World Cup: Panini stickers and trading cards craze hits Punggol

SINGAPORE –

Collectors of Panini’s World Cup stickers and trading cards

came together on Saturday afternoon to participate in a mass swopping event at Punggol’s The Cove at Waterway Point.

Organised by Walter Agency, the official sole distributor for Panini Trading Cards and Sticker Collections in Singapore, the event was free to the public and featured attractive lucky draw prizes – the top prize being an iPhone 13 Pro Max worth $1,799 – alongside “Meet N’ Swap” sessions, where collectors exchanged duplicate stickers and trading cards.

Among the many collectors in attendance was former national goalkeeper Lionel Lewis. The 40-year-old, who has 73 international caps for Singapore, picked up the hobby as a boy during the Malaysia Cup days in 1994.

The two-time AFF Championship winner said: “Seeing the Panini cards at old convenience stores with sticker packs, you save up your money daily so you can get those one or two sticker packs a week. From there, you slowly get on the book and usually for presents you ask for a box of stickers.”

The local Panini stickers and trading cards community congregate on the Facebook group

Panini Swapsies - Singapore

– with over 1,000 active members.

Lewis, who was the Most Valuable Player when Singapore won the 2004 AFF Championship, was only recently introduced to the community. He attended the event with his 10-year-old son, Jonas Lewis.

“He loves collecting these trading cards from the Premier League and now the World Cup so hopefully he can complete his collection this time round.”