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22 minutes ago Richard Price West Midlands The Potteries Centre There were long queues at The Potteries Centre in Stoke-on-Trent Eager collectors put up tents, unfolded camping chairs and settled in for overnight waits on high streets, as new sets of Pokémon trading cards were released in stores. "I think it's bigger than it's ever been," said Mike Stanier, owner of Trading Card Land in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire. "If you went round Hanley yesterday morning it was like Glastonbury Festival - people pitching tents up and little deck chairs," he said.
Shopkeepers said they had been delighted at the buzz created by the event, with further queues anticipated on Friday. The first tranche of cards were released on Wednesday, marking the 30th anniversary of the Japanese media franchise, with stores preparing for further drops. The Potteries Centre More queues are anticipated on Friday with further cards released Stanier warned prices for some of the cards had become "massively inflated" by people selling them online - with some fetching up to £600 each.
However it was a volatile situation, he said, as some had dropped in price significantly after the official release as cards became more readily available. The anniversary release was based around vintage-style cards, which strongly appealed to collectors Stanier said. "People kind of stereotype the kind of person that's into Pokémon," he added, but said they attracted a diverse range of people.
Social media and influencers had helped bring Pokémon to new audiences whilst also keeping it going for those who remember the games from their childhood, Stanier said. Mike Stanier Mike Stanier, owner of Trading Card Land in Kidsgrove, says interest in Pokémon cards has been "bigger than it's ever been" during its 30th anniversary year Pokémon collector Scott booked a day off work specifically for the launch as he knew it would be difficult to buy the cards otherwise. "I actually pulled the card that I was after the most," he said.
"I'm absolutely buzzing with that." If he sold the card, it could be worth up to £200 he said, but he felt it was "priceless" and would be keeping it. Joanne Wright, manager at the Potteries Centre, said she was expecting a busy start on Friday when more cards were released. There were queues outside the shopping centre before it opened on Wednesday, with the stores stocking the cards selling out within 15 minutes, she said.
"It's been a big boost for every shop, even if they don't sell Pokémon cards," she added. "It brings a bit of buzz back into the centre." Some rare Pokémon cards can command high prices on the re-sale market Carly, a member of staff at Forbidden Planet in Hanley, said the store had played the Pokémon theme music to help get customers into the spirit while they queued. "I've personally not been in for a Pokémon launch, so I had no idea what to expect.
When I walked around and I saw the queue, I was like 'oh my goodness'," she said. She added it was a mixture of nostalgia and a significant anniversary that had led to the launch being so "heightened" this week. "There's a lot of people love opening stuff where they don't know what's going to be inside it - it could be blind boxes, it could be like packs of cards or whatever.
"I think people just like the not knowing, the surprise of what could possibly be in it." Pokémon cards were first released in 1996, and featured 102 different designs with drawings by artists Ken Sugimori, Mitsuhiro Arita and Keiji Kinebuchi. They soon became very popular, with tournaments springing up, and millions of cards have since been produced and played all around the world. Earlier this year, one of the rarest and most sought-after Pokémon cards sold for $16.5m (£12m).
It belonged to American influencer and wrestler Logan Paul, who bought it for $5.275m (£3.8m) in July 2021. At the time this also broke a Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold. More on this story Related internet links
Source: BBC
