Pokémon Card Index Returns 150% Since 2021, Outshines Bitcoin and Gold

Rare Pokémon cards are still beating traditional investments. The CardTrack 100 index posted a 150.7% return from September 2021, far ahead of Bitcoin, gold, and the S&P 500.

These figures explain why collectors consider rare graded cards as genuine alternative assets, not just toys.

Pokémon Card Values Continue to Shatter Records

The CardTrack 100, a monthly index, measures the total value of the 100 most expensive Pokémon cards globally, serving as a gauge for the top end of the collectibles market.

Currently at 251 points, the index started with a base of 100 in September 2021. The combined value of the tracked cards totals $244,750.

Based on that performance, a $5,000 investment from four years ago would now be worth $12,534.

• Gold would have turned that same $5,000 into about $12,390.
• Bitcoin would be worth roughly $9,800 over the same period.
• The S&P 500 lags further, with a 73% return translating $5,000 into about $8,650.

On September 29, just twelve days ago, the index reached an all-time high of $253,800. The current level is only 1.2% below that peak.

Why Do Collectors Value Cards Like Blue-Chip Art?

Growing mainstream acceptance drives the change. A 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card sold for $16.5 million earlier this year, permanently raising the market's ceiling.

Recent auctions confirm the pattern. Four rare e-Reader cards, among them a Skyridge Gengar, sold for a combined $780,000 this week, and a first-edition Charizard reportedly reached a new record of $1.38 million.

The PSA 10 1st edition Charizard has done it. The icon. The Mount Rushmore. The legend. The singular, signature card of Pokémon that stands next to the 52 Mantle, the Black Lotus of MTG, the T206 Wagner, the 1984 Star Jordan. One of the 5 most iconic trading cards of all… pic.twitter.com/V5cj7Tw5PN

— Jeremy Padawer (@JeremyCom) October 9, 2026

eBay executives stated that Pokémon was the top search term in their collectibles category in the first half of 2026. Grading company PSA says trading-card games now make up half of its entire business.

Scarcity, professional grading, nostalgia, and an expanding group of serious collectors have made rare Pokémon cards one of the decade's strongest alternative assets.