In a city long synonymous with skyscrapers and stock tickers, an unlikely subculture is staking its claim: trading cards.

The just-concluded Grade10 Festival, drawing a record 23,000 attendees to Hong Kong's bustling convention hall in Wan Chai, underscored the territory's ascent as Asia's go-to hub for collectors chasing everything from vintage Pokémon rarities to autographed NBA gems, a press release said.

Amid the frenzy, a towering wall of Pikachu cards—each a PSA10 homage to Vincent van Gogh—stole the show, symbolizing how pop culture nostalgia is blending with high-stakes investment in the world's fastest-growing collectibles market.

The event's centerpiece was a world-first installation: over 400 PSA 10-graded "Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat" cards, stacked into a mosaic valued at around HK$5 million (US$641,000).

Originally released in 2023 as part of a special Pokémon collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the card pays homage to Van Gogh's Self‑Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, reinterpreted with Pikachu wearing the artist's signature grey felt hat—a cheeky fusion of 19th-century genius and 21st-century mascot mania. Four such cards, including two flawless PSA 10s, were given out through on-site participation.