“Gotta Catch Em’ All!” is the infamous Pokémon slogan that is expressed throughout the series from childhood and remains today. Pokémon Trading Card Game has recently blown up and taken the Internet by storm all over again. As a kid, I was very much into the Pokémon card wave and would long to hit up a Toys“R”Us every weekend for even just one pack. I feel that the most important aspect of buying Pokémon Cards is the serotonin you get from opening the pack and collecting them for fun; hence, the slogan I mentioned earlier. The whole purpose is to collect the cards and possibly trade them with your friends, besides playing the actual game in which you battle other people. A plethora of the cards you can possibly pull from these booster packs can be of heavy monetary value and are an investment. Pokémon cards are very much worth your money.

Investment: these might just seem like pieces of cardboard to certain people, but art and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder. They are way more than just that; they are possibly the next big investment asset. Over time, the Pokémon Company has released a variety of card series, which are printed in limited quantities. Certain cards are highly sought after or rare, raising the price value that you can sell that card for. For instance, one of their more rare and sought-after sets titled “Brilliant Stars” contains a Charizard V (Alternate Art and Ultra Rare) card, which is highly valued and difficult to find, as well as very visually appealing. They are priced higher in the secondary market. This particular card is considered the most valuable card in this set, and based on PriceCharting statistics, the PSA 10 (a card considered to be in pristine condition) price went from $324.61 to $463.00 in the past six months.

Since the series is getting older and going out of print, making the card less accessible and more profitable as it becomes more rare and more desired, the value will steadily increase. If its rate of increase in value remains the same, the value of this specific Charizard card is on track to increase by $100 every six months and will be around $2,000 in ten years.

However, even though the value of these cards may be the reason why people have decided to start collecting, I think anything that brings you happiness and serotonin is worth your time and money. As a collector myself, I love the thrill and surprise of opening new Pokémon packs, and I love seeing the cute and pretty cards that I can pull and keep in a binder to look back at and feel accomplished when I complete the set. It is also fun waiting for the newest sets to drop and experiencing pure joy you get once you get a certain card you want. At a retail price of $49.99, you can get an Elite Trainer Box for most series that consist of a pack of decorative sleeves, eight to 10 booster packs of Pokémon, energy cards, dice for playing the actual game, exclusive promotion cards and sometimes even posters. This is pretty worth your money because it comes with a lot, and each booster pack would cost around less than $5. You would get cards for a good price, extra trinkets, serotonin and the chance of pulling a high value card all in one package! With that being said, buying Pokémon Cards is never a waste of money, whatever your goal with those cards is. Whether it just be for fun and games or to get high value cards, the purchase is completely worth it.