A complete set of first edition Pokemon cards from 1999 just sold at auction for $107,010.
Among the set, as any avid Pokemon fan from the ‘90s will remember, is a shiny Charizard – the most coveted card. At this valuation, the first-edition Charizard alone is worth $20,000, more than a bitcoin.
This complete set of first-edition Pokémon cards sold at auction for more than $107,000.
📸 @GoldinAuctions pic.twitter.com/uAgxkRwq1H
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) August 12, 2019
First-edition Pokemon card collection: $107k
The bidding began at $25,000 and ramped up to over $100k with 12 interested parties. But what makes this collection so special?
Well, it’s a first edition. And the first-edition Pokemon collection is incredibly rare. Only a small run was printed before changes were made to the design. You can spot a first-edition Pokemon card by a small black first-edition stamp underneath the image.
“Immediately following Pokémon’s inaugural 1999 release, there were a couple of aesthetic tweaks made… [which makes] the first run of 1999 cards super scarce” – Ryan Gaeta.
First-edition Charizard: worth more than a bitcoin
The standout card in the collection is the first-edition Charizard. As Gaeta explains, it’s worth upwards of $20,000 alone.
“The king of Pokémon, which some even refer to as the “1952 Mickey Mantle” of the trading card game, is Charizard. Commanding upwards of $20,000 and beyond, Charizard’s value, and that of 1st Edition cards in general, seems to only increase.”
At $20k, Charizard is worth more than a bitcoin which, at the time of writing, is at $11,282. The ultra-rare card equals bitcoin’s all-time peak of $20,052.
Which is a better store of value? Bitcoin or Pokemon cards?
Investors have long seen collectibles like stamps and wine as a store of value. 20 years after the Pokemon craze exploded, rare hobby cards still command enormous value due to their scarcity.
Bitcoin arguably possesses the same scarce property and is growing as a store of value asset. Of course, others believe this is a fool’s opinion. CCN.com’s resident bitcoin-skeptic once claimed that baseball cards are a better store of value than bitcoin. Maybe it’s time to start buying Pokemon cards instead?
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