‘It’s kind of like a Pokémon renaissance:’ Investors are now watching the Pokémon card index as scalpers, Logan Paul and ‘crypto bros’ drive up demand

That’s still the case, but rare cards — and even new ones — are worth a lot more these days. In some cases, they’re outperforming traditional asset classes.

“New cards can sell out in minutes,” writes Arjun Kharpal, senior technology correspondent for CNBC. “People coordinate on X and Discord to know where to go. Prized cards resell at multiples of what they retail for. The rarest can sell for millions of dollars.” (1)

Pokémon trading cards saw a 3,821% monthly cumulative return from 2004 through August 2025, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing an index by analytics firm Card Ladder (which tracks trading card values). (2)

Why are trading cards all the rage?

Collectibles surged in popularity during the early days of the pandemic, perhaps driven by nostalgia or stay-at-home boredom. (3)

The trading cards have been around since 1996, when they were released in Japan (and since 1999 in North America). From there, Pokémon card tournaments emerged; today, there’s even a world championship. (4)

The brand’s popularity skyrocketed in 2016 with the launch of Pokémon Go, an augmented reality smartphone game that allowed you to “catch” Pokémon in the real world. This was followed by the launch of the Nintendo Switch in 2017.

About three years ago, The Pokémon Company started releasing new sets of cards with original characters from the late ’90s — and the buzz has intensified with special 30th anniversary cards.

“It’s kind of like a Pokémon renaissance,” Stephanie Farnsworth, a lecturer in media and communications at the University of Sunderland, told CNBC. (1)

And those who’ve made money from cryptocurrency are “piling into the market,” Kharpal writes, “as prices reach unprecedented levels.” (1)

That’s turning what was once a fun childhood hobby into a speculative opportunity, with cards trading on platforms like eBay and TCGplayer. Indeed, Card Ladder provides index data for trading cards, such as Pokémon. (5)

For rare cards, some collectors are willing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Roy Raftery, a trading card expert at London-based auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwin’s, told CNBC that most buyers at his firm are people “looking for high-end assets” rather than genuine collectors. (1)

Or, they’re businesses looking to buy up cards and resell them to make a profit — a category of collectors referred to as “scalpers’”by genuine Pokémon fans.

Value is determined by factors such as rarity and physical condition, as well as supply and demand. And cards that get a ‘perfect’ grade by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) can be worth a lot of money.

In 2022, influencer Logan Paul set a Guinness World Record for the highest private sale of a Pokémon card: $5.3 million for a pristine Pikachu Illustrator card. In February, he sold that card for more than $16 million — another world record. (1)

Should you invest in trading cards?

With all the hype around outsized returns, it’s not surprising that trading cards are attracting collectors and investors alike. But, as an alternative investment, they do have some pitfalls.

Unlike stocks, bonds and real estate, trading cards don’t generate income. To make money, you’ll need to sell your card or collection at a profit.

While headline-grabbing sales make trading cards sound like easy money, collectors can still lose money. (6) After all, the collectible market is highly speculative.

While rare cards may retain their value over time, there’s no guarantee. If you do invest in cards, you’ll want to make sure you’re storing them properly and, for rare cards, you may even want to purchase insurance (another cost to consider).