How Logan Paul has impacted Pokemon Trading Cards

The Pokemon Trading Card Game has seen an explosion in value in 2020 after YouTuber Logan Paul jumped into the hobby in September. 

[jwplayer UmrP7a34]

Despite releasing worldwide in 1999, the Pokemon TCG has seen a major revival in popularity in the last two years. Prices have been on the rise since 2019, but have skyrocketed after Logan Paul went viral promoting the hobby as a “legitimate investment” in September. 

While the YouTuber is not entirely responsible for the market’s explosion, it’s undeniable the impact that he has had. We are going to examine how the Trading Card Game has changed since the internet celebrity dropped over $216k to promote it.

Logan Paul promotes Pokemon Cards as an investment

On September 25, Logan Paul surprised fans when he revealed he had spent an “estate’s worth” purchasing Pokemon cards. The viral post not only put a major spotlight on the hobby, but it also introduced mainstream audiences to the idea of the TCG being both “art” and a worthy “investment.”

“These things are appreciating like crazy as collectibles, and are becoming very low supply, high demand art pieces,” the popular influencer exclaimed. The star followed up the post revealing that he bought a sealed 1st Edition 1999 base set booster box for a record-breaking $216k.

• Read More: 5 valuable Pokemon cards you have in your childhood collection
  

Not letting his purchase go to waste, Paul then used the rare Pokemon collectible to both make a profit, and market his investments. The star sold each booster pack for $11k, and opened the box live on stream and gave buyers a promotional shout out. The live broadcast pulled in over 300k viewers, and was #1 trending on YouTube.

Educating casual viewers on Pokemon TCG’s collectibility

While it would have been easy to simply just show off the exuberant money he spent on the rare TCG items, the 25-year-old also uploaded a video to his channel that went into depth to explain what makes Pokemon cards so valuable.

His upload used sleek graphics to detail the difference between shadowless cards, 1st Editions, and other rare versions. With over 22 million subscribers, this is easily the biggest platform the hobby has ever had.

(Topic starts at 01:30)

Pokemon’s explosion in prices

The YouTuber set another new record when he flew out to Las Vegas to buy a 1st Edition Charizard for $150k. The influencer bought the item off of infamous Pokemon card trader Gary, who previously appeared on reality TV show Pawn Stars.

Following suit, former rapper Logic set the bar even higher by purchasing the same card for $226k at auction in October – which is now the new world record. The young star’s videos not only made Pokemon cards trend on social media, but now also had other celebrities wanting to jump in.

It’s impossible to really know how much Paul has had an impact on prices, however according to respected TCG analyst ZandGEmporium, PSA 10 card values have increased over 96% in the month following the 25-year-old’s Instagram post and booster box opening.

Pokemon TCG’s rise is not stopping

It should be stated that Pokemon cards were already skyrocketing in value long before Paul had gotten involved. In fact, the hobby did not need him at all to continue its rise. However, his impact at this point is undeniable as he’s helped accelerate its explosion.

• Read More: Best way to take care of & store your Pokemon cards
  

The star used his platform of over 22 million subscribers to educate them on what the hobby is, and why it’s so collectible. But most important of all, the YouTuber has helped drum up excitement for the TCG, and done so in a way that is fun for viewers and fans of the series alike.