- Hashed said about 4,000 people visited Collectible Con, which it hosted with its subsidiary ShardLab, over two days.
- The company said it held the event in Seoul amid growth in the domestic collectibles market, and that South Korea ranked third globally in eBay’s country rankings for trading card sales in the first quarter.
- It said Pokemon and One Piece card trading volumes on domestic platforms including Danggeun and Bunjang, as well as Pokemon-related listings, rose sharply from a year earlier.
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About 4,000 people visited Collectible Con, a trading card game, or TCG, show hosted by Hashed and its subsidiary ShardLab, over two days. More than 50 sellers took part, offering programs for collectors including card trading, grading and collectible swaps.
Hashed said on Oct. 22 that it held Collectible Con with Thailand-based The Concept Labs on Oct. 2-3 at Stage X Seongsu Chabot in Seoul’s Seongsu neighborhood. The event combined collectible exhibitions and trading with networking among collectors. It drew a crowd similar in size to the inaugural event held in Bangkok in May.
The show featured a range of TCG cards, including Pokemon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: The Gathering, Disney Lorcana and Riftbound, which is based on League of Legends. Sports cards, designer toys, animation merchandise and artworks were also displayed and sold.
Visitors examined and traded rare cards, sealed vintage products and limited-edition items. They joined live pack-opening sessions, used card grading and authentication services, or swapped collectibles in a separate trading area. Eight panel talks and lectures featuring sellers, grading specialists, and brand and community representatives covered market trends as well as card grading, storage and trading methods.
Hashed cited growth in South Korea’s collectibles market as one reason for bringing the event to Seoul. South Korea ranked third globally in eBay’s country rankings for trading card sales in the first quarter, up seven places from 10th in 2024.
Card trading is also increasing on domestic platforms. On Danggeun, trading volumes for Pokemon and One Piece cards from June through August rose 1,114% and 10,605% from a year earlier, respectively. On Bunjang, listings related to Pokemon climbed 282% from a year earlier during the Sept. 1-27 period.
A Hashed official said the event was significant because it expanded a collecting and trading culture that had largely formed online into the offline world. The gathering also gave sellers, collectors and related companies a chance to meet in person and gauge the collectibles market’s growth potential.