Key information
While many attribute the current state of the Pokémon card market to Logan Paul's 2020 entry, evidence suggests Gary Haase, a 72-year-old collector from Las Vegas, played a foundational role in these market shifts. Haase began collecting while recovering from a health issue at the end of the last millennium, eventually turning his hobby into a primary business.
Following a market decline in 2005, Haase began treating his collection as an investment. He notably introduced Pokémon cards to PSA, a company currently facing a 188-page class-action lawsuit in the United States alleging monopolistic practices and biased grading. Haase leveraged this grading process to increase the perceived value of his assets.
Haase actively sought to inflate prices, notably appearing on the television show Pawn Stars in 2017. During the broadcast, he claimed his Charizard collection was worth between 50,000 and 100,000 dollars per card, figures that exceeded the market reality of that time. This appearance significantly increased interest in the hobby.
In 2020, Haase sold a first-edition base set Charizard to Logan Paul for 150,000 dollars. This transaction, combined with Haase holding approximately 76 of the 123 existing PSA 10 Charizard cards, solidified his position as a major market influencer. These actions have led to ongoing criticism regarding the hobby's accessibility and the impact of speculative investment.
