Gen Z and Millennials show the highest overall participation rates in collecting hobbies, with 76% of Gen Z (ages 18-25) and 72% of Millennials (ages 26-41) actively engaged in some form of collecting. However, passion manifests differently across age groups and collecting categories. When it comes to trading cards, toys, and pop culture items like Pokemon cards, younger collectors dominate the landscape. Adults in the “kidult” demographic now command approximately 34% of the toy collectibles market share in 2025, making them the leading segment. A 28-year-old who grew up with the original Pokemon Base Set release treats their collection very differently than a 65-year-old stamp enthusiast who has been building their holdings for four decades.
The picture becomes more nuanced when you examine specific collecting niches. Traditional hobbies like coin and stamp collecting skew heavily toward older demographics, with 66% of those collectors aged 40 or older and 52% aged 65 and above. Meanwhile, trading card collectors and toy enthusiasts trend significantly younger. This generational divide reflects not just different interests but fundamentally different relationships with collecting itself. This article explores why certain age ranges gravitate toward specific collectibles, how nostalgia drives purchasing decisions, the gender gap in collecting, and what these trends mean for the future of hobbies like Pokemon card collecting.
Table of Contents
- Why Do Gen Z and Millennials Lead Overall Collecting Participation?
- How Traditional Collecting Demographics Differ from Modern Hobbies
- The Nostalgia Factor and Why It Peaks After Age 50
- What the Kidult Market Means for Pokemon Card Values
- Why Age-Based Collecting Trends Can Mislead
- Gender Differences in Collecting Intensity
- What Future Generations Might Collect
- Conclusion
Why Do Gen Z and Millennials Lead Overall Collecting Participation?
The data is clear: younger generations collect at higher rates than their older counterparts. Gen Z leads all demographics with 76% participation in age/” title=”How Collecting Habits Change With Age”>collecting hobbies, followed closely by Millennials at 72%. By comparison, only 29% of Baby Boomers report collecting physical items. This gap reflects a fundamental shift in how younger people view collectibles. For many Millennials and Gen Z collectors, items like Pokemon cards serve dual purposes as both passion projects and investment vehicles. The 2020-2021 Pokemon card boom, when vintage cards appreciated dramatically, reinforced this mentality.
Several factors explain this generational enthusiasm. Younger collectors grew up with eBay, social media marketplaces, and online authentication services that made buying, selling, and verifying collectibles far easier than in previous decades. A Gen Z collector can research a card’s value, purchase it from a seller across the country, and have it graded by PSA within weeks. Compare this to a collector in 1995 who relied on price guides, local card shops, and word of mouth. The friction reduction has lowered barriers to entry substantially. Men also collect at significantly higher rates than women across all age groups, with 70% male participation versus 51% female participation. This gap appears in Pokemon card collecting as well, though the hobby has seen increasing female participation in recent years, particularly through the influence of content creators and community events that have made the space more welcoming.
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How Traditional Collecting Demographics Differ from Modern Hobbies
The contrast between traditional and modern collecting hobbies reveals just how much the landscape has shifted. Coin and stamp collecting demographics tell a striking story: in 2015, only 8% of collectors were ages 18-44, while 40% were ages 45-64, and a full 52% were 65 or older. This represents an aging trend even compared to 2011, when 56% of collectors were ages 45-64 and only 30% were 65 and above. Traditional collecting hobbies are literally aging out. Pokemon card collecting sits at the opposite end of this spectrum. The core demographic consists of Millennials who experienced the original 1999-2000 Pokemon craze as children and Gen Z collectors who grew up with subsequent generations of the franchise.
Professional collector demographics show the average collector age is 40-plus for the overall workforce, but this figure is heavily skewed by traditional categories. Trading card and toy collectibles pull the average much younger. However, this younger skew comes with a caveat. Younger collectors often have less disposable income than established 45-plus collectors who have had decades to build wealth. A 22-year-old may be passionate about Pokemon cards but lack the budget to pursue high-end vintage singles. This creates an interesting market dynamic where enthusiasm is highest among young collectors but purchasing power remains concentrated among middle-aged buyers who can afford five-figure cards.
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The Nostalgia Factor and Why It Peaks After Age 50
Research into memory and emotional attachment reveals an interesting pattern: humans are most nostalgic after age 50, with “autobiographical memory” strongest for experiences between ages 15 and 30. This explains why collectors in their fifties and sixties often pursue items from their teenage and young adult years with particular intensity. A 55-year-old who collected coins as a teenager in the 1980s connects those items to formative life experiences in ways that newer collectors cannot replicate. For Pokemon card collecting, this nostalgia principle suggests an interesting trajectory. Millennials who experienced the original Pokemon boom in 1999-2000 are currently in their late twenties to early forties. As this cohort ages into their fifties over the next two decades, we can expect nostalgia-driven demand for vintage Pokemon cards to intensify rather than diminish.
