Hundreds of Pokémon fans have queued for hours, with many even camping overnight, to get their hands on a special card collection celebrating the franchise’s 30th anniversary.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) collection went on sale this morning, with fans hoping to bag some of the most high-value cards.
More than 85 billion Pokémon cards have been produced since the trading card game launched, with one card even selling for £12million
In Norwich, huge queues formed outside shops in Chantry Place shopping centre after HMV and Game received shipments of the new cards.
Sean, Cameron, James and Dan were among those who woke up early this morning, hoping to get their hands on an Elite Trainer Box (ETB).
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James, who arrived at 5am, said: ‘I think I will be able to get an ETB hopefully. It has nine packs inside, so I’ve got a decent chance of getting something good.’
Dan, however, wasn’t taking any chances and decided to camp outside the shopping centre from 1.30am.
His dream card is a ‘Treekachu’, which can reportedly be worth more than £700.
Cameron, meanwhile, joined the queue at around 7am and was hoping to find a Charizard card.
Sean also added: ‘I’m hoping to get an ETB, which I’m pretty sure I should. Pokémon all the way.’
In Leeds, Pokémon fans queued down the street at Travelling Man, with some bringing camping chairs as they waited for the shop to open its doors at 10am.
Khalid Morton, manager of Travelling Man in Leeds, told the Yorkshire Evening Post: ‘There’s a fair amount [of cards], so I’d expect they’ll sell out in the first couple of hours.’
He also explained how nostalgia was a major draw for longtime collectors, alongside the potential value of the cards.
‘Currently, the secondary market for these is quite high,’ he continued.
Over in Sheffield, Forbidden Planet was so busy that staff were forced to operate a one-in, one-out system.
Dan Liles, who was wearing a Pikachu hat while managing the queue, said fans had been waiting since around 7am.
In the French town of Flers-en-Escrebieux, hundreds of fans were also seen queuing for the cards outside a Smyths store.
Pokémon originally started as a Nintendo Game Boy game in Japan in 1996.
Later that year, the Pokémon Trading Card Game was launched in October 1996.
Three decades on, the franchise has become a global phenomenon, with collectors on the hunt for cards that they can sell.