Liam Benton

Always collected something.

I’m Liam Benton, a Birmingham-born Blues fan and the collector behind Bents Collects. Before football cards, it was Pokémon, Pogs and stickers. The objects have changed over the years, but I still enjoy the same things: finding a piece I want, bringing a set together and having a story to tell about it afterwards.

From memory, my first football card purchase was a Jude Bellingham Topps Sapphire rookie. As a Birmingham City supporter, collecting Jude felt like a natural place to start. That connection has stayed at the centre of my collection, from his early cards to Madrid autographs and the Marks of Excellence one of one inscribed “Brum to the Bernabeu”. I took that card back to St Andrew’s because the place matters to me as much as the player.

What earns a place.

I have a particular weakness for case hits. Kaboom is probably my favourite design, with Manga, Color Blast and Stained Glass all finding their way into the collection. I also enjoy the challenge of building a rainbow: tracking down the variations and seeing the cards work together as a group. Red and gold parallels are colours I keep returning to.

Football is the main focus, but it is not the whole picture. I follow the Kansas City Chiefs and was lucky enough to attend a Super Bowl where Mahomes brought them back against San Francisco. On the basketball side, my Wembanyama rookie autograph came in part exchange for a Messi. Those connections give the cards a place in my life beyond the label on the slab.

The people around the cards.

Ripping, grading and trading are part of the enjoyment, but so are the shows, the conversations and the people I meet along the way. A trade can lead to a friendship. A card can give you a reason to visit a place or start a conversation. That is the part of collecting I want this site to reflect.

I’m also the creator and business owner of Rip & Reveal, where I appear alongside Tubes. Being on camera did not come naturally to me, and he has helped me build the confidence to enjoy it. The show creates room for the people and stories around football and collecting; the photographs here include moments behind the cameras as well as the cards on the table.

Bents Collects is my personal record of that journey. The collection pages show what I own and why I wanted it. The Journal gives the longer version: the unexpected pulls, the trips and the decisions that changed the collection. If any of it starts a conversation, that is a good reason to share it. Come and say hello on Instagram.