The 35-year-old who fondly remembers opening Base Set packs will become the 55-year-old actively seeking to recapture those memories through collecting. Consider the parallel with comic book collecting. Golden Age comics from the 1940s and 1950s command astronomical prices today in part because the generation that grew up with them reached peak nostalgia and peak earning potential simultaneously. Original Superman and Batman comics are pursued by 70-year-olds reconnecting with childhood memories. Pokemon cards may follow a similar arc, with first-edition Base Set Charizards becoming the Action Comics No. 1 of a future generation.
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What the Kidult Market Means for Pokemon Card Values
The term “kidult” describes adults who purchase toys, games, and collectibles typically marketed to children. This demographic now commands approximately 34% of the toy collectibles market in 2025, making it the single largest segment. Millennials and Gen Z are identified as key market drivers, viewing collectibles through a lens that previous generations did not. A Pokemon card is not just a game piece or a childhood relic but a tangible asset with potential appreciation. This shift has concrete implications for Pokemon card collecting. When adults with significant disposable income compete for limited vintage products, prices rise accordingly.
The sealed Pokemon product market demonstrates this clearly. A booster box that sold for $100 at retail in 1999 now commands thousands or tens of thousands of dollars because adult collectors with real purchasing power want them. Contrast this with a hobby where only children participate, and discretionary spending is limited to allowances and birthday money. The tradeoff is increased market volatility. Adult collectors who view cards as investments can exit positions rapidly when sentiment shifts, creating boom-and-bust cycles that pure hobbyists find frustrating. The 2020-2021 spike in Pokemon card values followed by the subsequent correction illustrated this dynamic. Collectors who entered purely for investment purposes sold off holdings when prices stagnated, while passionate collectors who valued the cards intrinsically held through the downturn.
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Why Age-Based Collecting Trends Can Mislead
One limitation of demographic data is that it captures snapshots rather than trajectories. The 2015 finding that 52% of coin collectors were 65 or older does not mean people become interested in coins at 65. It means people who became interested decades ago have aged into that bracket. Similarly, current Pokemon card demographics skewed toward ages 25-40 reflect when the hobby peaked in popularity, not some inherent appeal to that age range specifically. This distinction matters for collectors trying to predict future market conditions. If you assume Pokemon cards will always appeal primarily to 30-year-olds, you might expect demand to fade as current collectors age.
But if current collectors carry their passion into their fifties and sixties, as coin and stamp collectors have, the demand profile looks entirely different. The hobby ages with its participants rather than cycling through new generations of the same age. A warning for younger collectors: do not assume current trends will persist indefinitely. The collecting landscape can shift dramatically based on economic conditions, cultural trends, and generational preferences. Baby Boomers once represented the core collecting demographic for nearly everything. Their declining participation rates show that no generation dominates forever.
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Gender Differences in Collecting Intensity
The 70% male versus 51% female participation gap in collecting hobbies deserves attention. Pokemon card collecting historically skewed heavily male, though the gender balance has improved in recent years.
Female collectors and content creators have built significant followings, and Pokemon’s broad appeal across demographics makes it more accessible than some traditionally male-dominated hobbies. For example, the Pokemon community has seen growth in female participation through channels like collection showcases, pack opening content, and organized play events. This broader participation base strengthens the hobby’s long-term prospects by expanding the potential collector pool beyond traditional demographics.
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What Future Generations Might Collect
Generation Alpha, born from 2010 onward, will eventually enter collecting age with their own nostalgic touchstones. For some, this may include Pokemon Scarlet and Violet era cards or other contemporary releases. The pattern suggests these children will pursue items from their formative years once they reach adulthood and have disposable income, just as Millennials pursue Base Set cards today.
The key insight for current collectors is that passion for collecting appears consistent across generations even as specific interests vary. Gen Z’s 76% participation rate suggests collecting as a behavior is not declining, even if traditional categories like stamps and coins struggle to attract young blood. New categories emerge to capture each generation’s enthusiasm, and Pokemon cards have proven remarkably durable across multiple age cohorts.
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Conclusion
The question of which age range is most passionate about collecting depends heavily on what is being collected. Gen Z and Millennials lead overall participation rates at 76% and 72% respectively, and they dominate modern collecting categories like trading cards and toys. Traditional hobbies like coins and stamps remain the province of collectors aged 45 and older, with over half of that community now 65-plus. For Pokemon card collectors, these trends suggest a healthy long-term outlook.
The core collecting demographic is aging into peak earning years while maintaining strong emotional connections to the franchise. As the nostalgia effect intensifies for Millennials entering their fifties over the coming decades, demand for vintage Pokemon products may strengthen rather than fade. Younger collectors continue entering the hobby through contemporary sets, ensuring ongoing engagement across age groups. The passion is real across generations, even if it manifests in different ways.
