Wild Stories from the World of Pokémon Collecting
If you’ve ever waited in line for hours in the freezing cold just to snag a limited-edition Pokémon card drop, you know that collecting can get a little…extreme. From all-night refresh sessions to camping out during tornado warnings, Pokémon card collectors will go to insane lengths to score that next holy grail.
Speeding for Pokémon Cards
Sometimes, the drive to collect can push fans past the speed limit—literally. Earlier this year, a driver in Fresno, California, was pulled over for speeding on their way to pick up a limited-release Pokémon card drop. According to KMPH News, the driver admitted to the officer that they were in a hurry to snag some exclusive Pokémon cards before they sold out. The officer didn’t let them off the hook, issuing a speeding ticket that probably cost more than a few booster packs. For some collectors, even a speeding fine is just another obstacle in the quest to catch ’em all.
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Police Calls and Brawls
Sometimes, the chase gets wilder than anyone expects. In 2021, a fight broke out in a Target parking lot after overnight lines formed for Pokémon cards—leading Target to temporarily suspend in-store sales altogether. Other states saw local police called in to manage crowds and keep the peace.
And in one especially wild incident in 2024, a Chattanooga, Tennessee man was charged with stealing a police car after a Walmart checkout-line chase over a stash of trading cards. After allegedly attempting to steal over $500 worth of cards, the suspect was detained in a patrol car—only to slip his handcuffed hands to the front, crawl through the partition, and speed off in the cruiser. The chase ended with the police car flipping multiple times, resulting in the suspect facing a list of charges that reads like a cautionary tale of what not to do for a hobby.
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Tornado Warnings and Pokémon Lines
Even Mother Nature can't stop a determined Pokémon card collector. When The Pokémon Company released the Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection in 2025, GameStop stores saw lines of fans camped out days in advance. Some stores reported that tents and chairs were left behind while buyers rushed for coffee or food. But the wildest part? At least one collector braved tornado warnings in the middle of the night to snag the cards.
One shopper posted online, “I went to GameStop at 2 a.m. during a thunderstorm warning. There was already a line of 9 people in tents. A local scalper told me I was number 10.” With devastating storms hitting states like Kentucky at the time, it’s a stark reminder that for some, the chase for Pokémon cards knows no bounds—even the weather.
Lucas Mast is a writer based in San Francisco East Bay, where he’s a season ticket holder for St. Mary’s basketball and a die-hard Stanford athletics fan. A lifelong collector of sneakers, sports cards, and pop culture, he also advises companies shaping the future of the hobby and sports. He’s driven by a curiosity about why people collect—and what those items reveal about the moments and memories that matter most.