I think about this a lot.
I’ve been interested in watches for over a decade now. That is obviously a hobby that for decades has been seen as kind of the epitome of veblen goods luxury spending… and now, what was once my most extravagant hobby is just utterly and ridiculously overshadowed by my Pokémon card hobby.
In 2026, 10k in watches gets you a refined and respected little collection - a Rolex, a vintage Omega, a couple of unique microbrand watches bought directly from the company founders at a watch show.
2026 in Pokémon, 10k doesn’t even get you the inventory of a dime-a-dozen local card show vendor.
I think it’s emphasized by the fact that Pokémon collecting by definition of “Gotta catch ‘em all” is a hobby that really encourages breadth. It’s very rare for someone to buy 5 cards and call their collection complete. The quantity that is encouraged, on top of the mad individual values, is what ends up making the context of this hobby so crazy.