Arthur Hayes Is Backing Another Token With A Bold Price Target – It’s The Same Maelstrom Researcher Behind The WLD Call

• Maelstrom cited strong profitability and revenue growth as evidence of product-market fit.
• Collector Crypt tokenizes graded trading cards into redeemable Solana-based non-fungible tokens.
• The report was authored by the same Maelstrom researcher behind the firm's earlier bullish Worldcoin thesis.

Arthur Hayes showed his support for the Collector Crypt (CARDS) token on Tuesday after his family office, Maelstrom, published a research note assigning the Solana (SOL) based project a $4 price target.

The endorsement drew attention not only because CARDS rose into double digits, but also because the note was authored by the same Maelstrom researcher behind the firm’s earlier bullish Worldcoin thesis: a trade that Hayes had championed before later exiting.

Hayes amplified it on X, writing, “The ticker is $CARDS degens. The thesis is solid. The price will be pumping!"

Why Maelstrom Is Bullish On CARDS

Per the Maelstrom report, Collector Crypt will tokenize graded trading cards into redeemable Solana-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs) through a "Gacha Machine" marketplace that will buy cards in bulk at 5% to 15% discounts and sell packs where users can keep their pulls or sell back at 7% to 15% below market, leaving CC with a 4.5% margin. 

Maelstrom cited $53 million in annualized profit in May, a $109 million June run-rate, a weekly record of 215,000 packs opened, and a secondary marketplace already hitting roughly $650,000 weekly highs as evidence of "real product-market fit." The pitch positioned CC as a direct challenger to eBay Inc. (EBAY) in collectibles, charging a 2% fee with instant settlement versus eBay's 16% to 20% all-in fees.

The firm also highlighted recent platform growth, including a weekly record of 215,000 tokenized trading-card packs opened and first-quarter 2026 revenue of $146.9 million.

CARDS' price was up over 16% in the last 24 hours. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around CARDS dropped to ‘bearish’ from the ‘neutral’ zone, while chatter rose to ‘extremely high’ by 91% from ‘low’ levels over the past day.

Hayes' Latest High-Conviction Call

The note, written by Maelstrom researcher Lukas Ruppert, follows a familiar pattern. The same desk was behind the firm's bullish Worldcoin (WLD) call earlier this year, a Sam Altman-linked token Hayes publicly backed before dumping his position within days. 

Hayes also exited positions in Hyperliquid (HYPE), Zcash (ZEC), and Near Protocol (NEAR) after previously describing the three assets as crypto's "holy trinity." He later said the sales were driven by concerns that a growing AI-related debt boom could drain liquidity from digital-asset markets.

Despite those tactical portfolio shifts, Hayes has maintained core exposure to Bitcoin (BTC)  and Ethereum (ETH) while increasing allocations to US energy producers and selective derivatives trades.

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