A Single Card Worth 24 Billion Won... "Over 3,000% Higher Returns Than the Stock Market" Emerging as a Hot Investment

Pok?mon cards, once considered children's toys, have rapidly emerged as high-value collectible assets and investment vehicles. As cases of rare cards trading for several billion won have surfaced, the market is expanding quickly, but at the same time, issues such as theft and fraud are also on the rise.

The explosive growth of the Pok?mon card market was triggered when those who spent their childhood in the late 1990s-now possessing economic power-began collecting again. This demand surged further as people spent more time at home and liquidity increased following the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, consumption of non-sports trading cards has more than tripled over the past few years.

The value of a card is determined by its issue volume, preservation condition, and the 'narrative'-such as the character featured and its backstory. Especially influential is the grade given by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), which effectively serves as a certificate of quality; depending on whether a card receives the highest grade, its price can differ by several multiples.

A rare Pokemon card released by YouTuber Logan Paul was sold at auction for 24 billion KRW. Photo by Logan Paul YouTube channel capture

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A representative example is the 'Pikachu Illustrator' card once owned by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star and YouTuber Logan Paul, who has 22.9 million subscribers. This card was awarded only to 39 winners of a contest in 1998, making it extremely rare. Recently, it set a new record for the highest price paid for a trading card when it sold at auction for about 16 million dollars (approximately 24 billion won).

Paul described the auction not simply as a sale, but as an investment case. Speaking to Fox News, he stated, "Younger generations do not have to be tied to traditional investments like stocks and real estate," and argued, "Non-traditional assets can deliver even better returns." He further emphasized that "Pok?mon cards have delivered returns over 3,000% higher than the stock market in the past 20 years."

The overheated market has led to an increase in crime. Last year in Hong Kong, a card shop was targeted in a theft that resulted in broken windows and stolen cards. In New York and Massachusetts, there have been a series of robberies specifically targeting high-value cards. In Japan, there was even a case where someone illegally used credit cards to secure funds to buy cards.

Participants are competing at the Pok?mon Card Game 2026 Korean League Season 1 held last November at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

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Online fraud is also on the rise. In Singapore, there have been over 600 cases of e-commerce scams related to Pok?mon cards, with losses exceeding 1.2 billion won. There have also been reports of customers not receiving goods after pre-ordering cards. Signs of overheating are also evident offline. In California, a dispute while waiting to purchase cards escalated into a stabbing incident.

As a result, regulatory discussions are underway in several countries. Singapore is considering requiring disclosure of odds and imposing age restrictions on the sale of 'blind box' products, whose contents are unknown to buyers. China has already mandated restrictions on sales to children and compulsory information disclosure. In Hong Kong, efforts are being made to store high-value cards in separate facilities and manage ownership digitally.

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