Pokemon card sells for $22,600 as eBay reports trading card sales surge

Trading cards, once a childhood collectible, are emerging as investment assets in the global collectibles market.

Korean sellers' trading card sales on eBay grew by double digits in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to eBay analysis.

Trading cards feature popular intellectual property characters — such as Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh — or player profiles of famous baseball and basketball stars. Cards considered rare among collectors command a premium based on print runs and grading ratings, and can trade at high prices.

Driving the category's growth is the Pokemon franchise, which marks its 30th anniversary this year. Korean-language cards have also seen strong demand in overseas markets — the top-selling item among Korean eBay sellers in the first quarter was the Korean-language Pokemon card.

A "2025 Ditto Promo Card" distributed free at last year's Pokemon Town event in Seoul sold for $4,090 (about 6.2 million won) after receiving the top rating from grading agency BGS. A Korean-language "2012 Pokemon Rayquaza EX Promo Card" graded PSA 10 sold for $14,796 (about 22.6 million won). Korean-language cards from other franchises, including Yu-Gi-Oh and Cookie Run, are also gaining traction among global collectors.

Beyond major global IP, Korean game and webtoon properties are also making their presence felt. Cards tied to "Goddess of Victory: Nikke," "Solo Leveling," "Brown Dust 2" and "MapleStory" all ranked among the top trading card sellers by Korean eBay sellers in the first quarter.

Sports trading cards are also seeing brisk activity. Michael Jordan, Shohei Ohtani and Stephen Curry topped the sports card sales rankings for Korean eBay sellers in the first quarter, with Son Heung-min also placing among the leaders. The highest-priced sports card sold was a "2005-06 Michael Jordan Dual Jersey Autograph Card," which fetched $37,146 (about 56.9 million won). A "Son Heung-min 2018 Panini Prizm World Cup National Landmarks Card" sold for $3,851 (about 5.9 million won).

eBay has been building out trading cards as a core category. In 2024, the company acquired Goldin, a trading card auction platform. It has also partnered with grading agency PSA to offer an integrated service covering buying, selling, grading and automatic listing.