Pokemon Fan Raises $80,000 For Medical School Tuition Selling Cards

University of North Georgia junior Caleb King has put $80,000 towards his future medical school tuition by selling off Pokemon TCG cards purchased in 2016. King appeared in a segment on Fox 5 Atlanta, where he stated that he spent about $4,000 on the collection just a few years ago, and he still has about $50,000 worth of cards left. The incredible profit stands as a testament to the growing interest in cards from the series, which have been seeing some incredible prices over the last few months. During the segment, King stated that his parents initially attempted to dissuade him from making the purchase.

"A lot of people tried to discourage me from doing it at the beginning – especially my parents. They said "Hey, you shouldn't be spending that kind of money on these cards, that's ridiculous." … I didn't listen, and it paid off."

The full segment from Fox 5 Atlanta can be found embedded below.

Unfortunately, the segment does not go into detail about what cards in particular King has sold off, though the video does show several of the graded cards that remain in his collection. Notably, King still has a First Edition Base Set Pikachu with red cheeks graded GEM MT 10.

The Pokemon TCG has been going strong since 1996, but interest in the secondary market has exploded, of late. In the segment, King attributes the spike in interest to the coronavirus pandemic, as people have been seeking out different forms of escapism. Of course, streamers like xQc and Logan Paul have also fueled interest, as vintage pack openings has become a common sight on Twitch. It's impossible to say for certain how long some of the rarer cards will be able to maintain this level of interest, so it seems like King sold at just the right time!

While King seems to have no qualms with selling off his cards to put towards medical school, he appears to be a longtime fan of the franchise. In the segment, several Pokemon plushes can be seen, and King's senior quote from his high school yearbook is a line from Mewtwo from Pokemon: The First Movie.

Are you a fan of the Pokemon TCG? Have you sold off any of your cards this year? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!