Why Wall Street Is Investing In Trading Cards

[0:00] Trading cards are moving from dusty binders to investment portfolios, and it's not just sports cards. [0:06] This Pokemon card sold for almost $17 million in February 2026, the most expensive trading card ever sold. [0:15] It's possible that you may never see that card come up for sale in our lifetime. [0:20] Since 2004, some Pokemon cards are far outpacing the broader market. [0:24] For example, this card, if it was in perfect condition, would return significantly more than the S&P 500. [0:30] And now investors and celebrities are taking notice of the now $100 billion market, too. [0:36] I thought it was nuts. I said, why would anyone pay a million bucks for a piece of cardboard? [0:40] He said, you don't get it. [0:42] I collected Pokemon cards as a kid, and I've been watching this market evolve over the years. [0:47] And I was curious to see if mine were worth anything. [0:50] So I brought some to Comic-Con to get them evaluated. [0:53] It's a process called grading, sort of the gatekeeping of value. [0:57] The difference between a grade 9 and a grade 10. [1:00] It can mean thousands of dollars. [1:02] I really, really, really want that holographic Charizard to be a pristine gem. [1:05] That would be incredible. [1:07] But how is that trading cards are beating Wall Street? [1:10] And is this boom built to last, or is it just another collectible bubble? [1:27] We are here at Comic-Con in New York City, where we have some folks dressed up as some of their favorite comic book characters, Pokemon characters. [1:36] You will see everything under the sun. [1:37] And honestly, it's all fun and games. [1:40] But then you come over to the collectibles area, [1:42] and people are trying to figure out just how valuable their trading cards, their magazines, their video games are. [1:47] And between PSA and CGC, you got it covered, but it's all business. [1:51] So we're going to do these three today. [1:54] So I got this card in, I think, like, $99, $2,000 for Christmas for my mom. [1:58] She went to our local trading card shop and bought it for like $100. [2:01] So fingers crossed it's worth at least that. [2:03] Maybe double. Maybe more. Who knows? We'll see. [2:05] First, I created an account with CGC. [2:08] Then I chose what I'd be doing with the cards, getting them graded, and how I'd be submitting them. [2:12] Grading them costs differently based on the amount and estimated value. [2:16] I picked the economy tier at $18 a card. [2:20] And that's it. Now your order is complete. [2:22] Yeah, super, I mean, super, super simple. [2:25] So print back and slip. [2:26] I'm very excited. This is also something I've been putting off for I can't tell you how long. [2:30] So now we drop off the cards. [2:31] And then we'll take them to our headquarters in Florida, which is where the grading happens. [2:37] Two people actually end up looking at the card. [2:39] They put it in the slabs and then send it back to you. [2:42] It's exactly like this, where it has the label, what you got on the grade, and then I can go and see what value it is. [2:51] The rise of kidults, or adults who have disposable income and use it to buy toys or collectibles, has transformed the trading card industry. [3:00] As investors hunted for alternative ways to make money during the pandemic, many fans rediscovered their love of collecting. [3:07] Total spend for trading cards, excluding sports cards, increased 350% between 2020 and 2021. [3:13] So there are a lot of different factors as to what's going on. [3:17] You see the headlines about million dollar cards and, you know, people are wondering, do I have a million dollar card in my collection? [3:22] But no, probably not. [3:24] However, there are cards with hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, especially cards from, like, potentially newer kid. [3:30] Pokemon is the highest grossing media franchise with the biggest intellectual property in the world. [3:37] But other games like Magic the Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh are surging, too. [3:41] In general, CGC grades about half a million. [3:43] cards a month. [3:45] Its bigger competitor, PSA, can sometimes grade more than one million non-sports cards a month. [3:51] It seems kind of crazy when you first get started that these are actually real assets you can invest in. [3:57] And I wouldn't say go put all of your money into that, because maybe if you were really, you know, wanting to go all in. [4:02] But some fans are doing just that. [4:05] I have no interest in getting into the stock market at all. [4:08] There's no value in it. [4:09] It's a make believe number system. [4:11] I actually just sold a card this week. [4:13] It was a 1997 platinum medallion card. [4:17] It was worth about five grand in its condition. [4:20] What did you end up doing with that cash? [4:21] Are you, like, investing in it? [4:22] Paid for my kids' school tuition. [4:25] Others are using the cards to supplement their stock investments. [4:28] I do invest in stocks, but that's usually through my 401k. [4:32] Money is risky, especially the way the economy is going on. [4:35] You need to make smart investments. [4:41] For a card to be worth thousands, it must be an absolute standout. [4:46] Like rare or vintage cards. [4:48] Like the 1998 Pikachu Illustrator or the 1999 first edition Charizard. [4:54] The most valuable sports