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"I've just got boxes upon boxes in the garage": Stephen Bunting says wife isn't happy at new obsession
PDCWednesday, 05 June 2024 at 16:51
Stephen Bunting is a big football fan in addition to darts. The 39-year-old is even an avid collector of football cards.
Bunting collects panini stickers. "When I was a kid getting the packs, I was so excited," Bunting told BBC Sport. "I remember having the sticker books and I was always intrigued with putting the stickers in and trying to fill the books up."
"I'm a massive Liverpool fan, so any Liverpool cards I used to get as a kid - the stadium, the shiny cards and things like that - really got me intrigued and I think that is what gets you hooked."
TikTok
Bunting's love of soccer stickers and cards was rekindled recently after he discovered Ollie Jenks' "Paolo Panini" TikTok channel. That channel has regular livestreams where viewers can buy unopened packs from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s and watch them being opened live.
"I was just scrolling through the channels on TikTok, just looking for content to be honest when you're bored, and I came across Paolo's channel," Bunting said." It took me back to my childhood and I just got involved straight away. I remember putting a comment in the chat and he said 'Is that the real Stephen Bunting?' and he figured out it was. We've become really good friends ever since."
Stephen Bunting won the Masters earlier this year
"If a big-name player comes out, you get a buzz and you feel it in Ollie's voice, the chat room. It's a special place to be when you hit the big cards and being known as the pack king, I've got to keep it up, haven't I?
"It's brilliant, to be honest. They're all putting 'let's go Bunting mental' in the chat and I think I've gained a lot of new followers as well from people who maybe didn't know me as a darts player. My following at the moment is fantastic, I try to do as much on TikTok and social media as I can to show that I am a normal person."
Wife not happy
Still, not everyone is set up with his collecting frenzy. "The missus isn't too happy because I've just got boxes upon boxes in the garage. I wouldn't say I'm addicted to it, but I really enjoy it. It's a great hobby to be involved with and if you did want to make money out of it, there's a lot of money out there.
"For me, it's not about that; it's about passing it down to my son and future generations."
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