New Pokémon Go App Arouses Pokémon Card Market

Market Advisory from Heritage Auctions

DALLAS — Parents, is it time for revenge? If you had kids in the 90s, you're still scarred from the shouting, begging, and hair pulling induced by Pokémon.



These mystical creatures sailed to the United States from Japan in 1997, and as trading cards hit the shelves a year later, Pokémon became a craze. Children worldwide were ruthless in efforts to enhance their card collections, bartering and pleading with friends and family for the chance to buy another card pack to quench their obsession. Prices soared, with common cards often trading for $10-50 or more online and in school playgrounds. But like an open bottle of soda, the Pokémon cards fizzled out of popularity in the mid-late 2000s.

Well, parents, break into your child's old room, because there is a chance that these collectible critters were actually an investment.

Two-weeks after its July 6 launch in the United States, Pokémon Go has resurrected Pokémon mania, with more than 30 million downloads across Apple's App Store and The Google Play Store. Pokémon Go has become the fastest app to reach 10 million users, according to the USA Today.

Nintendo, the consumer electronics company, owns a substantial stake in the Pokémon franchise. In response of the app's popularity, Nintendo's market cap doubled to over $40 billion, as reported by Reuters. Nintendo — and the entire world — are reawakening existing collectors, and creating many more.

The recent resurgence nearly doubled eBay's Pokémon daily card sales. Oddly, there seem to be negligible price increases among more expensive lots over the last two years according to Pokémon buying guide posted on eBay by "giahuuphan's". The following chart lists pricing information for Pokémon cards sold worldwide for over $300.

Despite the decline in sell-through percentages and negligible rise in individual prices, cards continue to sell for thousands online, with the most expensive card, Pikachu Illustration Card, priced at $100,000 for one of the best surviving examples out of only 39 made. While most cards in this category go for far less, there could be outliers in your child's old collection, such as a 1^st edition Charizard. For more information, examples, and links, please go to www.ha.com/pokemon.

Pokémon © Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.; Pokémon Go © Niantic, Inc.

Heritage Auctions is the largest auction house founded in the United States and the world's third largest, with annual sales of more than $900 million, and 950,000+ online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and receive access to a complete record of prices realized, with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com.

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Subject matter specialists and digital assets available:

Eric Bradley, Public Relations Associate

214-409-1871; Ericb@ha.com