Danica Davidson
December 27, 2023 
It’s been years since Pokémon debuted, and fans’ love for it remains strong. That also means some Pokémon merchandise, like rare cards, go for a lot of money, and USA Today published a story proposing Pokémon cards might get even more valuable in 2024.
USA Today is getting this theory from the company Collectors. Collectors reports that it’s done a lot of research on various forms of collecting, and that they have “consistently seen a spike in demand after 25 years across sports cards and all categories of collectibles.” That’s because they view 25 years as the date when something collectible often attains “full nostalgia factor.”
You might be saying, “Hey, wait, Pokémon started in 1996.” It did, but it was in 1999 that the Pokémon “Base Set” came out in America, and they’re counting from this date. A spokesperson for Collectors commented to USA Today that 1999 is “widely attributed as the key start of the global Pokémon craze.”
Collectors CEO Nat Turner remarked, “For people who grew up collecting TCG cards like Pokémon, that moment is occurring right now, and an important driver for being able to act on that nostalgia is having disposable income, which also happens when you’re in your 30s and 40s. The other thing that happens in your 30s and 40s is having kids, which also triggers the nostalgia receptor.”
A love of Pokémon cards can lead to lots of fun and excitement, but the downside of the craze includes crimes committed to get expensive cards, or people causing problems at the Van Gogh museum over Pikachu merchandise, etc. In 2022, a single special Pokémon card sold for $5,275,000 in a private sale, making the Guinness Book of World Records.
Do you think 2024 will be a game changing year for Pokémon cards because of nostalgia?
Source: USA Today
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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