‘New stock market’: Fort Worth shops see trading cards turn from hobby into investment

On a weekday afternoon, customers drift in and out of PokéOasis, a trading card shop in Fort Worth. They stop at glass cases and card tables, flip through binders and negotiate trades. 

A few miles away, inside Galactic Gamez, retro consoles and tabletop games share floor space with shelves of trading cards.

Many times viewed primarily as niche hobbies for children, collectibles draw attention from players, longtime collectors and serious investors alike.

Last year, the global trading card market was valued at $8 billion, according to market research firm Mordor Intelligence. While some numbers are conflicting, many researchers agree the market could reach nearly $12 billion by 2031. 

Amadeo Herrera, owner of PokéOasis, said the surge in interest around Pokémon cards has drawn a mix of longtime players, collectors and newcomers motivated by resale value, creating a broad and shifting customer base.

“It’s pretty huge right now, and it’s still growing,” Herrera said. “I feel like there’s already so many people involved, but there’s a good chunk of people that have just played the game. There’s a lot of people that are in it for the money, and then there’s just straight up collectors.”

Cards have overtaken nearly every other category of collectibles at Galactic Gamez, shop employee Tyler Cox said.

“They are the new stock market,” Cox said.

Herrera’s shop started on social media in 2021 before he gained enough money for a physical storefront in 2023. Even then, his early focus was not foot traffic but hawking collectibles on livestreams and social media.

Herrera no longer sells online. Instead, he travels weekly to card shows around the country to buy, sell and trade.

how prices are driven by scarcity perception, influencer attention and speculative buying, where a single surge of interest can rapidly inflate values before settling back toward historical norms, according to Bloomberg. 

Shop owners say those swings make inventory planning difficult, particularly when online pricing can shift faster than local stores can reasonably adjust.

Despite the convenience of online marketplaces, both shop workers said in-person buying continues to matter.

“I don’t even buy anything online,” Herrera said. “I’d rather buy it in person. I’d like to see it, inspect it.”

Cox said nostalgia plays a major role in all collectibles.

joseph.morgan@fortworthreport.org.

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