Pokemon’s 25th anniversary has sparked many expressions of love towards the franchise. The McDonald’sPokemoncards are yet another display of the series’ continued pop culture relevance.
ThePokemonTrading Card game emerged in 1998 in the US, but statistics declaring recent cards sales show the game’s popularity has persisted. Still, nobody could have predicted what a hit the McDonald’sPokemoncards would become when leaks in late January first revealed them.Much like the PS5the release of the McDonald’sPokemoncards was hindered by an abundance of scalpers creating a shortage to exploit true fans of the game. Today, boxes and boxes of wrapped cards are being sold on eBay for an enormous profit.
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On the 25th of February, the most expensive eBay sale of a 25th anniversary McDonald’sPokemoncard occurred. A New York eBay seller with an eclectic collection of items (including women’s deodorant and roasted pistachios) managed to sell a Pikachu McDonald’sPokemoncard for $500 USD. Despite holographic cards typically selling for more, this card was non-holographic. The card sold was listed as having an error, which is known to add value to some items. The error in question was sharply cut diagonal edges on the card, as opposed to smoothly cut curves.
This is not the first time a fast-food company has collaborated withPokemon. In 1999 Burger King, a McDonald’s competitor, releasedgold platedPokemoncardsto promote a newPokemonmovie. McDonald’s itself has also done several collaborations withPokdmon, one of which occurred as recently as 2019. Though fast-foodPokemoncards are being touted as extremely valuable, this is not so. The Burger King cards are reported to be selling for approximately $5 and McDonald’s own 2011 promotional cards have recently sold for just over a dollar. Currently, prices are inflated due to scalpers taking advantage of desperate parents.
Fans who hold the McDonald’sPokemoncards are sure to be excited to hear that a card has sold for $500. However, the success of McDonald’sPokemoncards on eBay is caused by artificial inflation and should not be relied upon. Buying or selling theMcDonald’sPokemoncards at absurd pricesis only supporting scalpers and creating a depreciating time bomb that will backfire on real fans. The perceived scarcity of these cards is extremely unlikely to continue.
That said, fans looking tocollect all thePokemoncardscan rejoice at the promise of these prices eventually dropping. For the patient fans that wait for the panic buying to subside, the 25th anniversary cards are likely to be abundant and inexpensive.
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