Growing up in the 1990s, the Pokemon trading card game was everywhere. The school cafeteria was filled with kids showing off their cards, or looking to trade. Having the best cards was a fast track to being the coolest kid on the playground. Some players moved onto other interests, leaving their cards behind. But others kept at it, and a secondary Pokemon card market grew. Some Pokemon cards are now worth thousands of dollars, and one lucky YouTuber pulled one of those expensive cards in a recent video.
The YouTuber in question goes by the name Leonheart. He has made a name for himself as one of the most popular Pokemon card opening channels on YouTube. Renowned for his positivity and excitement, in his videos, Leonheart opens up booster packs, hunting for the Pokemon cards that can sell for thousands of dollars.
Leonheart was opening a pack of First Edition Pokemon cards, a box of which recently sold for over $50,ooo. As he got through the pack his excitement rose. The pack had all the signs of being a high value one. As he got to the last card, his hands start to tremble. When he saw that the last card is a Holographic Charizard, he quickly put the card in a protective sleeve, and then literally jumped with joy.
The holographic Charizard card he pulled is one of the most expensive cards in Pokemon's history. In the right condition, the card is worth upwards of $55,000. Of course, this is only a quarter of the value of the most expensive Pokemon card of all time, which recently sold at auction for almost $200k. But it's still quite the pretty penny for a piece of cardboard.
The secondary market for trading cards has exploded in recent years, based on a number of factors. Nostalgic fans who grew up playing trading card games like Pokemon or Magic: The Gathering now have jobs and disposable income of their own. Plus the internet has given everyone access to the secondary market. This is how cards like Magic's Black Lotus end up selling for 166k.
For fans who played these card games back in the day, it's probably worth it to try and find their old collections. They could be worth a whole lotta dough.