Por qué las cartas Pokémon se venden por más de un millón de dólares

A 34-year-old man from Liverpool, Jordan Dunne, left his job as a data analyst at a law firm in Chester in 2025 after his passion for trading Pokémon cards became more lucrative than his employment. He explained that his decision to focus on this business was obvious, as he travels to card shows worldwide in search of vintage Pokémon cards to resell online. Dunne's company, Big Box Gaming, is on track to reach £4 million in sales this year, compared to £1.2 million in 2025.

The market for Pokémon cards has exploded over the past year, with many bankers, investors, lawyers, and crypto enthusiasts flocking to buy them, regardless of the price. According to Adam Ireland, eBay's global director of collectibles, nostalgia and increased disposable income have driven this practice into a serious investment.

In the first half of the year, Pokémon was the most searched term in eBay's collectibles category, and in February, Goldin, eBay's auction house, sold a vintage Pikachu Illustrator card from 1998 for a world-record price of £16.5 million, followed by multiple sales of individual cards for over £1 million.

Professional authentication and condition grading significantly increase the market value of Pokémon cards. Chase Society, a market data platform, estimates that the combined market value of professionally authenticated and graded Pokémon cards is nearly £9 billion. The trade extends from Japan, Pokémon's birthplace, to Europe and the United States.

The UK has become a significant market for English-language Pokémon cards, although traders say that liquidity remains higher in the United States. The frenzy began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdowns left a new generation of bored customers at home considering collecting. The fever subsided with the reopening of the world and the drop in value of many cards, but the infrastructure and public developed around this hobby remained.

In 2023, The Pokémon Company launched the 151 collection, focusing on original characters like Bulbasaur, Snorlax, and Charizard, appealing to the first generation of fans. The following year, they released a mobile version of the collectible card game, attracting more players back to collecting. Next month, the franchise's 30th anniversary is expected to generate another wave of interest.

Dunne claims to have sold three personal cards for around £300,000, which he paid half of a year earlier. Tom Lake, another trader, recently sold a Mario Pikachu card for £20,000, which he had bought for £30 eight years prior. The renewed surge in Pokémon coincides with when the original Pokémon fans reached their thirties and forties and have greater disposable income.

The nostalgia of this generation is Pokémon, said Elliot Cabrol, a seller from Canterbury, Kent, who has been trading Pokémon cards for over 20 years. "Everyone invests in Pokémon to relive their childhood," he added. "Everyone hopes for a crash, but the price keeps rising. The older cards that generate the most gains are the ones that are truly valuable.

While The Pokémon Company continues to produce billions of new cards each year, the amount printed two decades ago is limited, and the number of well-preserved cards from that era is reduced. The market is divided into two: modern cards can be reprinted by The Pokémon Company without legal restrictions, but older cards are scarce.

Specialized graders like the US-based PSA grade the condition of cards on a scale of 1 to 10, based on imperfections like scuffs, bent edges, or how centered the artwork is on the card. Only 35 copies of a 2002 Pikachu Legendary Collection version have received the coveted PSA 10 rating. Even a tiny flaw, imperceptible to an untrained eye, can drastically change its value.

A trader recently sold a rare Pikachu card for £250,000 with a PSA 10 rating, compared to around £15,000 for one with a PSA 9 rating. However, the surge has been so rapid that even graders have been overwhelmed. PSA processed over 1.3 million Pokémon cards in August, 10 times more than in the same month in 2021.