- Pokémon is celebrating 25 years and its cards have never been more expensive.
- Nostalgic millennials and streaming of popular content creators opening packages has led to an uptick.
- The highest Pokémon cards that can be collected over $ 50 recently rose 466% in value.
- Visit the Insider homepage for more stories.
Pokémon, the international franchise in which hundreds of pocket monsters fight, turns 25-years-old this week. First released in Japan in 1996 on the original Nintendo Gameboy, the series has spread across the globe and has become a cultural phenomenon. Worth around $ 100 billion with ongoing games, movies, shows, and merchandise, Pikachu and its partners are still taking control of the markets.
While jet aircraft with Pokémon logos, consoles, and cars may attract attention, cardboard pieces are still one of the franchise’s most valuable exports. The Pokémon (or TCG) trading card game is a multi-million dollar a year business, with a full set of rules and contests that helped in 2016 sell 2.1 billion cards.
“Until I collected Pokémon cards, I never felt like I was able to recapture a piece of my childhood,” said YouTube star Logan Paul, who began opening folders in the videos. last year, to Insider. “I like the way the cards look and how they make me feel: like a big kid with a lot of money to spend on a board.”
Over the past year, inspired by Paul’s videos and pandemics, the collection of Pokémon cards has grown to higher levels. DJ Steve Aoki began opening folders on his own live streams and rapper Logic spent $ 220,000 on the first Charizard edition at auction.
Pokémon cards have sent children all over the world, becoming increasingly popular
The Pokémon card game was first released in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast and in 2003 turned into a subsidiary of Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc. Since its launch, the series has made 74 sets and more than 9,000 cards in the United States.
In the original set, or coin of 102 cards, were holographic staples of the franchise such as Alazkazam, Lapras, and Machamp. Box sets were flown off the shelves and the game was immediately successful. The first editions (in which there is a small number one on the left side of the card) are the rarest, with the other three printed runs (Shadowless, Unlimited, and 2000) still considered by children on playgrounds and in classes.
“Right now, the rise of the Pokémon card is even greater than when it came to the United States back in the 90s,” RealBreakingNate YouTuber told Insider. “This is probably the biggest thing it has ever been in 25 years.”
With over 670,000 YouTube subscribers, Nate has been a full-time Poké-tuber for the past three years. Package opening videos, where they open cards in front of a camera for fans, are very popular and easy to eat. While 90s kids could only open their own packs, today’s enthusiasts and trainers can enjoy a new bundle through other people’s videos as well. With an average of around 100,000 video views, it’s clear that both old and new sneakers are seeing a silver foil cover tear apart.
“A lot of people are pulling up the old fasteners they had in the closet, the attic, or the basement and they’re rejuvenating their childhood. They want those cards back, to especially if they got rid of them, “RealBreakingNate said. “They want those cards back and they want them in their collection again.”
Card box openings are nothing like new – other YouTubers have built full channels by showing their draws and purchases. Lee Steinfeld and Maxwell Stanley have about 1.4 million YouTube subscribers, who will be joined by Leonhart and MaxmoeFoePokémon. But this resurgence in the Pokémon card collection community has only cut channels like this.
Why are Pokémon cards so expensive?
Following the huge launch of Pokémon GO in 2016, in which people were moving outdoors to capture Pokémon in the country, card prices rose but it was 2020 year which Poké-maniacs kept inside. With more free time and money saved, for some, nostalgia began to be the main driving force of the high school market. These classic cards began with instantly recognizable artwork rising in value, along with cards of franchise mascots like Pikachu, Squirtle, and Mewtwo.
This original set of cards has always had value, but 2020 caused their prices to skyrocket.
TCGPlayer, one of the leading online Pokémon card resellers, says it has shipped more than 16.2 million single Pokémon cards to players and local entertainment stores over 2020. Over that same period, TCCGPlayer is say that the highest collection cards rose at a price of more than $ 50 in value at 466%, becoming six times more valuable than they were in January of the previous year.
