It doesn’t often see a champion like Jannik Sinner Receive such an unusual gift as a Pokémon card. It happened on August 17th in Cincinnati, where the blue beat the Frenchman Terence Atmane in the semifinal (7-6, 6-2) and obtained the passage in the final against Carlos Alcaraz. A few minutes before the game, Atmane, who is a big fan of the Pokémon, has extracted a collecting card from the pocket portraying Pikachu and donated it to the Tennist AltoTesino as a gift for his 24th birthday.
The value of the paper given to Jannik Sinner
In detail, the card given by Atmane is a Pikachu Secret rarea type of paper characterized by a numbering higher than the official one of the set: in this specific case, 160/159. It is a type of paper sought by collectors because it is rarer than the standard and almost always holographic versions. Right now, The value is not astronomical, since it oscillates between 14 and 31 euros On Cardmarket, one of the main reference platforms of the European market of collectible cards. In a slight increase compared to the past few hours, given that the value stood between 11 and 24 euros, with higher prices in Italy, compared to France and Germany.
Pokémon | The card given to Sinner
Contained figures, but which could further increase, as stated by the official retailers present at the Pokémon World Championships in Anaheim, California, interviewed by SkyTg24. “The value of the Pokémon cards could increase, especially if it has been given to someone for his birthday,” says one of them. Meanwhile, the video between Sinner and Atmane has become viral, especially within the Pokémon fan community, marking A new meeting point between sport and pop culture.
Pokémon map thefts have become a problem: in Japan $ 94,000 robbery
In fact, Atmane’s gesture is not an exception. More and more often Athletes choose to express their identity through extra-sustained passions, such as video games, anime and manga. It was evident at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and those of Paris 2024, between quotes in One Piece, Haikyu !! and Dragon Ball.
A dangerously growing market
In the Pandemic years, the phenomenon of the cards met a new boom: the online rods had reached record figures and influencers like Logan Paul showed off very rare pieces of millions of dollars. Today the collectible card market is expanding. From Magic to Pokémon, the turnover of the collectibles front sees an unprecedented growth of attention (economic and medial).
In particular, in the case of cards on pocket monsters, collecting fever has created a real dark side. In Japan, Christmas market and beating heart of the franchise, The thefts of rare cards are now increasingly widespread. In Kasamatsu an employee of a shop threatened a rival with a knife, stealing 123 cards and cash for an estimated value of 80,000 euros.
Similar episodes also occurred in Osaka, where 100 cards disappeared for a value of about 62,000 euros. Even organized Japanese crime, Yakuza, is taking advantage of high -value cards as tools to recycle money, thanks to their practicality in transport and international sale, according to an item Mondi of 2024 200,000 dollars.
Other than the world linked to childhood, therefore. Behind the enthusiasm for a historical franchise such as Pokémon and collectible cards hides an unexpected world with dizzying rods, rare pieces disputed up to organized crime, and a market where passion risks transforming into obsession.
