Auction house owner Charles Hanson said Pokémon was a “market that has grown rapidly” and would “only continue to grow”.
“Wealthy young people in their 20s and 30s, who got into Pokémon when they were children, are buying rare cards and prices began to spike a few years ago,” he added.
Another reason given by experts for the rise in the cards’ popularity was YouTuber Logan Paul wearing a Pikachu Illustrator card – the best preserved example of one of the rarest Pokémon cards ever – for WrestleMania, a major wrestling event in April 2022.
Earlier this month Paul sold the ultra-rare trading card for a record-shattering $16.5m (£12m), according to an auction firm.
The winning bidder was venture capitalist AJ Scaramucci, son of financier and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
AJ Scaramucci said it was the first acquisition of a planned “planetary treasure hunt”.