Kabuto King - Amassing Pokémon cards in bulk
One Pokémon collector has caught the collecting world by storm - not because he has the most expensive collection or because he's attained the rarest cards - but due to the fact that he is a true collector on a quest for greatness. Enter, the Kabuto King. What began simply as a journey to truly "collect them all" has morphed into an industry phenomenon watched by collectors around the world. The "Kabuto King" is on a quest to collect every First Edition Kabuto from the Pokémon fossil set first released in 1999.
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Currently, the Kabuto King has collected an astounding 1935 Kabuto, and he's far from done. In his own words, the Kabuto King believes that he will soon control the market, and the data is starting to back him up.
The print run on the first edition Fossil set is unknown, however, Kabuto are in fact becoming harder and harder to find as the king hordes his treasure. While there have been several recent Kabuto sales around $14 recently, prices have gone up as far as $30+ in recent weeks. This is a stark movement up from the $3.25 they were selling for before the King began his journey.
As the Kabuto King's collection became the thing of legends, Pokémon collectors around the world have taken notice and want in on the ride. To commemorate his newfound internet fame, the Kabuto King sold an autographed first edition Kabuto on eBay via auction with the proceeds going to Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital. Always one to ride the hype train, Logan Paul live-streamed the even and his bid for a whopping $50,000.
However, in a shocking development, Logan Paul's mega bid didn't win, and the autographed Kabuto went for $51,000. The Kabuto King has continued to ride his newfound fame, but has stuck to his core tenets of simply collecting "what you love" and hording first edition Kabuto. As his collection continues to grow, will we see the price of Kabuto continue to rise? Only time will tell, but for collectors all over the world this surreal quest has captured the hobby's attention. Hopefully it is inspiring other hobbyists to collect what they love, and maybe we'll see a new mega collection of some previously unheralded card soon.
Growing up in 1990s New York City as a devoted Knicks fan, Sam discovered his passion for sports cards in grade school, when he'd visit local street dealers hunting for packs of Finest and Metal. After attending college in St. Louis, Sam spent time in Thailand and Mali working in international aid before the pull of the hobby brought him back. In 2020, he returned to collecting and launched his own card consignment business, reconnecting with the passion that defined his childhood.