Blockchain-Based Pokémon Card Platforms Emerge
The Pokémon card market is estimated to be worth as much as $15 billion and is now seeing the emergence of blockchain-based platforms that allow collectors to trade physical cards without ever handling them.
Platforms like Deadstock from Web3 startup ATH Labs are testing a model where PSA 10 Pokémon cards are stored in secure vaults, and each card is represented by a one-to-one token on the blockchain. This allows ownership to change hands digitally while the physical asset remains safely stored.
The process involves sending a physical Pokémon card to a grading service like PSA, and once it receives a high grade (such as PSA 10), it is placed in a professional vault. A digital token is then minted on the blockchain, representing that specific card. Collectors can buy, sell, or trade these tokens, effectively transferring ownership of the underlying physical card without shipping it.
House of Chimera, a crypto research firm, has observed that a significant portion of trading volume on these platforms does not come from peer-to-peer sales between individual collectors. Instead, much of the activity is driven by game-like features such as card pack openings or the platforms’ instant-buy options.