The demand for and price of Pokémon trading cards is on the rise. Why? It comes down to several factors, nostalgia seemingly being the foremost among them.
What better excuse to dive into this phenomenon than with Ewbank’s ‘Trading Cards Auction – Pokémon, Magic The Gathering & More’. The sale, which will take place on 25 August, includes close to 140 Pokémon lots alone, including box sets, card sets, individual cards, magazines, as well as other merchandise.
The star lot of the sale is a Pokémon Booster Box from 1999, which comes sealed in original shrink wrap and contains 36 sealed booster packs. The world record for the most expensive Pokémon Booster Box was made earlier this year when a first-edition sold for $408,000 (£298k) in the United States.
These kinds of box sets have become incredibly scarce due to their low print run, not to mention very few remained sealed. The vendor of this Ewbank’s example formally owned a gift shop in the late 1990s/early 2000s, the items that were sold being wholesale retail products.
Another reason Pokémon cards have been on the rise is down to buyers: there’s an entire genre of collectors out there buying cards. Some of these are YouTubers and influencers who unbox card sets on the video-sharing platform, or else on Twitch, an American live-streaming service. These kinds of buyers are known to pay hundreds of thousands for a single card.
Many of these buyers absolutely loved Pokémon when they were children, but couldn’t afford the cards. Now that they have disposable income, to do with as they please, buying up Pokémon is like fulfilling a childhood dream. The same goes for ‘regular’ collectors who search high and low for cards to complete their collections, but are maybe spending a few hundred pounds instead of hundreds of thousands on them. These buyers loved Pokémon as children, when they couldn’t afford the cards, and now that they’re in their late twenties and early thirties, they have the income and savings to obtain the cards they like.
There’s been a noticeable spike in Pokémon prices recently, particularly since the pandemic started. This is perhaps because more people are spending time at home and have less to do, resulting in more time spent scouring the web for collectables, and also because with all that time at home, people have been clearing attics and childhood boxes, uncovering old cards and sets to sell. According to eBay, there were 60% more Pokémon card sales on its platform in September 2020 compared to January 2020. Prices have also been on the rise since the launch of Pokémon Go in 2016.
Of course, a card’s scarcity and condition will play a role in its value – not to mention the actual card itself. Some aren’t as rare as others and some are still in print, meaning greater quantities and lesser value. It’s best to do your research first and know what you’re after.
Auction is a great way to buy cards, as it gives you the time to search catalogues. There is no rush to buy – auctions are timed and lots therefore can’t sell in a second if you’re wanting to sleep on a decision. Buying at reputable auction houses, like Ewbank’s, is even better, as you can trust the vendor to be putting up accurate catalogue descriptions and photos, not to mention their specialists are exactly that: specialists. Specialists know what cards are worth and will be pricing accurately. Ewbank's themselves have been working with a leading Trading Card specialist especially for this sale, who's also a former professional Magic the Gathering player. Auction houses also help with shipping if you live overseas, and will answer any other questions you might have.
For all those Pokémon fans out there, don’t forget Ewbank’s Trading Cards auction will be taking place later this month on 25 August. There’s also Harry Potter, Magic the Gathering, Yu-gi-oh! and more within the catalogue. If you're after even more, stay peeled for Ebwank's future Trading Card sales, planned for autumn and winter this year.
