Key Highlights
- A research analyst suggests that tokenization can create disruption in the real-world collectible industry
- Pokémon collectibles are about to have their ‘Polymarket moment’
- Collector Crypt is using tokenization to turn physical Pokémon cards into a digital asset for instant trading
According to a research analyst, a new crypto project is expected to bring revolution in the multi-billion-dollar market for trading cards like Pokémon by turning them into digital tokens.
Pokémon and other TCGs are about to have their “Polymarket moment.” Here’s why you should be paying attention:
Most of crypto’s teal world asset (RWA) plays cater to well-established TradFi markets, like treasuries, real estate, gold and stocks. Sure, tokenization brings these…
— Danny Nelson (@realDannyNelson) September 3, 2025
While crypto has focused on tokenizing traditional assets like stocks and real estate, Danny Nelson, a research analyst, believes that the real disruption is happening with collectibles.
“Pokémon and other TCGs are about to have their ‘Polymarket moment,” he said.
“Pokémon cards are different. They’ve already got a multi-billion dollar market, and yet, this market operates almost exclusively IRL. Sellers literally ship their charizard, pikachu, gardevoir, what have you to buyers – sometimes graded, often not. It’s inefficient, but it works: social auction app Whatnot (just one corner of the market) generated $3 billion in sales last year, much from Pokémon,” Danny Nelson said.
Collector Crypt Brings RWA Pokémon cards on Solana
The current market for rare cards is massive but inefficient, as it relies on physical shipping and in-person auctions. Social auction app Whatnot alone generated $3 billion in sales last year, largely from Pokémon
Here is where Collector Crypt comes into play, which is a platform that creates digital versions, or NFTs, of physical cards. This allows users to buy, sell, and trade a Charizard card instantly online, just like a stock.
Surprisingly, the project’s own cryptocurrency, CARDS, has skyrocketed 10x in less than a week after its launch, reaching a valuation of nearly $450 million as traders bet on its success.
A major factor of this boom is the project’s “Gacha machine,” a digital vending machine that sells random card packs. This feature alone generated $16.6 million in sales last week, with demand so high that the team is struggling to keep it stocked.
Danny Nelson suggests this could be crypto’s next breakout mainstream hit, creating “global demand for a service that people really didn’t think about before,” similar to how Polymarket popularized crypto-based prediction markets.
Danny Nelson writes in a post on X, “I expect the Pokémon boom will be sticky – one of those moments where an “only in crypto” innovation breaks into the mainstream. Kinda like what Polymarket did for prediction markets. Create global demand for a service that people really didn’t think about before.”
Growing Popularity of Tokenization
Earlier, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins called the tokenization process “an innovation.”
“We at the SEC should be focused on how do we advance innovation in the marketplace. Over the last several years, the SEC has been standing athwart efforts to innovate in the market; the rules have not been clear, [and] we’ve had regulation through enforcement. That day is over,” he said in an interview.
The process of turning real things like property and stocks into digital tokens is exploding. This is called “tokenization.”
The market grew very fast, from $8.6 billion to over $23 billion in just half a year. Big companies like BlackRock are leading the way.
Experts think it could become a $30 trillion market by 2030. This is because it lets people buy small shares of expensive assets and trade them anytime.
Most of this activity happens on the Ethereum network. Other networks like Solana are growing very quickly, too. The growth is happening in numerous ways, such as
- First came government bonds and loans.
- Next is real estate and gold, making them easier to sell.
- Finally, using these tokens for automated lending and earning interest.
The benefits are huge. It saves billions in fees, makes trading safer, and lets anyone in the world invest.
