Pokémon TCG marketplaces near record as tokenized collectibles show staying power

NFT CollectionsApril 20, 2026, 4:45PM EDT
Pokémon TCG marketplaces near record as tokenized collectibles show staying power
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Quick Take

  • The tokenization layer is being used as a liquidity wrapper, rather than a purely speculative venue.
  • The following is excerpted from The Block’s Data and Insights newsletter.

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Weekly revenue across Pokémon TCG marketplaces rose to $5.38 million for the week ending April 6, just shy of the all-time high set in September 2025. What's significant this time compared to six months ago is the structural difference.

The September 2025 high was concentrated in a single Collector Crypt pump week due to its TGE, while the current high prints have stacked across six consecutive weeks, with Courtyard responsible for the majority.

The second-order read is that tokenized collectibles have moved past the "NFT adjacent" category and into a workable RWA subcategory.

Courtyard's model, which uses physical cards vaulted with a third-party custodian and backed by an NFT redeemable for the physical card, is attracting collectors seeking fractional liquidity without crypto-native speculation risk.

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The tokenization layer of these platforms is being used as a liquidity wrapper, rather than a purely speculative venue. This means cards are flowing out for physical delivery, which validates the pricing function of the onchain market. Furthermore, this creates a template for the broader "tokenized IP and collectibles" thesis that NFT-era projects failed to produce. 

Courtyard's revenue run-rate, which is approximately $200 million annualized at current levels, exceeds that of most mid-tier NFT marketplaces in 2021, but with orders of magnitude less marketing spend because demand is being pulled by riding the hype of the physical Pokémon market.

The near-term risk is that the physical Pokémon bull market comes to a halt.

On the other hand, the longer-term opportunity is that it could signal product-market fit for tokenized collectibles, setting a model for categories like sports cards and watches.

This is an excerpt from The Block's Data & Insights newsletter. Dig into the numbers making up the industry's most thought-provoking trends.


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© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.