Rodtang Jitmuangnon, a world Muay Thai expert, has switched into collector mode, hunting Pokémon cards throughout the city.
Rodtang Jitmuangnon, former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion and a globally known ONE Championship fighter, amused fans by posting on his personal Facebook a photo of newly acquired Pokémon cards, accompanied by a playful caption: “Opening up on my own—comment which shops are good. On the hunt for Pokémon.”
In another post, he asked fans, “Do these two cards have any value? If anyone knows, please tell me.”
The photo shows Rodtang sitting with multiple Pokémon cards encased in plastic holders, including clearly visible “Greninja ex” and “Dragonite ex” cards, which are considered fairly rare.
Why are athletes turning to card collecting?
The popularity of Pokémon cards has surged worldwide over recent years, both as a game, a collectible hobby, and an investment. Pokémon cards have been produced since 1996, with over 70 billion cards printed globally to date.
For high-earning athletes with free time during training, collecting cards has become a highly appealing pastime.
Other Thai athletes are also hooked on card collecting.
Rodtang is not the only Thai athlete interested in cards. Several well-known Thai sports figures, such as Chanathip Songkrasin, a widely popular national football player, and View Kullawut Vitidsarn, a top-ranked badminton player who made history by winning Thailand’s first Olympic men’s singles badminton silver medal at Paris 2024, are recognized within the Thai card collecting community.
How expensive are Pokémon cards?
Card values mainly depend on rarity—special event-only cards and those reliant on luck when opening packs. Even buying a full box doesn't guarantee getting desired cards.
A notable example is Logan Paul, who sold a Pikachu Illustrator card—one of the rarest promotional cards worldwide—for 16.5 million US dollars, over 500 million baht. Guinness World Records confirmed it as the most expensive trading card ever auctioned.
The Pikachu Illustrator card, with only 39 copies worldwide and 19 verified, once reached prices up to 3 million US dollars, about 90 million baht.
Compared to other card games like Magic: The Gathering or One Piece TCG, Pokémon cards have higher liquidity due to stronger branding and a larger fan base.
How expensive are sports cards in 2025-2026?
The sports card market remains hot and continues breaking records. The world’s most expensive sports card currently is the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman, featuring real jersey patches from both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, sold for 12.932 million US dollars (about 440 million baht) through Heritage Auctions, becoming the most expensive sports card in history.
The year 2025 is a pivotal year for trading cards, fueled by a new generation of collectors from social media, online marketplaces, and a fresh perspective viewing rare cards as valuable investment assets.