Pokémon card traders queue outside Sheffield Sports Direct for 12 hours for chance of opening a fortune
“I’ve opened a card that was worth over a grand once”
Pokémon traders queued outside a Sports Direct store for 12 hours overnight in pursuit of valuable cards.
They waited on The Moor with camp chairs and blankets since 8pm yesterday to be first in line for a limited run of of hard-to-find booster packs when the store opens at 9.30am today (August 7).
The box, titled Scarlet & Violet; Prismatic Evolutions, can be bought off the shelves for £60 to £90 - if you can find one.
However, the resale value online easily top £200, with some individual cards worth more than that alone. The rarest find is worth over £1,000.
First in line were Oliver Ford and Theo Stancliffe, both 17, who said the time outside the shop had “flown by”.
“I’ve opened a card that was worth over a grand once,” said Oliver.
“There’s nostalgia behind it too. But it’s also good money, it’s easy.
“It’s basically gambling and adrenaline,” he laughed.
“You just need to queue and be first,” said Theo.
“It’s not that bad, you’re in your own city, you see some strange things while waiting.”
The boys said demand for Pokémon cards in recent years has been driven by YouTube stars and influencer’s like US personality Logan Paul.
Buying the boxes off shelves to resell online has been derided as “scalping” among fans of the trading card game who want to collect the cards or play, and has especially made it hard for children to take part in the hobby.
Meanwhile, the UK has seen a sharp rise in overnight burglaries and ram raids at stores selling Pokémon cards, where thieves make off with the sealed boxes and nothing else.