–
A glittering card by the dragon Charizard became a real jackpot. Card collectors who followed the animated Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum’s motto “catch the most” can consider themselves lucky when the pandemic caused collector card prices to reach new record levels.
SEK 149,865 (almost 15,000 euros).
That’s how much the rare Pokémon card “1st edition Shadowless Charizard holo PSA 7” was clubbed on Tradera. An unopened copy of the collector’s box “Pokémon Neo Destiny 1st Edition booster box” went for a staggering 44,000 euros.
The expensive cards are no exception but rather part of a trend.
During the pandemic, the demand for collectible cards – such as Pokémon cards, NHL cards, cards from the game Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards – has completely exploded.
Throughout 2020, a quarter of a million collector’s pictures were sold on the Swedish auction site Tradera. Sales there during the first half of last year increased by 121 percent compared with the same period the year before.
Absolutely most popular are cards on the cartoon Japanese monsters Pokémon. Almost 500 Pokémon cards change owners daily via the site.
Nineties driving
Sofia Hagelin, press officer at Tradera, explains the type of Pokémon card that has been most in demand.
– As with all collectibles, those who go away are hundreds of thousands of unused and rare rarities. Several of the most expensive cards are on the character Charizard.
She believes that the pandemic has given more people time to go through their card albums, something that has increased both sales of unusual cards, and made more people want to replenish their collections.
– Those who are driving up demand now are mainly professional collectors who have large collections and do not have a certain card. Many are nineties artists who collected Pokémon cards when they were little and who now have their own income and more money to spend on the cards.
“Pokémon” means “pocket monster” and was originally an adventure role-playing game that was developed into Nintendo’s handheld console Gameboy and released in 1996. The game aims to capture small cute monsters, and became a huge success.
In 2016, the game came in the mobile variant “Go”, developed by the company Niantic, which also became a success story.
In 2019, the eighth generation of the little monsters was launched with the games “Sword” and “Shield” – the total number of Pokémon characters then passed 1,000 (even though the games themselves contain less than half).
In addition to the various games, for all Nintendo consoles from Nintendo 64 onwards, there are today TV series, a Hollywood movie, playing cards, stuffed animals and everything possible Pokémon-related.
–
–
Celine has been collecting for 16 years
One who is passionate about the little Japanese monsters is Celine Billock Rosqvist, 20. She has been collecting Pokémon cards continuously since the age of four. Today she has over 20,000 in her collection.
Celine Billock Rosqvist explains what it was that made her cling to the collection:
– The older figures are very, very cute. It’s the whole series really – everyone helps each other and it’s a beautiful world. It is a comforting place when things look like they do in the world, she says.
What is your most valuable card?
– I probably do not want to give it out, but I can say that I have a similar card as what everyone is talking about, ie a Charizard, but a slightly different variant.
How much money do you spend on your collection?
– I put more than the average person, but I do not think it should be the money that matters without the collection itself and a genuine interest. For me, it is not those super expensive cards that are the goal without having as many different Pokémon as possible.
“Ok to be a nerd now”
The increased demand does not only apply to used cards – newly manufactured collector cards have also gained momentum. If it testifies Anders Neiker, founder of the company Coolcard.se, one of Sweden’s largest companies in hockey pictures, football cards and card games.
– There is nothing to compare with through all our active years. We are working hard to provide products right now as a delivery can end in a couple of minutes, he says.
Anders Neiker believes, however, that the timing of the upswing depends on more than the pandemic.
– It is a mixture of factors, basically I think it is because it is ok to be a “nerd” now. The Internet has made you friends all over the world, even if you have a niche interest.
–
:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/79485f8a-9aae-11eb-bd16-02c309bc01c1.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)