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We’ve all heard the traditional advice that the best investments are those made in the stock market, saving in a 401(k), and buying a house. But younger generations have started touting nontraditional investments like buying a Birkin bag or other collectibles as a surefire way to bring in extra bucks.
Influencer and WWE wrestler Logan Paul recently said going beyond normal investments can be worth it.
“If you’re young, there are ways to spend and invest your money in ways that might mean more to you than in a traditional conservative environment like the stock market,” he said on Fox Business’s “The Big Money Show” on Tuesday.
And Paul has certainly gone down the nontraditional path for investing: He recently put up a rare Pokémon card for auction that he bought in 2022 for $5.3 million. The former WWE United States Champion actually used to wear the card—which he says is “the rarest card in the world” and the “Holy Grail”—around his neck during competitions. The card is a PSA-graded 10 Pikachu Illustrator, and only a few dozen copies exist worldwide. But Paul’s card is the only one to receive a 10/10 grade from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA).
Paul said he plans to auction the card in early 2026 and estimates it will sell for between $7 million and $12 million, which would bank him about $2 million to $7 million. He also argued collectibles like Pokémon cards have “outperformed” the stock market during the last two decades.
“If you have the money, don’t be afraid to take a risk, especially if you’re young,” Paul said.
Are collectibles really a good investment?
According to global wealth management firm AES, collectibles like wine, manuscripts, vintage cars, rare pieces of art, and more can produce a “reasonable” return for investors, but they often don’t come with the same long-term gains of investing in stocks.
Between 1900 and 2012, collectibles produced a nominal annual return of 6.4% and a real return of 2.4%, according to the AES report.
“Although the return is reasonable, it’s far lower than the long-term rewards of investing in the equity market,” AES CEO Sam Instone wrote. But, “that’s not to say these collectible items are not for certain investors.”
Still, Gen Z men have become obsessed with investing in these collectibles, which some argue will beat Nvidia stock and the S&P 500. And they could have a point: Pokémon cards have seen the largest long-term increase in value among all card categories. They’re up 3,261% in the past 20 years, according to data provided to Fortune’s Preston Fore from Card Ladder. Even a one-year investment is up 46%, which is higher than Nvidia’s 35% jump and the S&P 500’s 17% year-to-date increase.
“The trading card hobby has entered a new era, driven by technology, innovation, community, and a great balance of modern creativity–with new sets, storylines and characters–alongside good old nostalgia,” Adam Ireland, VP and GM of global collectibles at eBay, previously told Fortune. He also said eBay users searched for “Pokemon” nearly 14,000 times per hour in 2024.
Other collectibles like the Hermes Birkin bag have caught the attention of young investors, who have argued buying one can be more valuable than investing in gold. But recent reports have shown these rare handbags don’t have the same return-on-investment they once did. The average resale premium for Birkin and Kelly bags—a metric that compares the auction price to its retail cost—has fallen from 2.2 times its original value in 2022 to 1.4 times as of November, according to Bernstein Research’s Secondhand Pricing Tracker. To put that in perspective, a Birkin bag originally bought for $10,000 and resold in 2022 would have cost more than $22,000, but a bag originally retailing for the same price and resold today would be worth just $14,000.
Overall, although investing in collectibles can end in a big payday, they can also be a very risky investment because of liquidity risks, concentration risks, costs and upkeep, the potential for a bubble, and tax treatment, according to an analysis by The Economic Times.
“It’s also true that some people generate income regularly buying and selling collectibles,” according to Consumers Credit Union. “However, fortunes are determined by the whims of buyers along with the rising and falling popularity of particular items. While the stock market may have a down year, over time it trends to higher value.”
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