The ‘90s are calling and they want their collectibles back — for millions. by JAMES ZAHN, deputy editor FIVE YEARS AGO, JUST AS THE streetwear market began to go mainstream, Detroit-based StockX launched as a resale platform to connect sneaker enthusiasts with sellers of hard-to-find kicks. The company quickly gained steam as it evolved into a fluid platform that the company says is “a marketplace for consumers of current culture.” In a bit of serendipitous timing, many StockX customers have also turned their attention to the collectibles space as certain brands are becoming just old enough to now have products of great value. The platform is just one place where a sophisticated, new generation of collectors is seeking fun investment opportunities. “Brands are harkening back to early childhood memories and creating products that activate buyers’ sense of nostalgia,” says StockX Senior Economist Jesse Einhorn. “Whether it’s retro video games, LEGO sets, or Pokémon cards, many of the products performing well today have ties to the past.” THE RETRO SCALE SLIDES CLOSER Traditionally, nostalgia runs about 30 years behind the present day. In the 1980s, there was a large obsession with the ‘50s that was solidified in the plot of Back to the Future. In the ‘90s, the Woodstock generation of the ‘60s was back in the spotlight. Now, we’re living in the right era that the ‘90s are having a resurgence, but in ways unlike any generation before it. “We’ve seen a big uptick in anything from the ‘90s — Jurassic Park, Power Rangers, Dragon Ball Z, and beyond,” says Todd Jordan, owner of Kokomo Toys & Collectibles in Kokomo, Indiana. “A lot
of that generation is coming into money now that they have secure jobs and their own families.” While Tamagotchi is back and Furby waits to knock off the cobwebs, one franchise born in the ‘90s has never gone away and is bigger than most people realize. And, as Jordan says, the socioeconomic position of its original fans has a lot to do with it.
“If you think secondary market values of rare, high-grade, vintage Pokémon cards are shocking now — just wait ...” Jeremy Padawer, Jazwares “Pokémon is the largest selling retail brand of all time across all entertainment genres,” says Jeremy Padawer, executive vice president and partner at Jazwares. “It’s the largest despite being around for only 25 years globally and just 22 in the U.S. Essentially, the 6-12-year-old consumer in 1999 is now 27-33 years old. This consumer is just coming into money. They are on their first or second job that actually pays reasonably. … [They have] never grown out of Pokémon and are coming into their own.” GOTTA COLLECT AND FLIP ‘EM ALL Padawer, whose company produces Pokémon toys under license from The Pokémon Co. International, has come into the spotlight himself over the past
year due to the high-profile secondary market for Pokémon cards alongside other sports and trading cards. Padawer has been investing heavily in the market and has grown a large social media following by connecting with toy collectors and trading card enthusiasts. “Pokémon as an investment-grade collectible absolutely exploded during the pandemic,” he says. “If you think secondary market values of rare, high-grade, vintage Pokémon cards are shocking now — with some individual cards approaching $500,000 to $1 million — just wait until these 27-33-year-old kids are 40-50 years old. The highest valued sports cards, currently, are worth more than $25 million each. It wouldn’t shock me to see a vintage Pokémon card eclipse the most valuable sports cards in the decades yet to come.” At StockX, the average price of a PSA 10-graded Pokémon card is up 300% year-over-year. The amount spent on Pokémon products doubled between December 2020-January 2021, and then it doubled again between January and February. According to Einhorn, Pokémon now ranks among the top 10 biggest brands on the StockX marketplace based on monthly trades in March, even outpacing the major sneaker brands that the platform was originally built for. “We’ve seen more than 5,000 trades of the 2020 Pokémon Champions Path Elite Trainer Box, which offers buyers a shot at pulling a rare and valuable Charizard card,” Einhorn says. In February, eBay released its first-ever State of Trading Cards Report in an effort to crunch some extraordinary numbers. Unsurprisingly, Pokémon topped
50 THE TOY BOOK | JUNE 2021 | toybook.com
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