24 June 2023 , 22:01
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They have been the pocket money must-have for schoolkids for years.
But now Pokémon trading cards are considered works of art – with the rarest valued at millions and demand soaring as celebrity fans snap them up.
The rarest Pokémon card, the Pikachu Illustrator, is estimated to be worth up to £4million.
Only 20 are thought to exist and one is listed on eBay for £3million.
Another Pikachu Illustrator is owned by Logan Paul – who also turned his £800,000 Charizard card into serious bling in 2021. The YouTube giant, 28, wore it on a jewelled chain as he entered the ring for his exhibition boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather in Florida. Another celebrity Pokémon fan is rapper Post Malone, who paid £625,000 for a single card.
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Logan Paul wore his Charizard card on a jewelled chain for his bout with Floyd Mayweather (Getty Images)Collectors are now being advised to dust off their albums as auctioneers who normally specialise in stamp and rare coin collections jump on the craze.
Trading card expert Roy Rafter, 37, hired by London auction house Stanley Gibbons to value Pokémon, said: “Auction houses realise how valuable they can be.
“An England under-21 footballer recently bought a box for £12,000. He said he couldn’t wait for the next auction. But some people are prepared to spend millions. Anyone who once collected cards should get them valued – you never know how much they could be worth.”
Pokémon cards first rose to fame in 1996 (Bloomberg via Getty Images)Originally called Pocket Monsters and later shortened, the Japanese video game Pokémon became a global craze in 1996. More than 52.9 billion cards from the spin-off trading game have been sold worldwide.
In 2021, the Pokémon Company celebrated 25 years by making cards of stars including Roar singer Katy Perry.
Roy added: “ When I was in school, everybody was buying and collecting cards.
“There’s nine generations now so there’s over 900 Pokémon.
The rarest Pokémon card is the Pikachu Illustrator“So it just endures. There’s going to be this cycle now of fathers passing it down to their sons and daughters.”