How our programs work and answers to the questions we get most often.
A youth group applies, gets paired with a partner group in another country, and receives a short guide and a checklist. Each group fills a box with duplicate cards, one note per card, and ships it. Two volunteers check every box before it goes out. A few weeks after the boxes arrive, the groups meet on a video call to talk about what they received. One round takes about ten weeks from pairing to the call.
Programs are designed for collectors aged roughly 8 to 18, taking part through a school club, library, youth organisation or a parent-led group. Adults are welcome at Swap Days and as volunteers. We do not accept individual sign-ups from minors without an adult group leader.
Nothing. Events are free, workshops are free and the starter stacks are donated. The only cost for exchange groups is postage for their own swap box, and we can often help with that through partner libraries.
The exchange runs in two rounds a year, opening in September and February. Swap Days are monthly and open to everyone without registration. Workshops and mentorship have limited places, so we contact groups in the order applications arrive and confirm a few weeks before each round starts.
The exchange is built on duplicates and commons, not on value. If a volunteer spots a card in a box that is worth significantly more than the rest, we return it to the sender rather than ship it, and explain why. Nobody should feel they gave away something important by accident, and nobody should feel pressure to "match" a valuable card in return.
Hockey is our home sport, so hockey cards are always in the mix. Baseball, basketball, football and soccer cards arrive in every exchange box, and we welcome any sport a partner group cares about. We do not focus on a particular manufacturer or set. Older cards from a family collection are just as welcome as this year's releases, and often make for better stories.
Yes. Minor hockey associations, youth baseball leagues, school athletic programs and community sports clubs regularly host card tables at their tournaments or join a stadium trip. Write to us with your sport, your age groups and your season dates, and a volunteer will get back to you with what we can realistically offer.
Full descriptions of each program are on the Activities page. To learn how Bridgeline Exchange started and how we work, visit the About page.