Packers fans snag memorabilia ahead of NFC championship

WAUKESHA, Wis. - We are counting down the minutes until the NFC Championship.

The Packers will take on the Buccaneers at Lambeau Field.

Every hour that goes by is another opportunity for fans to take home a unique memento from their favorite players.

Autograph sales this season have skyrocketed.

The Packers’ victory on Saturday didn’t just trigger fan excitement...

"It triggered my phone! With different people buying online or making offers on eBay," Robb Dobratz said.

The win has caused an explosion of interest in Packers memorabilia at Waukesha Sports Cards. Specifically, autographed photos, helmets and jerseys.

"It’s mostly offensive guys currently – last year it was the Smith Bros. but this year it’s been focused on the offense – Aaron Rogers, Aaron Jones, Devante Adams – obviously huge," he said.

Owner Robb Dobratz came to work Monday morning with 100 online orders waiting to be filled.

"We ship to Hawaii, we have a lot of Canada orders and a bunch of people from the UK too," he said.

The store boasts an inventory of 5,000 items on its e-Bay store alone. The world is watching and Packers fans from all points of the globe want a piece of the team.

"Anytime someone — like when Lazard had that touchdown —then right after that people are looking for his stuff."

Fans like Ryan Martens have been collecting for decades:

"You always want to get whatever you can," Martens said. "Whether it’s another Rogers jersey or Devante just going off this year.  Even some of the new guys – it’s a cool time to be a Packers fan."

The boost in sales comes as a hail mary of sorts for the store that had been tackled, like all of us, by the pandemic.

"It was a rough summer with the Brewers not playing as much – not being able to go to the games," Dobratz said. "But the Packers came back and made it a great season."

The pandemic also put the breaks on Waukesha Sports Cards from holding regular, in-person signings with players.  If the team is Super Bowl-bound, you can bet those will be hot ticket events once life resumes post-COVID.