Pokémon card sales in Finland have surged, with occasional spikes five times higher than the previous year, according to SOK, the Finnish Cooperative Wholesale Society. Prisma sales data shows that 41% of buyers are aged 25–34, indicating a strong adult collector market. Investors are also buying Pokémon cards, SOK reported. Mika Karvonen, Sales Manager at S-Group, said that many millennial parents remember their own cards, want to share the same enthusiasm with their child, and at the same time return to childhood memories.
High-value cards have become a target for thieves. News reports indicate that Pokémon cards worth over 430,000 euros have been stolen in thefts this year. Ilta-Sanomat reported that such thefts have occurred in Finland. Even new packs can contain cards worth 400–500 euros, according to multiple reports. Pokémon card shops have also been robbed in the US, UK, and Canada this year, news reports said.
The interest is so incredibly high right now. We sell loose cards in the store and have seen a very large increase in sales.
The craze is part of a global phenomenon. Pokémon turns 30 years old this year and is the world's most profitable media brand, created in the 1990s by Satoshi Tajiri. On the auction site Tradera, Pokémon cards were sold for 140 million SEK last year. A rare Pikachu Illustrator card was sold at auction for about $16.5 million by Logan Paul, according to the YouTuber. According to SVT Östergötland, Rickard Gottfridsson, a store employee at Arcade Dreams, described the interest as incredibly high and noted a very large increase in sales of loose cards. He also advised that it is a hobby and that very few people can make a lot of money on Pokémon cards.
The exact total value of Pokémon card sales in Finland this year remains unknown, as does the precise number and total value of thefts in the country. Demographic breakdowns for Sweden and comparable price increases there are also unclear. Collectors' most sought-after cards are not specified.
It's a hobby, don't buy more than you can afford. Very few people can make a lot of money on Pokémon cards.