When YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul strode into a 2021 prizefight with a shiny Charizard Pokémon card dangling from a gold chain around his neck, it was a flashy sign of an unlikely boom. Paul claimed the rare card – one of only a few graded “gem mint” – was worth up to $1 million. In reality, that estimate wasn’t far-fetched. In the past few years, Pokémon trading cards have exploded in value and popularity, with some coveted cards fetching six and even seven figures at auction. It’s a frenzy fueled by pandemic-era nostalgia, social media influencers, speculative investors, and even supply shortages – a perfect storm that has turned a 1990s kids’ hobby into big business.

Photo by Giorgio Trovato