Is Pokemon outshining baseball? ✨

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Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• Is Pokemon outshining baseball? ✨

• Auctions ending soon 🔎

• People to follow in the hobby 👥

• Meme of the day 🃏

IS POKEMON OUTSHINING BASEBALL? ✨

In the world of collectibles, Pokemon cards have seen a significant resurgence in the last several years. In 2022, The Pokemon Company printed a whopping 9.7 billion cards, brining the total number of cards in production to 52.9 billion. That means the supply of Pokemon cards increased 22.4% in a single year, which is remarkable considering it’s been over a quarter century since the first Pokemon cards hit the market.

The impact on the hobby is undeniable. Pokemon cards represented 40% of all cards graded by PSA in 2023, surpassing baseball and every other individual sport or category. Sports card submissions at PSA were actually down 2% in 2023, while TCG was up 66%.

This boom in Pokemon card collecting can be attributed to a blend of nostalgia and disposable income. People who grew up with Pokemon in the late ‘90s now have the disposable income to spend on their childhood hobbies and interests. On top of that, it’s been introduced to the younger generation through influencers like Logan Paul, who famously wore a first edition BGS 10 Charizard on a chain to his fight with Floyd Mayweather.

Pokemon’s broad appeal has led to an interesting dynamic — it has a much smaller ratio of actual competitive players compared to other TCG like Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh!. Much of the Pokemon fanbase is just collectors who like collecting and opening product, but not actually playing the underlying card game.

The big fish in the hobby have taken note — in August 2022, eBay acquired TCGplayer, a TCG marketplace, for a whopping $295 million.

The next big frontier for card collecting has always been international markets, like Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Interestingly, in those regions, we’re seeing Pokemon cards gain popularity much more quickly than sports cards. People always hoped that increased international participation in card collecting would increase demand for the mainstay sports, and for more fringe collectible sports like soccer and tennis. But, given what we’ve seen, it’s worth considering how much of that new demand is going to turn entirely to non-sports cards like Pokemon.

AUCTIONS ENDING SOON 🔎

• Goldin: ends April 11

• Alt Liquid Auctions: ends April 11

• Bagger’s Auctions: ends April 11

• MeiGray Auctions: ends April 11

• NBA Auctions: ends April 11

PEOPLE TO FOLLOW IN THE HOBBY 👥

• Post War Cards: Blog focused on post-1945 sports cards

• Night Owl Cards: Voted favorite card blog of 2023 by TCDb

• Wrigley Wax: Cubs collector blog

MEME OF THE DAY 🃏