“We have a lot more risky collection money impacting the market than we used to,” said John McDonald, Chief Product VP at TCGPlayer. “They have a little bit to spend in their pockets, and they want the cards. reminded them how fun it was to be 10 years old, “
The increase in the value of Shadowless First Edition Pokémon cards over 2020 on TCGPlayer
TCGPlayer
Unlike other card games like Yu-Gi-Oh! or Magic The Gathering, where value is often generated from popular cards or indoor play, Pokémon are motivated mostly by scarcity and rarity. On TCGPlayer, the eight most valuable cards sold on their site in January 2021 were Charizards, many of which would be completely mature or impossible to use in the game itself.
“I was buying an old sealed package still sealed, unopened for less than a hundred dollars, five years ago,” RealBreakingNate said. “Today, if it’s the first edition, you’re going to pay, according to the set, hundreds and hundreds of dollars.”
Boxes full of first-edition Pokémon cards have grown into a collection catnip, with a base set in January 2021 selling for $ 408,000 at Heritage Auctions. In November 2020, Heritage sold a similar box for $ 360,000.
While the popularity of Pokémon and the pandemic had a clear impact on card prices, YouTuber Logan Paul, noted the explosion in value.
When Logan reached Paul, the market exploded in value
Logan Paul, the controversial creator who posted a video of the body of a dead man on his channel in 2018, has over the past two years rebranded his image. He started his ImPaulsive podcast, including interviews with influencers and celebrities, and made a box against Olajide YouTuber William Olatunji, known as KSI in front of millions of fans.
On October 9, 2020, Logan Paul moved into another type of self-contained content opening 36 packages of fixed Pokémon cards. Buying the box for $ 200,000, he sold each package before opening it, handing out the cards to winners and the money to charity. The live stream was a success, streaming 300,000 viewers simultaneously and attracting 11 million views in the last few months.
“A friend suggested that it be a great piece of content with so much room for optimization: feel like a child again, put on a great show, turn a profit, raise money for charity, and grow a business,” Paul said. I have to admit, it really surprised me when it worked! “
Almost immediately after the flood, card prices began to rise. TCGPlayer noticed a spike in value in Pokémon cards that McDonald said “YouTube influencers were very popular.”
“Paul was definitely influencing the prices of the material at a high level,” McDonald said.
Over the past year, Paul says he has spent $ 2 million on Pokémon cards and has yet to reveal what he bought. He feels he has made a “very positive” impact on the Pokémon card community and thinks it was “just reminding people how special Pokémon are.”
“All I’ve done is highlight how cool, meaningful and great Pokémon are. I’ve connected with collectors so cool,” Paul said.
Following the success of his first auction, Paul hopes that the thunder will strike twice. In one of Paul’s most recent vlogs, he announced that he has purchased six first edition promotion boxes and will be selling them for charity on February 27 or Pokémon Day by Goldin Auctions.
“If I had known this would be so big, I would have bought the boxes before, I didn’t think people would care,” Paul replied.
With prices skyrocketing, some have been critical of Paul ‘s involvement in TCG.
“At the heart of the work, the magic and fun of collecting Pokémon cards is now lost to many,” wrote Meg Bethany Koepp of Dexerto. but a new stock market, and if you don’t have the money, you can’t even participate. “
The future of Pokémon cards remains uncertain but bright as a sunny day
In 2021, prices are higher than ever. Those deposited think they could continue to climb or it could appear as a bubble beam.
“For Pokémon in particular, there’s always the potential for it to be a bubble,” McDonald said. “I think if you get the quality of the new cards to build that interest in what’s happening in Pokémon now for users of nostalgia, while at the same time keeping the kids who are into the current games, that they could maintain a high level for a long time. “
But there are only a handful of old Pokémon cards and if that well runs completely dry, who knows where the market will go. However, not all diehard Pokémon fans feel that Paul has marked the end times of their pastime.
“I think what Logan Paul did was a good reminder to a lot of people that Pokémon are still out there,” RealBreakingNate said. “He’s having fun with it. And if that’s the way he wants to have fun with it, that’s fine.”