One Piece Card Craze Raises Questions

Massive giveaways of trading cards at college basketball games spark concerns over inflated resale prices

Published on Feb. 18, 2026

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The recent surge in popularity of One Piece trading cards has led to massive giveaways at college basketball games, with tens of thousands of cards being distributed. However, the author questions how people are still willing to pay over $200 for these cards on the resale market, predicting that prices will drop significantly as the supply increases. The article also touches on the broader phenomenon of sports card collecting and flipping, as well as the author's own experience diving into the world of One Piece fandom.

Why it matters

The One Piece card craze highlights the speculative nature of the sports and entertainment memorabilia market, where hype and scarcity can drive up prices despite an abundance of supply. This raises questions about the sustainability of these trends and the potential for consumer exploitation, as well as the role of resellers in driving up costs for fans.

The details

The article discusses the recent record-breaking sale of a Pikachu Illustrator card for $16.5 million, as well as the massive giveaways of One Piece cards at college basketball games, with tens of thousands of cards being distributed at just two St. John's games alone. The author questions how people are still willing to pay over $200 for these cards on the resale market, predicting that prices will drop significantly as the supply increases. The article also touches on the broader phenomenon of sports card collecting and flipping, as well as the author's own experience diving into the world of One Piece fandom.

  • On Sunday night, Logan Paul sold his Pikachu Illustrator card for $16.5 million.
  • St. John's University has held two games with One Piece card giveaways so far, against UConn and Xavier.
  • The upcoming games between Houston and Arizona, and the Illinois games, will also feature One Piece card giveaways.

The players

Logan Paul

An American YouTuber and media personality who sold his Pikachu Illustrator card for a record $16.5 million.

Anthony Scaramucci's son

The buyer of the record-breaking Pikachu Illustrator card sold by Logan Paul.

St. John's University

A college basketball team that has held two games with massive One Piece card giveaways, distributing tens of thousands of cards to fans.

Houston

A college basketball team that will be playing against Arizona in one of the final stops on the One Piece card tour, with the cheapest ticket costing $441.

Arizona

A college basketball team that recently lost to Texas Tech and was toppled off their AP No. 1 spot, and will be playing against Houston in one of the final stops on the One Piece card tour.

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What they’re saying

“How are people still paying $200+ for these cards??”

— The author (yahoo.com)

What’s next

The author predicts that the prices for the One Piece cards will drop significantly as the supply increases, with the people offering to buy cards for $150 outside the venues eventually being down to $50.

The takeaway

The One Piece card craze highlights the speculative nature of the sports and entertainment memorabilia market, where hype and scarcity can drive up prices despite an abundance of supply. This raises questions about the sustainability of these trends and the potential for consumer exploitation, as well as the role of resellers in driving up costs for fans.