College Student Sells $80,000 Worth of Pokemon Cards to Pay for Med School
Pokemon trading cards have become increasingly valuable this year, with many particularly rare Pokemon cards selling for five-digit or even six-digit figures. Meanwhile, the average cost of college tuition is increasing at a considerable rate, with many students finding it harder to be able to afford tertiary education. So, one college student manage to turn their favorite childhood pastime into something that can financially guarantee his future livelihood.
As per a report from FOX 5 Atlanta, a University of North Georgia student named Caleb King has sold his collection of Pokemon cards for about $80,000 on eBay. King had purchased the cards back in 2016 for only $4,000, making for an incredible 20 times increase in value. The junior plans to use the profits to fund his way into medical school. He credits the lockdown period for the increase in value, stating: "People kind of want a distraction from everything that's going on, and I think [Pokemon] is one of the ways people can."
Even more impressive is that King may not be done yet with selling Pokemon cards. His current collection of 21 cards is valued upwards of $50,000, including a rare first edition Red Cheeks Pikachu worth up to $20,000. King humorously noted that though his parents had discouraged him from spending thousands on Pokemon cards, he ultimately got the last laugh.
His mother, Tammy King, referred to her past decision as "The egg on her face" and stated that "I'm proud of him, I'm proud of who he is, I'm proud of his character, his drive." For his senior yearbook photo, King went with a certain inspirational Mewtwo quote from Pokemon: The First Movie. His post-medical school goal is to become an orthopedic surgeon.
This year, Pokemon cards have exploded in value and many of the internet's biggest personalities have gotten on board the trend. Controversial YouTuber Logan Paul purchased an extremely rare Charizard card for a whopping $150,000 while streamer and retired rapper Logic purchased a similar card for more than $200,000. Paul also had a card worth $25,000 nearly eaten by his dog. While he still has the card, it has plummeted in value from the considerable damage done to it.
However, there are a few detractors of the revived Pokemon card craze, as there were during the 90s and early 2000s. In a stream to condemn the current mania, Chance "Sodapoppin" Morris destroyed a vintage box of cards worth around $20,000 in various ways including dropping them into lubricant or torching one with a flamethrower. Whether or not the Pokemon craze will continue into 2021 and beyond is yet to be seen, but if it does not, Caleb King should probably try to sell his cards as soon as possible.
Source: FOX 5 Atlanta
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