Aug 11, 2026
HKSAR, China, 10 August 2026 —— Grade10, a renowned Asian trading card brand under MemeStrategy (HKEX:2440), today announced the launch of the world’s first Trading Card Game (TCG) market benchmark index series. Developed by Grade10 and introduced following evaluation and professional guidance from professors at HKU Business School, the index series provides transparent, objective, and authoritative indicators of market trends. By addressing long-standing challenges in the traditional collectibles market, including pricing opacity and fragmented data, the launch marks a significant step towards the standardization of trading card assets and the adoption of a more data-driven market framework.
The three core indices strictly focus on cards graded PSA 10 GEM MINT (the highest grade) and are weighted based on actual market trading volumes:
PTCG100 Index: Tracks the 100 most actively traded Pokémon PSA 10 GEM MINT collectible cards in the market (https://index.grade10.com/ptcg100)
PTCG500 Index: Tracks the 500 most actively traded Pokémon PSA 10 GEM MINT collectible cards in the market (https://index.grade10.com/ptcg500)
OPCG100 Index: Tracks the 100 most actively traded One Piece PSA 10 GEM MINT collectible cards in the market (https://index.grade10.com/opcg100)
Popular Collectible Cards Outperform Traditional Stock Indices, Highlighting Alternative Asset Allocation Value
Trading activity in the TCG market has accelerated significantly in recent years, with Pokémon remaining the dominant franchise and One Piece emerging as a strong secondary driver of market growth. Market data indicates that leading TCG assets exhibit low correlation with traditional financial markets and have demonstrated notable resilience during periods of macroeconomic volatility.
The Pokémon-focused PTCG100 Index has maintained a consistent upward trajectory since its inception, with a base value of 100 in February 2023. As of 7 August 2026, the index had risen to 291.88 (as shown below), representing a cumulative gain of over 190% and a year-to-date (YTD) increase of over 70%, underscoring the sustained long-term appreciation of high-value Pokémon cards.
Meanwhile, the OPCG100 Index, which tracks One Piece trading cards, commenced data collection in July 2023 and reached 220.65 as of 7 August 2026 (as shown below). This represents a cumulative growth of over 120% and a YTD increase of 113%, highlighting strong market momentum and continued capital inflows into the segment.
Compared with traditional financial market benchmarks, TCG indices have delivered particularly strong performance. Between early February 2023 and 7 August 2026, the Hang Seng Index (HSI) generated a cumulative gain of approximately 20%, with a modest YTD increase of around 0.24%. Over the same period, the S&P 500 Index advanced approximately 88% cumulatively, with a YTD gain of about 13.32%.
The data shows that top-graded Pokémon and One Piece collectible cards have significantly outperformed these traditional equity benchmarks over the past three and a half years. The results highlight the substantial growth potential of the TCG market and further reinforce the position of premium collectible cards as an emerging alternative asset class with compelling long-term investment characteristics.
Rigorous Index Methodology Ensures Objectivity and Validity
As top-tier collectible cards increasingly gain recognition as alternative assets, demand for a unified, objective pricing benchmark has grown rapidly. Grade10 has developed this index series using a rigorous, transparent, and data-driven methodology, moving away from subjective valuation models to provide institutional-grade market indicators. To ensure the indices accurately reflect underlying market dynamics, all three indices are constructed based on the following principles:
Actual Transaction Data: The indices incorporate completed transaction data from major trading card platforms across North America, Europe, and Asia, including Alt.xyz, eBay, and SNKRDUNK, minimizing the influence of dealer price manipulation and subjective valuation bias.
Exclusive Focus on PSA 10 Gem Mint Cards: To enhance data consistency and comparability, the indices include only cards graded PSA 10 GEM MINT. This reduces the impact of pricing volatility stemming from condition disputes associated with lower-graded or ungraded cards.
Liquidity Screening and Outlier Filtering: Constituent cards are ranked and weighted according to their aggregate trading volume over the preceding 90 days. Pricing is calculated using a 30-day rolling interquartile mean, helping to filter out distortions caused by anomalous transactions.
Quarterly Rebalancing: The indices are rebalanced on a quarterly basis, with newly issued cards subject to a 90-day "seasoning period" before inclusion, ensuring adequate market depth and trading activity.
Ray Chan, Chief Executive Officer of MemeStrategy and Grade10, said: "Although the trading card market has experienced rapid growth in recent years, it has long lacked a common standard that is both objective and transparent. Collectors and enthusiasts have often relied on subjective valuations and fragmented transaction data, making it difficult to assess market conditions accurately. To address this challenge, Grade10 launched the PTCG100, PTCG500, and OPCG100 indices. Market participants no longer need to rely on intuition alone. Instead, they can analyze market trends using actual transaction data, as easily as they would track the S&P 500. We are honored to collaborate with HKU Business School in bringing academic rigor to this dynamic market and helping to advance the trading card industry towards greater professionalism and standardization."
Industry-Academia Collaboration Delivers Institutional-Grade Market Insights
Through this index series, Grade10 aims to provide collectors, enthusiasts, investors, and industry participants with a practical and insightful market intelligence tool. Historically, participants were required to compare individual card transactions across multiple platforms, a time-consuming process that also exposed them to risks such as fraudulent transactions and unpaid orders. By consolidating verified transaction data from leading marketplaces across North America, Europe, and Asia, and filtering out market noise, Grade10 delivers a clearer view of underlying market trends. The index series enables users to monitor broad market movements and benchmark the performance of individual cards against the indices, providing a more objective assessment of relative asset strength and market positioning.
To ensure a high degree of academic rigor and credibility, Grade10 partnered with HKU Business School, whose faculty members reviewed the index methodology and provided expert guidance. The collaboration introduces financial market-grade analytical frameworks to the collectibles sector, representing an important milestone in advancing the professionalization, transparency, and standardization of the TCG industry.
Disclaimer: The Grade10 Index Series is provided solely for informational and research purposes. The indices do not constitute investment advice, nor do they represent an offer, recommendation, or solicitation to buy or sell any asset. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
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About MemeStrategy
MemeStrategy (HKEX: 2440) is an Asia-listed company, managed by the team behind 9GAG, a globally acclaimed meme platform with over 200 million users. Leveraging its social media and Web3 expertise, MemeStrategy adopts a people-first approach to strategically invest in three key growth pillars: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, and Culture, aiming to bridge the new economy with traditional finance and accelerate the development of decentralized technologies.
About Grade10
Grade10 was founded in 2023 to unite Hong Kong's trading card industry and collector community. Over the years, it has grown into the city's premier platform for card enthusiasts and industry professionals. Grade10 is a division of MemeStrategy (HKEX: 2440), a publicly listed company founded by the team behind 9GAG, a global social platform with over 200 million users worldwide. Since becoming part of MemeStrategy in September 2025, Grade10 has embarked on a new phase of growth, positioning Hong Kong as the trading card festival's annual home and establishing Grade10 as the leading touring event for collectible trading cards and related cultural treasures across Asia. In the collecting world, "Grade 10" signifies the highest standard of excellence. True to its name, the Grade10 Card Show brings fresh energy and opportunities to Asia's collectibles market, offering passionate enthusiasts a vibrant platform to connect, exchange, and showcase their prized collections, while exploring new horizons together with fellow collectors.
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MemeStrategy (HKEX: 2440)
Eva Lee
Email: media@memestrategy.com