懐かしのトレーディングカード熱復活　　気ままなリライト７２

ポケモンカード1枚7億円も　トレカ、高額取引で過熱感 - 日本経済新聞

With the ever-evolving dynamic landscape shaped by the marketing strategies of trading card companies, the popularity of analog cards is spreading like wildfire worldwide online and offline. The cards are being sought after for both recreational and investment purposes, reigniting a spark of passion and competition for collection or gameplay within the hearts of individuals who are rediscovering the cards’ charm and allure. Unlike other artifacts produced using digital technologies, those analog cards are distinctively dressed up with a tactile, collectible and nostalgic value that is unable to be replicated in the virtual realm. The added value is turning those printed pieces of card stock from mere means of entertainment to treasured artifacts, connecting like-minded enthusiasts from all age brackets as members of the trading card community, serving as a driving force for the analog trading card market to rise like a phoenix from the ashes.

Behind the recent explosion of the analog trading card market is a complex set of factors, including nostalgia, social trends, and the historical and cultural significance of analog trading cards in the lives of collectors. Many reactivated collectors have viewed analog cards as a window into their past carefree days. They have reappreciated the design and aesthetic qualities of analog cards, as well as their tactile feel of holding them in their hands,  evoking the memories of their youth. The tide of nostalgia has been playing a big role in driving the recent boom in the analog trading card market. The increased social interaction through social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube has also generated a resurgence in the popularity of analog trading cards. With a surge in collecting during the pandemic, more and more collectors have been seeking opportunities to increase their cards’ exposure for trading. Online communities of collectors have mushroomed, encouraging collectors to connect with each other and share their collections with a wider audience.

Collectors have been driven by market value as well as personal attachment to their trading cards, making them both treasured possessions and potentially lucrative investments. The official recognition of a card’s market value shared by collectors has been fanning the frenzy of trading and driving the quest for rare or highly-sought-after cards. Card game enthusiasts are seeking to arm themselves with high-valued cards featuring characters with mighty abilities to wield against other players through trading card websites or hobby stores. Many collectors have been consumed by the intense competition for the limited production runs and rare graded cards, mesmerized by those cards’ exclusivity and rarity. The excitement among collectors reached a fever pitch in 2022 when the trading price of a single Pokémon card shattered the Guinness World Record, settling at an astonishing seven hundred million yen, leaving the world in awe.

With a solution to the challenges collectors are faced with in the waves of online frenzied trading of analog cards, eBay is launching a new shipping and maintenance service to ensure that collectors’ precious gems worth more than 250 dollars each are kept in pristine condition even after transaction. Located in Delaware State, eBay’s state-of-the-art facility boasts a tight-secured storehouse 20 times larger than the average Japanese convenience store. With the inside temperature controlled by air conditioners, cards are stored in optimal condition. Each card is carefully placed in a frame and lining up on shelves against the walls. eBay is offering free maintenance and insurance-covered shipping fees as a promotion campaign until the summer of 2024.

With the growing popularity of trading cards as a strong tailwind, a chain of stores called Tsutaya, known for their vast selection of entertainment-related products, has adopted an inclusive marketing strategy by organizing events such as battle tournaments or trading sessions to keep collectors interested and engaged in the hobby. Tsutaya aims to expand the number of stores with event spaces from 135 to 300 by fiscal year 2025, to capitalize on the increasing demand for those events. Among the Tsutaya stores with event spaces, the Nishi-Gotanda store in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward has been witnessing how popular trading card games have been, thanks to many customers participating in the daily card game sessions held there. The excitement of those events has been magnetizing a diverse range of customers and contributing to a sharp increase in trading card-related sales, with a threefold jump in fiscal 2022, compared with that in 2019. That indicates remarkable potential for growth on a global scale. According to a research company called Global Information, the worldwide trading card game market is projected to grow to a staggering 5.09-billion-dollar industry in 2028, up by 46 % from 2022, like a behemoth awakening from a deep slumber.