Are Pokémon cards a good investment?

Not financial advice. RipsChart publishes data and context. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and past prices do not predict future ones.

What the index numbers say

The two long-run figures differ because they cover slightly different periods and were reported at different times. Card Ladder publishes its indexes on its own site; we cite the press reports here because they state the figures with a date.

What the index leaves out

• Survivorship. A price index follows cards that kept trading. Cards and sets that faded from demand drop out of view, and nobody publishes an index of the average binder.
• Costs. Index returns are price moves. They do not subtract grading, shipping, insurance, storage or selling fees, all of which come out of a real holder's return.
• Your buy and sell prices. If you buy at or above market and later sell below the last recorded sale, the gap between the two can wipe out a modest gain.

The risks

Reprints and supply

The Pokémon Company decides how much of each set to print. In 2025 its VP of game development told Fortune the company was printing at maximum capacity to meet demand. More supply of a modern card usually means a lower price for it. Older, out-of-print cards cannot be reprinted in their original form, though new products can still revisit the same Pokémon and artwork.

Grading supply

Many cards are only valuable in a top grade, and the grade is not known until the card comes back. Graders handled a record of about 26.6 million cards in 2025, more than 16.1 million of them Pokémon, so populations of high-grade copies keep rising. In 2026 PSA paused its cheapest levels for nearly five months, and its Value level reopened at $39.99 a card in October with a turnaround estimate of 90–100 business days.

Liquidity

A card is worth what someone will pay for it on the day you sell. Popular cards sell quickly; most do not, and in a falling market buyers disappear first. In February 2026 Japanese outlets reported card shops closing as prices for sought-after cards fell sharply from their highs.

Fees

Grading costs from about $17 to several hundred dollars a card depending on the company and speed; marketplaces and auction houses charge sellers fees, and buyers' premiums at auction raise the price the next buyer has to beat. Use the grading cost calculator to see what grading adds.

Fakes

PSA's 2025 fraud report said counterfeit Pokémon submissions rose by more than 125% year on year. A fake bought as an investment is a total loss. See how to tell if a Pokémon card is fake.

If you are thinking of buying cards for their value

• Buy what you would be happy to keep if prices fell.
• Check recent sold prices, not asking prices, before you pay.
• Budget for grading, shipping, insurance and selling fees.
• Authenticate expensive cards before or straight after you buy.
• Do not borrow to buy collectibles.

Related data: the most valuable Pokémon cards ever sold, card prices, the grading tracker and Pokémon on RipsChart.