Online auctions on eBay for cards from the Pokémon Trading Card Game skyrocketed last year, with sales rising 574% from 2019 to 2020. The Pokémon Trading Card Game has been around since the beginning of the franchise, and it remains one of the cornerstones of the series, along with the anime and the video games.
Like the other parts of the Pokémon franchise, the Pokémon Trading Card Game has seen peaks and valleys in its popularity. Pokémon as a whole saw a massive boost in interest when Pokémon GO became a global hit, as a huge nostalgia boom erupted around the franchise. The video games on Nintendo Switch now include some of the best-selling titles in the series, while the anime feels as if it’s being retooled for a new generation of fans. Pokémon cards have seen a massive increase in interest, both in the classic cards coveted by collectors and in the rare cards from new sets. Notably, streamers and YouTubers have recently found success viewers with Pokémon card pack openings, which could also be a huge driver for the sudden surge in interest for this and other trading card games.
eBay has released a “State of Trading Cards” report, which chronicles the spending on both sports cards and collectible cards over the past year. According to eBay, the Pokémon Trading Card Game saw a staggering 574% increase in sales from 2019 to 2020. The four most popular cards sold during that period involve some familiar faces from Pokémon Red and Blue, including Charizard, Pikachu, Mewtwo, and Blastoise. The second biggest-selling card of the year was a Charizard that sold for over $350,000. This Charizard was a holographic thick stamp shadowless card from the base set, explaining its immense value.
It bears mentioning that even the Pokémon Trading Card Game‘s success was eclipsed by Magic: The Gathering, as the single highest-selling card from a collectible game, was an Alpha Black Lotus that sold for over half-a-million dollars. There are few cards in the world worth as much as an original Black Lotus, especially one in pristine condition and with a sleeve signed by its illustrator, so coming up short against Magic: The Gathering in the trading card auction business is not much of a loss for the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
It’s not just individual Pokémon cards that are selling for big bucks, as unopened cases of cards from the base set also go for absurd amounts of money online. 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the Pokémon franchise, and The Pokémon Company is already involving the Pokémon cards in a McDonald’s Happy Meal promotion, which is facing issues with scalpers. It seems that this interest in the Pokémon Trading Card Game could last for the remainder of the series’ birthday, though it’s unclear if this sudden explosion in trading and collectible card game cards and packs will maintain its momentum in 2022.
