In recent years, the game from the famous 1996 Japanese franchise has enjoyed enormous popularity, prices have increased and new collectors have been influenced by YouTube. During the sales in Lille, tickets sell like hot cakes, sometimes for more than 100 euros.
Pikachu, Charmander, Mwetwo… names that will certainly bring back school memories for those in their mid-thirties. Additionally, if you have Pokémon cards like these in a closet, don’t throw them away. Some of them may have become collector’s items and could sell for tens, hundreds or even thousands of euros.
Because what was originally just a leisure game has developed into a real collector’s business, with more and more buyers and skyrocketing prices. At the Lille sale, several sellers, passionate themselves, surf this business that has experienced new growth in the last two or three years.
“I can tell you that Pokémon work well,” reveals Davy Menuge, collector and reseller at the sale. Around a thousand playing cards can be seen in his exhibition, presented in folders or blister packs. The price ranges from 10 cents for the basic equipment to 100 euros for his rarest piece, a “Taupiqueur”. This nurse from Lille will have earned several hundred euros on Saturday alone. “I have a small collection, but I can tell you that for some it’s a real deal.”
Davy Menuge sent his card to a valuation company to certify it and thus increase its value. • © Baptiste Mezerette/France Télévisions
The same observation also applies to Bruno.B, a dealer based on the Champ de Mars who specializes in selling collectibles. “I have been selling Pokémon for 10 years, but in the last three years, between pre- and post-Covid, there has been an explosion in volumes and prices, with an increase of two or three,” he explains. And automatically increasing sales, from “10% to 30%”.
I don’t sell my cards for 1000 euros at a sale like this, I prefer to sell them online.
Bruno.B, Pokémon card seller
Nowadays, some cards have incredible prices that can reach several thousand euros. Auction lots can also be found in sales rooms. However, the largest sales are made online, on eBay or other websites. “In an emergency sale like this, I don’t reduce my tickets to 1,000 euros,” says Bruno.B. Too risky.
When you say business, you say customers. But who are they? First, there are the brand loyalists. Those who discovered the game of the Japanese franchise founded in 1996, who played it on the playgrounds and who remain connected to it. These thirty-somethings enjoy better spending power these days, so treat yourself. “Some people couldn’t get what they wanted as children, so they make it up to them now,” Davy notes.
Dany Menuge, collector and seller of Pokemon cards, at his stand at the Lille 2023 sale. • © Baptiste Mezerette/France Télévisions
For this collector profile, nostalgia is the primary purchasing power. Sara Benkhayat is only 18 years old, but is looking for the maps of her childhood. “I had a lot of fake cards at school, so I try to find them and buy the same ones with real cards.” This Sunday she finds two for the price of five euros. “The Pokémon card has become a Proust Madeleine for adults,” says Bruno.
Then there is the new generation of school children who are enthusiastic about their parents’ game. Clémence has a 6-year-old little brother who discovered Pokémon just a few months ago. “I think he saw it on TikTok, he’s really into it,” she says. “There are also a lot of grandparents looking to give them to their grandchildren,” observes Davy. “Some even fall in love with them.”
This renewed popularity of Pokémon among young people has its origins in social networks and in particular on YouTube. Influencers like Seinhor (1.34 million subscribers) or David Lafarge (2 million subscribers) in France have millions of views for videos in which they open card packs live or reveal their rarest coins. Other media personalities, such as rapper Lorenzo, recognizable by his Pokémon Bob on stage, are helping to revive the hype around the game.
Apparently price inflation has fueled desire… Today, Pokémon is no longer just a playground affair. Seeing so much money being thrown around, the counterfeiters joined the party. As a result, more and more counterfeit cards are circulating. An example of this phenomenon: in 2021, Chinese customs also confiscated 7.6 tons of counterfeit cards that were brought to the Netherlands.
To counteract this, card rating companies – a type of certification body – have emerged. One of the market leaders is PCA. The principle: The collector sends his card to the company, the company checks its authenticity, the condition and writes a score of 10 on the card. A label that also offers significant added value for the property. “For example, before I upgraded my Taupiqueur, the card was worth 15 euros, today it is 100,” explains Davy. “And I paid around ten euros for that.”
In the coming months, the Japanese brand will release a new series of highly anticipated cards: the 151. “There are a lot of speculators who will be interested,” predicts Bruno B. Perhaps some of them will be on the stands next year.