A new closed box record for the first edition of Pokémon cards was set at $ 408,000. The sale was made on January 15 by Heritage Auctions, the same company that brokered another record Pokémon sale in November.
O Pokémon Trading Card Game (Pokémon TCG) first released in 1996 and originally published in the United States by Wizards of the Coast – the same company behind another collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering. It pits two or more trainers against each other in traditional Pokémon battles, but with cards instead of digital pocket monsters. Cards are traditionally purchased in blind boosters or in the secondary market.
To like Magic, the original Pokémon TCG is still being printed. You can find it for sale at a local friendly game store, major retailers and online. But the secondary market – especially the speculative market for unopened first-edition booster packs – is on the rise, fueled by social media hype, Logan Paul, and even cryptocurrency investors.
This latest record sales series began in October, when rapper Logic paid $ 183,000 for a Charizard, and most recently culminated in a $ 375,000 deal that collapsed live on YouTube. It also sold at auction over the weekend: a rare Blastoise, one of the only two ever printed, which sold for $ 360,000.