We're living through our 21st century version of Dutch Tulipmania, it seems. Like every other asset perceived to be rare, Pokémon cards have shot up in price l

We're living through our 21st century version of Dutch Tulipmania, it seems. Like every other asset perceived to be rare, Pokémon cards have shot up in price lately. Some cards are now selling for more than the median price of a house. And yes, you read that right: 1 rare Pokémon card > 1 median house. Naturally, people are raiding their closets hoping to find cards they can cash out, and the companies that grade and certify cards as authentic are overwhelmed with demand. But holy mackerel, I'm not doing the OP justice: > I had a First Edition Charizard, one of the most sought-after cards of all time, when I was 10. I sold it on eBay when I was 11, for $150. It was a huge sum of money at the time. One of these sold for more than $300,000 a few months ago. Like many other people, I have spent much of the last few months digging through my old cards, identifying which ones are valuable, and selling them on eBay. > Over the last few months, as people have been raiding their closets for their old Pokémon card collections, they’ve been mailing their cards to get graded at one of the three major companies that does this. The companies are Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), and Beckett Grading Services (BGS). > Under the weight of the resurgent Pokémon card hobby, each [of the grading companies] has been completely crushed by demand and COVID-related backlogs, to the point that, from the outside, it seems as though they are barely functioning (It’s not just Pokémon cards, there has also been a resurgence in sports card, Magic card, and Yu-gi-oh! card collecting).* Go and read the whole thing.