Grapevine Pokémon Fan Trades Card and Scores Thousands at GameStop
If you’ve still got a binder of Pokémon cards sitting somewhere in your childhood bedroom, this might be your sign to go dig it up. A GameStop customer in Grapevine, Texas, just proved the 90s nostalgia market is doing numbers — and not small ones.
On Dec. 1, someone traded in a fully-authenticated PSA 10 Holo Gengar (basically the definition of “mint condition”) through GameStop’s Power Packs program. After all the inspections and verification steps, GameStop handed them $30,494.70. The card’s fair-market value? $33,883.
GameStop even jumped online to say it’s the most valuable trade-in in company history, taking a victory lap on anyone who’s ever clowned their trade-in values.
And here’s the part that hits home: this could’ve been anyone who grew up in the 90s. A lot of us have cards sitting untouched, thinking they’re worth maybe a couple bucks — meanwhile the market is hot for rare, vintage, and high-grade cards.
If you’re curious whether your own stash might turn into a surprise holiday bonus, here’s how to check:
- Look for rarity: Stars, holographics, first editions — all good signs.
- Check the condition: Cards graded PSA 10 can jump from “cool to have” to “pay a bill or two.”
- Search online: eBay, TCGPlayer, and recent sales show what people are actually paying.
- Consider grading: If a card looks valuable, grading can boost the price and confirm authenticity.
Moral of the story: don’t sleep on your old Pokémon stash. Your childhood obsession might end up funding your adult December.
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