1/n Some random thoughts on Pokemon and $CLCT in no particular order.

Site visits increased 50% in October (and 2.5x since May).

2/n Pokemon referrals are up almost 800%.

3/n You might think Pokemon cards are a silly things for kids, but don't forget that baseball cards were originally meant for kids (packs even came with a stick of gum). Kids grow up into adults who have money and are willing to spend it on nostalgia.

4/n Despite a massive boom in sports cards (and grading services) since February which continues currently, that didn't stop Google trends for "psa 10" shooting up massively recently.

5/n This appears to be Pokemon related.

6/n Subreddits are a bad proxy, but members are spiking.

7/n And engagement is booming.

8/n This is largely being driven by youtubers like the insufferable Logan Paul posting about Pokemon cards. A video of him opening Pokemon card packs has >10m views.

9/n Pokemon card 'box break' videos/live streams are very popular. I've watched more Leonhart videos than I care to admit (for research).

10/n Even Steve Aoki (yes, the DJ) is doing Pokemon card box breaks live on Twitch.

11/n While Pokemon card grading isn't PSA's main game, the growth in the hobby is great for PSA and improves the business quality as it diversifies its revenue streams. This could also be a big source of growth...

12/n ...not that PSA really needs any more growth atm - submissions are exceeding capacity by >3x.

One interesting thing about Pokemon cards, and modern sports cards (which is where a majority of the increased demand for PSA's services is coming from), is that it is much...

13/n ...easier to train someone to grade these modern cards than it is to train someone to grade a very old (typically much more valuable) card. And PSA has a great talent pool to source these graders from - its research team (the people who make sure you submitted correctly).