Vintage Pokémon Cards See Massive Gain Outpacing Stocks and Cryptocurrencies

MANCHESTER, UK - 22 October, 2026 - The 100 most valuable Pokémon cards have risen 152% since September 2021, outpacing gold, Bitcoin, the Nasdaq Composite, and the S&P 500 over the same period, according to a new index published by CardTrack. The vintage half of the index, cards from sets printed between 1999 and 2010, has seen a staggering 197% increase, making it a significant player in the asset class discussion.

CardTrack, a market measure of Pokémon card prices, has introduced the CardTrack 100, a value-weighted basket of the 100 most valuable raw near-mint cards. This index, with a base of 100 on 1 September 2021, stood at 252 on 20 October 2026, valuing the basket at approximately $254,000. The CardTrack 100 has demonstrated strong returns, with an annualized growth rate of 19.7% since its inception, compared to 18.7% for gold and 12.4% for the S&P 500.

In terms of volatility, the CardTrack 100 has shown lower risk. Its annualized volatility is 14.6%, lower than the S&P 500 (15.5%), gold (16.0%), and Bitcoin (54.3%). However, the index has experienced a significant drawdown, falling 27% from September 2021 to January 2024. It did not regain its 2021 level until March 2025, leaving a collector who bought at the peak underwater for 42 months. The calendar years have shown a mixed performance, with 2022 recording a 17% decline, 2023 a 4% decline, 2024 a 29% gain, 2025 an 81% gain, and a 49% gain so far in 2026.

The concentration of value in the top 27 Gold Star cards printed between 2004 and 2007 is notable, with these cards accounting for 47% of the basket's value. One card, the Rayquaza Gold Star from the 2005 Deoxys set, is worth $20,000 and makes up 7.9% of the index. The top twenty cards hold 55% of the basket's value, while the Base Set Charizard, a card many readers might recognize, is not even in the top 100 in raw near-mint condition.

Liquidity and cost are significant factors in the CardTrack 100. Single cards carry dealer spreads, grading fees, and shipping costs, which are not present in benchmark series. Entry to the top 100 requires a card worth $841. The gap between vintage and modern cards is also a clear trend, with vintage sets from 1999 to 2010 up 197% since 2021, compared to modern sets from 2011 onward, which have risen 111%. Seventy-seven of today's 100 cards are vintage, holding 87% of the basket's value.

The CardTrack 100 is built from CardTrack's own daily near-mint market pricing since July 2026 and monthly PriceCharting sales history back to the base date, joined without a jump. Benchmark series come from Yahoo Finance and the Federal Reserve's FRED database, with gold being the front-month futures contract and stock indices excluding dividends. Historical baskets are not stored, so only today's constituents can be downloaded. The index, its methodology, a monthly history CSV, and the current constituents are free to cite under CC-BY 4.0 at cardtrack.com/ct100.