'Pokemon' was the ultimate late 90s/early 00s craze. It had cartoons, toys, and collectors' cards, and it seemed to be everywhere. Then, as all trends do, it disappeared overnight. Where 'Pokemon' differs from most trends is that it then found a way to come back, with the release of the 'Pokemon Go' augmented reality game for mobile devices a couple of years ago sending people walking into walls and head-on into oncoming traffic in a big to 'catch them all.'
With the re-entry of 'Pokemon' into the public consciousness, new life was breathed into the vintage trader's market. Suddenly, all of those trading cards from the 1990s were incredibly valuable once again. In some cases, we're talking six-figures valuable! The Japanese version of the 'Illustrator Pikachu' card (don't ask - if you've never seen the cartoon you'll never understand!) goes for over $100,000 on its own when one becomes available.