Built by a Creator Who Knows Every Angle.
I’m Johnny Iannelli, founder of Trading Card Memories.
I’M THE ARTIST, THE PRINTER, THE TECHNOLOGIST, AND THE COLLECTOR.
I design cards from scratch and to spec. I know the feel of the right cardstock, the weight of a premium finish, and the importance of a perfectly cut card. And as a lifelong trading card enthusiast, I understand what makes a card collectible.
Because of this hands-on experience across art, printing, technology, and collector culture, I’m often brought in not just to print cards, but to help creators, companies, and families think through how their story should exist as a physical collectible.
That end-to-end perspective is what sets Trading Card Memories apart. I’m not running a production line. I’m continuing a family tradition of craftsmanship while innovating how creators and collectors bring ideas to print.
A Translator by Nature
I grew up as the oldest child of Deaf parents.
American Sign Language was my first language.
From a very young age, I became the translator between two worlds, Deaf and hearing. That experience shaped how I see people and how I work.
I learned to read body language, emotions, and unspoken context. I learned patience. I learned how important it is for people to feel included, understood, and seen.
That instinct followed me everywhere:
translating technical ideas to non-technical teams
helping creatives communicate with printers
helping clients articulate ideas they can feel, but can’t quite put into words
Today, that same skill shows up in my work. I don’t just ask what you want to make. I help uncover why it matters, and then translate that into a tangible, meaningful collectible.
Ink, Paper, and a Family Legacy
Printing runs deep in my family. It began in the late 1940s when my grandfather started working at Zabel Brothers, a Philadelphia print shop that, in 1949, began producing baseball cards for Bowman and Topps.
He’d tell stories of bringing home boxes of cards and full uncut sheets. These were pieces of history that, at the time, no one imagined would become such valuable collectibles. Years later, as card values skyrocketed, those treasures were long gone. We still laugh about how my grandmother cleaned out what could’ve been a family fortune.
In the late 1970s, my grandparents purchased Archway Press, Inc., a company that remains with my family to this day. Nearly everyone in our family has worked there at some point, including me. I started during summer breaks when I was about eleven.
Rediscovering Art
(and Purpose)
After 16 years in corporate IT, I made the decision to walk away from a stable, well-established career to pursue something that felt more meaningful.
In 2023, I reconnected with my art. I began sketching, painting and rediscovering what creativity felt like again.
Around that same time, I was raising my daughter, Ava, and I wanted to show her that it’s possible to build a life doing what you love.
While digging through old boxes, I came across my childhood trading cards. The ideas started flowing.
I knew the art world could be tough to break into, so I asked myself: What could I create that is nostalgic, creative, meaningful, and something people would actually want to hold onto?
That’s what led me down the path of custom trading cards.
I asked myself, “What would a baseball card fan want? What would a baseball card fan father want?”
The answer became my first custom brand, TOTS, a playful parody to celebrate newborns and toddlers that blends humor, nostalgia, and personalization.
And that’s how Trading Card Memories was born
This new venture brought me back to the printing world, this time working with Archway Press instead of for it.
Together we experimented with card stocks and finishes until I found the perfect one. The one that has that unmistakable baseball card feel used by the big brands.
Today, I’m proud to continue a family legacy: printing professional-grade trading cards, just like my grandfather once did. Only now, they tell new stories.
My Approach
COLLECTIBLE-GRADE QUALITY, EVERY TIME
Every card that I create meets the same standards used by professional brands. I combine the precision of commercial printing with the care of a handmade process.
Because I understand both design and production, I’m able to make creative decisions that actually translate into print.
Family, Craft, and Community.
PRINTING RUNS IN MY BLOOD (AND SO DOES CONNECTION)
Trading Card Memories exists to bring people together through art, storytelling, and nostalgia.
I collaborate with companies, artists, teams, and families to celebrate what matters most: milestones, achievements, inside jokes, and once-in-a-lifetime moments.
Every card tells a story. My job is to make sure it’s told the right way.
