Whether you are a fan or not, it’s hard to deny the staying power of Pokémon. From video games to tv shows, movies, and trading cards, Pokémon is the biggest media brand in the world. 

Over the past year, The Pokémon Trading Card game has become one of the most sought-after items here in Cochrane. Devin Petitclerc, owner of Rebel Comics explains the recent surge in popularity. “They've, kind of, always been a little popular just on the underground, but now that famous people and celebrities and YouTubers are doing unboxing videos. They realized the value of these things, they started doing it and now everyone's hopping on that train”

“It's selling out everywhere. I can't even keep it on the shelf long enough for people who just want to play the game. I've got 40-year-old, 50-year-old guys coming in and buying it for themselves. Just to invest in it, you know, they don't care about the game, they don't care about the characters, they just know the value of the cards.”

He says some of the cards are now worth 10 times the original value.

“Pokémon cards that used to be three to five dollars are now $40 or $50, you know, just because of the popularity”

Last week, a rare first-edition Charizard Pokémon card in perfect condition was sold for over $300,000 on eBay.

Checking the value and rarity of Pokémon cards starts by looking in the bottom right corner of the card.

If you spot a black circle, that indicates it’s a common card. Uncommon cards sport a black diamond, and rare cards always have a black star.

From there, rare cards have multiple levels of rarity including standard, holographic, reverse holographic, and more.

“I think 1,200 bucks was the most expensive card that we had. And it didn't stay in there at that price very long. It got bought up pretty quick.”