Card news
Was Kangnam's Pokémon card collection worth ₩200 million? What the headline really meant
A viral Kangnam and Lee Sang-hwa video put a roughly ₩200 million estimate on a Pokémon card collection. The cards were not actually sold: here's how to read the figure.
TCGIndex editorial · 2026-09-28
A sale in the title, but not in real life
In a September 15 video on Kangnam's channel, Lee Sang-hwa took his Pokémon card collection to a card shop. News reports say the shop estimated about KRW 200 million for buying the collection as a whole. The supposed sale was part of a prank; the reports do not establish that the collection was actually sold for that amount.
A collection estimate is not one card's price
The reported estimate included sealed boxes and multiple valuable cards. It should not be read as the value of a single card or as evidence that every Pokémon card is expensive. Set, number, language, printing, condition and grading all matter when identifying an exact match.
Why a buy-in estimate differs from displayed prices
The video's figure was a shop's estimate for buying a collection in one transaction at that time. TCGIndex's Korean KREAM figures are individual seller asking prices. European Cardmarket measures describe another market. A bulk buy-in estimate, a listing and a completed sale answer different questions.
How to check your own card
Start with the printed name and number, then match the artwork, language and printing. Read the condition, grading status, price measure and observation date. If the exact card is missing, do not assign a similar card's price to it; save its name and number to check again after a market update.
Sources
Try it yourself
- The reported KRW 200 million was a bulk buy-in estimate, not confirmed sale proceeds
- Separate single cards from sealed products in a collection
- Match number, printing, language and condition
- Read the price measure and observation date
Browse prices without signing in. Saving cards and setting alerts require an account. Asking prices can differ from completed-sale prices and buylist offers.