Gotta collect them all!
Box of Pokémon cards sells for over $400,000 at auction
An original unopened booster box of the Pokémon Trading Card Game has sold at auction for a record-breaking $408,000. That’s nearly half a million dollars or over P19 M.
As reported by Polygon, the shrink-wrapped booster box, a First Edition Base Set from the original 1999 launch, sold at a Heritage Auctions event in Dallas, Texas last Jan. 15.
According to the lot's description on the auction page, the Pokémon TCG was first launched in 1996 and was originally published in the United States by Wizards of the Coast, the same company behind another hit collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering.
The Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box includes 102 base cards, including the rare original Charizard card, copies of which have recently sold for anywhere between $150,000 to $220,000. The First Edition Base Set is increasingly rare due to their very low print run.
GameRant reports that the Pokemon Trading Card game has seen an increased popularity for collectors in recent months due to multiple high profile card trades and purchases. While majority of Pokemon cards aren't worth too much on their own, many collectors are reportedly buying up packs and boxes to see if they will get any lucky pulls.
The box contains 36 booster packs, each with 11 cards, for a grand total of 396 cards, all of which are likely gem mint condition thanks to its shrinkwrap and sealed state.
Last November 2020, Heritage Auctions also sold a similar Pokémon booster box for $360,000.
“A PSA 10 1st edition Base Set Charizard alone recently sold for over $350,100 so there's no telling where this box will end up this time. If you 'gotta catch 'em all' then this is the lot for you!,” American Heritage wrote.
Late last year, ex-rapper Logic purchased a holographic Charizard card for $220,000, setting a record for the most costly individual Pokémon card purchase.
A PSA 10 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard just sold at auction with an ending bid of $183,812.00 via @IconicAuctions.
— Cardhops (@Cardhops) October 10, 2020
Including the 20% buyer's premium, the total transaction value exceeds $220k.
As of now, this is the highest known sale of the card. pic.twitter.com/2mwkoopTvL
During its four-day Comics and Comic Art Auction, which ran through Sunday, Heritage Auctions managed to auction off a total of 16 Pokemon-related lots, including a rare Blastoise, one of only two ever printed, that sold for $360,000. Heritage Auctions’ Pokémon lots garnered a total of $1.3 million.
Watch the actual online auction for the Pokemon First Edition Base Set booster pack unfold here.
(Images via Pokemon)