Recently, Pokémon cards have been exploding in popularity. Card sets that came out a few months ago are doubling or tripling in price, and booster boxes of the original sets are going for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For those that don’t know me, I’m a big Pokémon fan. I’ve been playing the games since I was 6, and even as an adult, I continue to follow the franchise. However, back in middle school, I had a Pokémon card collecting phase.
Collecting was just a hobby, but I took it pretty seriously. Like most people, I went to card shops and bought packs, but unlike most, I had my own YouTube channel. You see, I didn’t know anyone else who was into Pokémon cards, so I had to rely on Internet strangers to get the cards I wanted.
For 11-year-old me, running that channel was like operating my own business. I had to manage inventory, negotiate, and identify scams. In fact, that channel is still out there, publicly accessible to the Internet, but I’m confident that no one will be able to find it.
Seeing the Pokémon TCG become popular again has been an incredibly nostalgic experience. While I don’t collect anymore, I’ve kept all of my cards – mostly to look at. With new sets like 151 and Prismatic Evolutions, I’ve considered getting back into collecting. For me, it would kind of be like investing in another asset, except with a fun, childhood twist.
Here are a few of my favorite Pokémon cards: