Pokémon In A Pandemic
Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur. Who are they?
They’re the starters that trainer Ash Ketchum had encountered back in 1997, when the first episodes of Pokémon released. Ever since then, the world of Pokémon has grown bigger than ever imagined by creator Satoshi Tajiri.
After COVID-19 hit, collectors from all over have rediscovered their love for the game and its characters.
Beginning in April of 2020, the prices of Pokémon cards from the Trading Card Game started rising by nearly 600% all over he world, mainly because of these three influential people.
First off, Entrepreneur Gary Vee tweeted about the cards, asking people what they thought their 1st edition base set Pokémon cards were worth? Prompting people to dig up, continue, or start collections. Following that, Youtuber Logan Paul started buying cards and selling them, continuing his childhood passion of collecting Pokémon cards. He started hosting box break streams, where people buy Pokémon packs from a booster box (a box that contains 36 packs), Logan bought, and Logan opens these on the stream. Finally, rapper Logic purchased a Charizard card that was worth more than 220k dollars, at the time, the most expensive card ever bought. The reason it was extremely expensive was because it was a PSA 10 first edition holographic card, a very rare card in the Pokémon card market. The company PSA grades the cards based on condition, and 10 is the best grade a card can receive.
All this excitement had caught the attention of millions, prompting the rise of Pokémon in a pandemic. One newcomer couldn’t wait to join in on the fun. “I got into Pokémon because it looked fun and I’m regretting not getting into it earlier, but you know, it seemed fun and I like opening packs.”
If you go into mostly any retail store, you can find these Pokémon cards for around 5.99$. You get ten cards in a pack, but, if you pack something good, you can make it back in an instant. Sellers and buyers use eBay, kijiji, and created websites designated for the cards themselves, to swap or buy certain cards that they need for their collection. Most of these websites have a price feature that indicates the last price sold of a card, and the average selling price of this card. A Pokémon fan details their experience on these buyer sites.
“Well, after I had started opening packs, the first amazing card I pulled was a Crobat V, a special card in the Sword and Shield set. It is a clean, shiny card that has a big purple bat on it. It stood out to me and I love it. Being curious, I went on MAVIN.io, and found out it was worth 14$, twice as much as I paid for the pack in the first place!”
For most people though, buying cards and collecting them, is just for the fun and the memories associated with them. Chloe Somers, a new collector, shares why she doesn’t plan on selling. “I got into Pokémon because my boyfriend got into Pokémon, and I won’t sell my cards, because they’re too cute!”
Yes, these Pokémon’s have fans from every age group, who all find that they’re cute and cuddly. If you play your cards right though, they can be incredibly tough and ferocious on the trading card battlefield. Experienced trainers have been opening packs and looking at their old cards again, while new trainers are adding the first card into their collection. It’s a good time to be a Pokémon fan.
