There may never be a phenomenon like Pokemon Cards again. When they first arrived on the scene in 1999, both children and adults alike gravitated toward the bright colors and sheer addictive nature of the collector's curse. If you didn't have a few of these tucked away for safe-keeping, you were likely lacking to some degree - or simply not interested in Pokemon, in which case, fair. Yet if you find yourself belonging in the latter camp, it's unlikely that you'll be able to pull out the secret nest egg in a time of dire need.
In case you haven't heard, original cards are raking in quite the sizable bag. Complex has raised awareness of a recently-completed auction, in which a full set of first edition Pokemon Cards from 1999 has been sold for a staggering $107,000. Naturally, the holographic Charizard was included, one of the rarest pieces of Pokemon memorabilia to ever hit the scene.
The auction site, Goldin Auctions, maintains that the quality is nothing short of mint. "While the cards have rounded corners, they are still very difficult to attain in GEM MINT condition. In fact, many cards have population counts below fifty in the aforementioned condition. Demand for this set in high-grade continues to grow." Perhaps buying rare Pokemon Cards is the millennial equivalent to investing in a Basquiat. One has to wonder how many get-rich-quick, Old Gill channellers are currently digging through their binders at this moment? Did any of you have first edition Pokemon cards back in the day?