A lot of students and parents remember summers of collecting game cards. Whether it was baseball, Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, or another assortment, collecting cards has been an enjoyable way for people of all ages to indulge in their hobby. Now, in recent years, collector’s cards are making a resurgence.
In stores such as Target, Walmart, 5 Below, and GameStop, trading cards are making a re-appearance after peaking in 2020 both worldwide and in the United States. According to the Los Angeles Times, Pokemon cards take the crown as the most popular trading card, but different kinds of cards have started showing up in stores again.
Pokemon Cards were released in 1996, but found their popularity in 1998 after the release of the Pokemon Anime: The Indigo League.
But why are they becoming so popular again?
It is because of the rarity and value of many of the cards. The most expensive Pokemon card ever sold was a 1998 Illustrator Pikachu, sold for over 5,275,000 million dollars. And thanks to sites like Ebay and TCGplayer, everyday people are also able to make some money off the hobby by selling or reselling items. This increasingly contributes to its growing popularity.
If you have an interest in starting a collection, here are a few common tips around the community to keep the price of any card collection high:
- Make sure the cards are cleaned and protected as dirty or ripped cards drastically decrease in price.
- Often times the packs from old series are valued more than the cards able to be found inside, so selling those versus opening them can be very profiting.
- Getting cards graded before selling them can also increase the price drastically. It generally guarantees a higher profit if a card is of a higher caliber.
While Pokemon cards may be the most popular, all of the above advice can be used on baseball cards, Magic The Gathering, or any other popular trading cards that may arise in the near-to-distant future.
