'll keep the community thriving after it's been created.
Shane from the Mantel team here. We'd love to hear your feedback and experience on the app. There is so much you can do with the app. Scroll the feed, engage with collectors and have fun sharing your stories about what you like to collect. Let us know what you think!
Makes a huge amount of sense - I think a lot of people have these collections but it's not always the easiest to find a place to have it hosted - Instead it's a bunch of niche online forums etc.
Personally I love collecting old books but I have no clue where I'd begin to get in touch w/ people who have a similar hobby!
I like the fact that it's bringing people together & I think that's worth a huge amount, it's not another Instagram etc. where it's bombarding people with content, they can actually seek out the things they like.
@evaneparker, @keegan_wagner, @quyen_hua , @shane_deol1 , @alexisohanian , Congrats on the launch.
How do you plan to keep the community free from trolls which is a big challenge in communities these days?
Hey Evan and the team – I can see you already have some solid user base. What has helped you the most (from marketing perspective) to grow the community?
Did you use ads or what was the main effort? Thanks
