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Pokémon fans prepare for 'biggest day in a decade' - Published For most people, Wednesday will be just another day - the midweek hump at school or work. But not for Pokémon fans. The Japanese brand has become one of the most recognisable in the world, with its colourful creatures appearing in video games and on shop shelves across the globe. But perhaps most synonymous with the Pokémon phenomenon is its trading card game, which has been played, bought and sold between collectors for the last three decades. Wednesday marks the release of Pokémon's 30th anniversary range - a day one collector described as the brand's biggest day "in the last decade, if not more". Gus Hall, owner of Evolution Games in Halifax, said he expected fans to queue before shops open to get their hands on the first release of the cards. A long-term Pokémon collector himself, Hall said he was "massively excited" about the anniversary range. "If you want my personal opinion, I would say this is the biggest release for a good while for Pokémon. Some of the products and the cards they've leaked... are crazy," he said. Pokémon's popularity has exploded over the years, with some cards originally worth just a few pounds now selling for eye-watering amounts. Hall said a box that may have been worth £200 in the late 1990s would now sell for about £35,000. As a child, Hall would spend about £1.99 of his pocket money on a new Pokémon card. His parents would "go ballistic" at him for what they believed was a waste of money. He said: "They'd say to me: 'Why are you wasting your money on these types of things?'… Now I get the exact same from parents who come into my store and say to their children: 'Why are you wasting your money on these [cards]?'… But, you know, look who's laughing now!" But what has made these cards so popular - and so valuable? "Pokémon is different to other things in society these days - there's nothing electronic in trading cards," Hall said. "Parents quite like it because it's healthy; it creates friendships and trading and gaming, and incorporates all these wonderful things that aren't detrimental to a child or young person's mind." Hall said the satisfaction of collecting a set and "chasing certain cards" in that set was a huge part of the enjoyment, and described the moment of pulling the desired card as "euphoric". Phoebe Watson, an employee at Evolution Games, has been collecting Pokémon cards for the last 20 years. She said she was "super excited" for the first release of the anniversary range and was hoping to secure some of the cards, which feature some of her favourite Pokémons. But Watson is realistic - she expects the first release to sell out quickly. "It is going to be big. We get collectors in every single day, multiple times a day, and I've had hundreds of people ask me: 'When is the set dropping? Do you know how much you're getting?'." Drew Emerson, one of Europe's top Pokémon players, told BBC Radio Sheffield he had "travelled all over the world" playing the trading card game. Emerson said it was going to be "very, very difficult" to secure the anniversary cards on first release, but added the collection was "very, very exciting". Pokémon is reprinting old, rare cards, Emerson said, and he was "most looking forward" to the release of a Crystal Lugia card. A brief history of Pokémon Pokémon, originally called Pocket Monsters, began as a game released for the Nintendo Gameboy in Japan in 1996. Millions of copies were sold worldwide and the name was eventually shortened to Pokémon. Following the success of the first games, a company called Media Factory released the Pokémon Trading Card Game in October that year. Like the game, the cards exploded in popularity. Since then, more than 85 billion cards have been produced, a world championship tournament established, and an ultra-rare card sold for $16.5m (£12m). 'Guilty pleasure' Lee Glen, owner of trading card stores Rocket's Hideout in York and Selby, said Pokémon cards had "exploded" in the last five years, which he largely attributed to the hobby being "multi-generational". "I got back into collecting five years ago with my son. It was something nostalgic that I used to do, and then got back into it with my son… You have sons, daughters, mums, everyone - and they can do it together," Glen said. He said Pokémon was "constantly reinventing" products, and was "really good at bringing people back in". Glen's York store is usually closed on Wednesdays, but it will open specially for the first release, when Glen too expects customers to flock to York to get their hands on the stock. Among those hoping to secure some anniversary cards is 21-year-old Grace Orton, who said she was willing to queue up to get her hands on them. "I'll definitely be trying at some point to get some. I know it'll be really difficult if I'm not [at a shop] immediately", Orton said. Despite only starting her Pokémon card collection three years ago, Orton said she was "looking to spend quite a bit of money, unfortunately" on the anniversary range. She said: "It's such a big, sought-after set. A lot of the artwork is really nice; I really want some of it for my personal collection." Another Pokémon fanatic, Ash Mehr, said he started collecting the cards between 20 and 30 years ago. After a brief hiatus, Mehr began his collection once again after his son took an interest in Pokémon. He said: "I feel like I'm sort of dragging my son to these events to try and get the cards, but really it's a little bit of a guilty pleasure of mine! But hopefully, we'll get a good haul and get some good pulls [from the anniversary range]". There is a huge sense of nostalgia surrounding the 30th anniversary of Pokémon cards, Mehr said, adding: "It takes me back to being a kid, really, something I don't get to enjoy now as much in my early 40s." But with high-value products comes risk - and Glen has warned of Pokémon fans being scammed around the release of the anniversary range. He encouraged people to buy the cards from national and independent retailers, and avoid "secondary markets", which may be used to re-sell the cards at "two or three times" the price. He said: "Just research and know what to spend. "If it looks too cheap, chances are it is… because of the desirability of a product, people will always try and copy [them]. Do your homework." Get in touch Your Voice Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Related topics - Published5 days ago - Published1 September
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