The Pokémon TCG has been declared dead more times than we can count. Too expensive. Too speculative. Just a pandemic fad. And yet here we are in 2026, and the hobby is as alive and exciting as it’s ever been — just in a smarter, more sustainable way.
At Collect Fest 2026, Cherry Collectables is the Official Buying Partner. Being Australia’s trusted name in the hobby for 15+ years, and they're coming ready to buy on the spot—from single grails to entire binders and sealed stashes. If it’s time to tidy the PC, move duplicates, or cash in on a high note, the Cherry team help you do it fast, fair, and fuss-free.
What's Actually Driving the 2026 Pokémon Boom?
The frenzied, scalper-driven chaos of 2020–21 is long gone, and honestly? Good riddance. What’s replaced it is something more interesting: a genuinely passionate, increasingly sophisticated collector base that knows exactly what it wants.
New sets are releasing at a steady cadence, and The Pokémon Company has gotten seriously good at creating chase-worthy cards that appeal to both players and collectors. Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares have completely changed the game — these aren’t just powerful cards, they’re miniature works of art that people actively want to display, grade, and treasure.
At the same time, a wave of nostalgia has brought returning collectors back to the hobby in huge numbers. People who ripped packs in the late 90s, traded cards at school, and then quietly packed their binders away — they’re back. And they’re not messing around. The CollectFest 2026 show floor is proof of that every single year.
The Cards Everyone's Talking About Right Now
Not all cards are created equal, and the 2026 market has made that clearer than ever. Here’s where collector attention (and real money) is going:
- Illustration Rares: The standout innovation of the modern era. Full-bleed art, stunning compositions, and genuine artistic ambition. IRs and SIRs are the cards collectors are building displays around.
- WOTC-Era Holos: Base Set. Jungle. Fossil. The original cards that started it all. Clean, ungraded copies are increasingly hard to find, and PSA-graded examples command serious attention.
- Graded Slab: PSA, BGS, and CGC grading has matured the market. A PSA 10 of the right card isn’t just a collectible — it’s a showpiece. Graded Pokémon are increasingly the centrepiece of serious collections.
- Sealed Product: There’s still real excitement in cracking packs. Elite Trainer Boxes, booster bundles, and vintage sealed product all have their passionate communities — and CollectFest has plenty of both.
It's Not Just Pokémon
The Whole TCG World Is Thriving
One of the most exciting things happening in 2026 is how broad the trading card hobby has become. Pokémon might be the headline act, but the supporting cast is genuinely compelling:
- Yu-Gi-Oh! has a fiercely dedicated community, with vintage tournament cards reaching prices that would’ve seemed absurd a decade ago.
- One Piece TCG has exploded in popularity, riding the anime’s global resurgence to become one of the most talked-about new games in the hobby. And for those who grew up with the cards — Dragon Ball Super, Flesh and Blood, and even early
- Magic: The Gathering sets are all seeing renewed collector interest.
What This Means for Your Collection
A vibrant, engaged market is good news for everyone in the hobby — whether you’re building, trading, or thinking about making a move on some cards you’ve been sitting on.
For active collectors, this is a great time to be hunting. Shows like CollectFest bring together hundreds of exhibitors in one place, which means genuine competition on price and a real chance to find that card you’ve been chasing for years. The show floor experience is unlike anything you’ll find online — you can actually hold the card, inspect the condition, and negotiate in person.
For those who've been out of the hobby for a while and are curious about what their old collection might be worth — now is a genuinely interesting time to find out. The nostalgia wave has lifted prices on vintage cards significantly, and a lot of people are sitting on more than they realise.
