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Picture by way of The Pokémon Firm.
Scalping is so dangerous that followers are hoping this new collab has no promotional card.
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Scalping on the earth of Pokémon buying and selling playing cards is arguably at its worst level. It’s so dangerous that collectors are literally wishing that the newest Pokémon partnership options no promotional playing cards.
The Pokémon Firm and the Pure Historical past Museum in London, UK, have introduced a collaboration to convey an “unique” Pokémon pop-up store to the museum from January 26 to March 22, 2026. It’s going to characteristic new merchandise made just for this partnership, together with “attire, stationery, a brand-new unique plush,” the occasion announcement reads. The one sort of Pokémon product that’s clearly lacking from the record, and possibly for a great cause, is a promotional buying and selling card.
Whereas there are not any indicators that the Pokémon x Pure Historical past Museum retailer will embody such a card, Pokémon followers concern one might nonetheless be a part of it. This concern, which might’ve been anticipation and pleasure in regular occasions, is because of the Van Gogh Museum partnership fiasco within the Netherlands. It was Pokémon’s earlier museum collaboration, and it grew to become probably the most notorious Pokémon TCG scalping incident in historical past.
In September 2023, Van Gogh Museum guests might get an unique Pikachu with Gray Felt Hat promotional card as a present with the acquisition of any Pokémon merchandise. TCG scalpers, anticipating the Pikachu card to be in excessive demand within the secondary market attributable to its exclusivity, stormed the Museum store and acquired all its merch inventory to hoard Pikachu playing cards, as you’ll be able to see within the video beneath.
Sadly for legit Pokémon followers, scalpers received the Pikachu Van Gogh struggle. The Museum didn’t restock playing cards after the incident and stopped giving them away for security causes, solely three weeks after the exhibition opened. Pikachu With Gray Felt Hat, which was purported to be a free promotional card, went on sale in secondary markets for $89 shortly after its giveaway on the museum. On the time of writing, two years after the incident, the cardboard’s most up-to-date sale on TCGPlayer occurred for $699.
Likelihood is low that historical past will repeat, however followers aren’t excited
That’s why some Pokémon followers are fearful about this Nationwide Historical past Museum occasion. Suppose there’s a last-minute announcement of an unique promotional card. In that case, scalpers can simply wreck all the expertise for legit museum guests and Pokémon followers by flocking to the pop-up retailer and claiming all of the playing cards for themselves.
“Truthfully I low key hope there isn’t [a promotional card],” a fan wrote within the r/PokemonTCG subreddit. “The Van Gogh Museum collab was cute, however scalpers ruined it,” one other one remembered. “Hope they hype it on a regular basis that the following day there will likely be unique playing cards. Waste 2 months of the scalpers life please,” a fan wishing revenge on scalpers added.
Whereas there’s no indication immediately {that a} promotional card is coming to this museum store, who is aware of how far scalpers will go? Pokémon plush amassing can also be huge amongst followers, regardless of not being as huge as buying and selling playing cards. We are able to nonetheless count on some folks to go to the museum to purchase plushes to resell them at double the worth later.
Printed: Sep 22, 2025 09:53 am