[DigitalToday reporter Hyunwoo Choo] Pokemon cards are being traded like investment assets beyond collectibles, with funds that have earned profits from cryptocurrencies also flowing into the market. CNBC reported on May 22 that rare cards trade for millions of dollars, while even regular products repeatedly sell out immediately after release and are resold.

According to estimates by Collectors, which owns card grading firm PSA, Pokemon card prices rose 282% from 2004 to 2020 and jumped 1,350% since 2020. The surge drew both money seeking short-term gains and demand from ultra-wealthy investors aiming to preserve and grow assets.

Cryptocurrency investors are flowing into the high-end market in particular. Roy Raftery (로이 래프터리), a trading card specialist at London auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwins, said buyers are putting money into Pokemon cards after making large sums in cryptocurrencies. He said many of his clients are not true collectors but people seeking high-priced assets, or businesses trying to secure inventory to resell vintage cards.

High-priced deals have amplified the 분위기. Influencer Logan Paul (로건 폴) sold a rare card, Pikachu Illustrator, for more than $16 million in February. He bought the card in 2021 for just over $5 million. Other rare cards have traded for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The overheating has not been limited to rare cards. In the UK, the official price of the Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Elite Trainer Box is 54.99 pounds, but it is selling on eBay for more than 100 pounds, and as much as over 300 pounds. The Scarlet & Violet 151 Elite Trainer Box has also been listed for more than 450 pounds. Raftery said 19 to 22-year-olds who see such cases think they can buy a 50-pound Elite Trainer Box and resell it for 100 pounds.

In the process, scalpers are worsening supply shortages. Fans call those who seek short-term gains by reselling at several times the list price scalpers. They use automated programs to quickly buy up online inventory. Stephanie Fansworth (스테파니 판즈워스), a media and communication lecturer at the University of Sunderland, said the structure creates supply pressure and pushes consumers into a more expensive resale market.

An expansion in demand also reflects a resurgence of the Pokemon brand. The 2016 launch of mobile game Pokemon Go and a 2017 new title for the Nintendo Switch drew both millennials with nostalgia and new users. Popularity has grown further as card sets centered on early characters introduced in the late 1990s have been released in succession over the past three years. The Pokemon Company releases new card sets every few months, and this year its 30th anniversary products are attracting attention.

The market is not driven solely by speculative demand. David Bellinger (데이비드 벨린저), a senior equity analyst at Mizuho, said the Pokemon card market is changing very quickly and is showing signs that are somewhat bubbly. He also said a collector base still exists that focuses on completing sets and collecting favorite characters.