cards are typically ones that come from a star player's rookie season. [4:59] They are worth even more if they're signed. [5:02] When looking at the Pokemon index during certain periods, like in 2020 and in 2025, [5:07] cards far outpaced the S&P 500's roughly 12% average annual return. [5:12] Of course, that average is about 70 years. [5:15] And trading cards data doesn't go back that far. [5:18] But you get the point. [5:20] So I got my cards back from CGC. [5:22] We're about to talk to an auction house to help me put some value to them, [5:26] see if they're worth anything, and if I might be set up for some early retirement. [5:29] So I did get my cards graded by CGC while I was at Comic-Con in October. [5:33] I don't know if you have any estimates as to what a card like this, [5:36] with this grade from CGC, could be worth if it were to go today. [5:40] I'm going to guess that you've got, on a low end, $1,000, a high end, $1,500. [5:46] The Ancient Mew is the more common variable. [5:49] If it has the Nintendo misspelled, then it'd be significantly more. [5:53] In those exact grades at PSA, I'd be giving you a higher estimate. [5:57] Card collecting always involved a treasure hunt, but social media has taken that to another level. [6:03] Leveraging the excitement of chance to build hype and garner views, [6:07] box break culture, where people record themselves opening sealed products, has exploded. [6:13] Just look at the rise of Labooboos, which was in part pushed out through surprise blind boxes. [6:19] Trading cards get the same treatment. [6:24] It's not just social media that's fueling hype. [6:27] The line between investing and gambling has blurred. [6:30] Consumers are rapidly getting into prediction markets like Kaoshi and Polymarket. [6:34] Card collecting, too, has become a high-stakes marketplace driven by the thrill of a bet. [6:40] Yet unlike gambling, cards are physical assets that can act like insurance during high inflationary times and stock volatility. [6:48] There's something tangible to it. [6:49] There's something you can hold in your hand, you can look at. [6:51] There's the value. [6:52] Being able to see it, maybe passing it down to your kid, being able to pass that value on. [6:56] There's endless possibilities when it comes to trading cards on all fronts. [7:00] Nostalgia also separates the cards from other assets investors use to diversify their portfolios. [7:06] And some fans won't part with an expensive card even if its value soars. [7:11] That's like the big question, right? [7:12] Like, how much would a card have to be worth for you to say, I'm okay parting with this? [7:17] I have a card that's worth $50,000. [7:19] It's a great card to have in my collection. [7:21] And it'll sit there. [7:22] But if circumstances change, I have this emergency fund essentially sitting there waiting. [7:27] Although card collecting has evolved into an alternative asset class, the market is susceptible to bubbles. [7:36] Some collectors think the Pokemon craze is similar to the Beanie Baby fad in the 1990s. [7:41] Back then, people poured their life savings into collections, but then the market crashed after overproduction. [7:47] Collectors lost interest and the toys became virtually worthless. [7:51] So celebrity-driven demand and social media hype don't always guarantee results. [7:56] Most trading cards have little resale value, and the slightest damage can cut value significantly. [8:02] The market is also subject to high transaction fees and counterfeits and can, of course, be very volatile. [8:08] I have a Sammy Sosa Wookie card, but because of his scandals, that card is not worthless. [8:13] I looked up online, and most is worth $3. [8:17] My approach is I just buy the art that I like. [8:19] Still, risk is just part of the game, and card collecting is going through a boom. [8:24] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:25] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:25] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:25] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:25] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:25] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:25] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:26] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:26] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:27] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:27] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:28] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:28] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:29] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:29] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:30] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:30] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:31] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:31] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:32] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:32] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:33] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:33] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:34] Both PSA and CGC are all about risk. [8:34] on my Pokemon card collection but considering some of them were free or [8:38] gifts anything is worth it a couple thousand dollars I'm definitely gonna be [8:42] holding on to them for now and seeing if I can't get more down the road