Pokémon Outperforms Nvidia, Bitcoin, and the S&P 500 By Over 200%: "Is This the New Normal?"

Pokémon card collecting is more than just a pastime hobby in 2026. Play your cards right, and you'd be able to set your kid's college fund up with the sale of a single PSA graded card that's been collecting dust in the attic since the turn of the century.

The return on investment for Pokémon cards has been skyrocketing for years now. Take the PSA 10 2002 Legendary Collection Reverse Holo Pikachu.

It sold for just $510 in 2017. Fast-forward to June 2026, and a copy in the same condition sold for $264,000. This is a 51,000% spike in value.

A perfect summation of how valuable the "hobby" has become is a year-on-year progression graphic. It shows percentage increases for various stocks and collectibles over one year, from September 2025 to September 2026.

In this, Pokémon reigns supreme with a 304% increase in value over the time frame, while Nvidia grew by merely 26%. The S&P 500 grew by 17%, and Bitcoin was in the negative with a 23% decline in value.

"Is this the new normal?" questioned the X account that posted the graphic.

Trading card sales have also begun to boom, with Target reporting a 70% increase in 2025. Walmart saw a 200% increase in sales on its online marketplace last year.