The worth of Pokémon playing cards will increase through the Logan Paul Pikachu public sale

Pokémon cards are no longer just childhood collectibles.

Some owners are increasingly treating the popular trading cards of the 1990s and 2000s like alternative assets, with some of the rarest cards outperforming traditional benchmarks like the S&P 500 in recent years.

During key periods like the pandemic boom and another surge in 2025, trading card indexes that track Pokémon sales posted gains well above the S&P 500’s long-term average annual return of 10% to 12%, according to trading card valuation tool Card Ladder. The comparison isn’t perfect – stock data spans decades, while trends in trading card stocks are shorter and more volatile – but the outperformance in certain time frames is still notable.

The price increase is due to scarcity, quality and a rush of deep-pocketed buyers looking for a limited supply of prime assets.

At the top end, this dynamic is clear. A rare Pikachu Illustrator card owned by influencer and wrestler Logan Paul sold for more than $16 million in February, setting a record for the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.

“There are certain individuals who try to acquire the rarest, highest quality cards and keep them off the market for as long as possible,” said auctioneer Ken Goldin, whose online marketplace is owned by eBayshipped and sold Paul’s rare Pokémon card. “It is possible that this map will never be offered for sale again in our lifetime.”

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Rare Pokémon card designed by Atsuko Nishida.

Courtesy: Goldin

This supply shortage explains why prices can rise and why a small portion of the market accounts for most of the profits.

In particular, a card’s condition, which determines its grade on a scale of up to 10, can determine its value, Goldin added.

“You can get a card with a grade of 10 [perfect score] “And no one cares if the underlying map isn’t important,” Goldin said. “But if you have the right card, the condition becomes critical – especially in Pokémon, where there is a huge reward for a 10.”

That premium can be extreme, Goldin said. A $100,000 card in perfect condition graded by Professional Sports Authenticator, the leading authentication and grading company, might only receive 1% or 2% of that value in much worse condition.

Except for the rarest cards, private investors and collectors are reopening their dusty collector’s books from 20 or more years ago and hoping to strike gold. The boom in ticket sales accelerated during the pandemic as stimulus money and interest in alternative assets surged. Spending on non-sports trading cards, including Pokémon, increased 350% between 2020 and 2025, according to market research firm Circana. At the same time, celebrities like Post Malone, Steve Aoki and Kevin O’Leary were gaining mainstream attention.

“We’re seeing people use this as an alternative investment opportunity and asset allocation option,” Goldin said. “Whether this will become more institutional over time remains to be decided.”

However, the risk remains for hopeful investors in the market. The same forces that drive profits also create risk. Prices are volatile, heavily influenced by hype, and card prices lack the stability and track record of traditional markets.

Still, some highly sought-after Pokémon cards continue to outperform the market.

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