22 November 2025, Hong Kong - Hong Kong's largest trading card event, “Grade10 Festival,” opened today with great fanfare at the Grand Ballroom of Hopewell Hotel in Wan Chai. The two-day exhibition is anticipated to draw over 23,000 attendees. Making its global debut is the “Van Gogh-Pikachu” card wall, an extraordinary display featuring over 400 “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” cards graded PSA 10, valued close to HK$5 million. This edition marks the largest scale in the event's history, bringing together over 120 exhibitors from around the world. Adding to the prestige, renowned international collector Nick Uliano has travelled specially from the United States to participate, further cementing Hong Kong's status as a pivotal hub in the global trading card market. The event also features the world's first “Threads Wall,” a collaboration with Meta's Threads, enabling real-time interactive sharing with participants.

The opening ceremony was graced by prominent figures, including The Honourable Bernard Charnwut Chan, Chairman of Our Hong Kong Foundation; Ray Chan, Chief Executive Officer of MemeStrategy (Stock Code: 2440.HK); Carvin Chan, Managing Director of Grade10; and Will Li, Director of Exhibitions and Digital Business at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Supporting partners and advisors present at the ceremony included Alex Fong, Artist and Athlete; Wesley Ng, Co-Founder of CASETiFY; Kun Gao, Co-Founder of Crunchyroll, which is the United States' largest Japanese anime streaming platform; Hanru Tang, Founder of PokeColor; and Grade10’s partners like Jerry Lam and Ander Tsui, amongst others.

Ray Chan expressed: “MemeStrategy's investment in Grade10 and our decision to base the brand in Hong Kong, reflects our confidence in Hong Kong's potential to emerge as Asia's premier trading card centre. The city already possesses all the necessary conditions to stand out, from the calibre of collectors and numbers or its collectors to its transaction volumes and card diversity, all supported by a robust infrastructure. Historically, major card exhibitions have been Western-dominated. Grade10 aims to change that. We will actively expand across Asia with the ambition to establish a new international cultural event centred in the region. Our debut of 'Van Gogh-Pikachu' card wall sends a clear message to the global community: Hong Kong is a thriving collector base and is a magnet for the world’s rarest cards. As an international wealth management hub, the city is home to a substantial number of affluent collectors, and with the recent surge of Millennial and Generation Z enthusiasts, the foundation for growth is stronger than ever. Grade10 is committed to building a pan-Asian trading card collector network that will solidify Hong Kong’s position as the undisputed hub for trading card exchange and transactions in Asia.”

The centrepiece of the venue is the “Van Gogh-Pikachu” card wall, comprising over 400 “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” cards graded PSA 10. This card was released as a limited-edition promotional card when Pokémon partnered with the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands in 2023 to celebrate the museum's 50th anniversary. The card design is inspired by Van Gogh's iconic self-portrait “Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat,” reimagined with Pikachu wearing the grey felt hat. Upon its release, it caused a sensation and has become one of the most iconic cards in the Pokémon trading card pantheon. Festival-goers have the chance to win two of these extraordinary “Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat” cards by participating in games on-site or by excelling in quizzes.

The exhibitors' offerings are broadly divided into two categories: approximately 60% are anime IP-themed trading cards, including popular titles such as Pokémon, Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Yu-Gi-Oh!; the remainder comprises sports cards and athlete-themed offerings, spanning basketball (NBA), baseball (MLB), American football, and soccer.

The exhibition is divided into six themed zones, including grading, gaming, networking, trading, “Threads Wall,” and “Ten Cards, Ten Stories,” a special showcase area featuring ten collectors sharing the meaningful stories behind their most prized cards. Featured collectors include Stephen Fung, Director, Actor, and the Creator of BUCKET MAN; Alex Fong, Artist and Athlete; Wesley Ng, Co-Founder of CASETiFY; Hin Hin Chan, Chairman of Hong Kong Trading Card Club; Ray Chan, Chief Executive Officer of MemeStrategy; as well as a commercial pilot and an illustrator with a passion for Pokémon cards, and more. One father-and-son duo, both passionate about card collecting, have deepened their connection by transforming a shared hobby into quality time together.

Approximately 20% of exhibitors hail from around the world, including the Chinese Mainland, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan, China. Notable names include Japan's largest pop culture platform SNKRDUNK, the Chinese Mainland's leading card trading platform PokeColor, renowned dealer JayBeeCollectibles from the United States, and Singapore-based The Private Collective.

A representative from JayBeeCollectibles, James Bui, stated: “This year I made a special trip to Hong Kong to participate in the exhibition because the market potential and growth rate in Hong Kong are remarkable. As a meeting point of Eastern and Western cultures, Hong Kong possesses unique geographical advantages, with an extremely diverse range of collectible cards covering English, Japanese, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese cards. In recent years, the number of serious collectors in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland has been steadily increasing, with collections that are among the world's rarest, allowing us to easily connect with Asia's vast collector community. Combined with Hong Kong's low tax rates and convenient transportation, it attracts numerous collectors to come for exchange and trading. Hong Kong absolutely has the conditions to become Asia's trading card hub.”

The organizers estimate that 20% of participants are from overseas. World-class collector Nick Uliano travelled specially from the United States to Hong Kong. He is renowned for collecting Michael Jordan cards, focusing on acquiring the extremely rare “1 of 1” cards of which only one exists globally, as well as autographed “Buyback” cards that publishers have repurchased and reissued. Nick Uliano stated: “The 'Grade10 Festival' is a rare large-scale card event in Asia, and its scale and card diversity are impressive. It brings together top collectors and exhibitors from around the world, and I am delighted to participate in person in this international-level collecting event.”

Carvin Chan, Managing Director of Grade10, stated: “We are dedicated to providing all participants with an exceptional experience, ensuring excellent service for both local and international exhibitors and collectors. We firmly believe that only by fostering a strong and trustworthy community can the industry thrive and flourish. Seeing friends from around the world come together to enjoy this celebration is our greatest reward.”

“Grade10 Festival” has attracted participation from numerous corporate brands, enriching the event experience. Featured amongst these is WeWa Credit Card, the official credit card partner, presenting six “WeWa Live Breaking Challenges” across the two days, with prizes totalling over HK$50,000 in rare collectible cards awarded through live card-breaking competitions! WeWa also offers a series of limited-time promotions–applicants who apply for a WeWa Credit Card on-site during the event will receive one cash voucher (value HK$100) for professional trading card grading services at either CGC Cards or HobbyX booths, as well as enjoy exclusive express grading services. This is the perfect opportunity for card enthusiasts to experience firsthand the thrill and appeal of professional grading and immerse themselves in this thrilling celebration dedicated to card collectors!

Additionally, Hong Kong Ocean Park has joined forces with 9GAG to launch the world-exclusive “Panda Friends × Potatoz” limited-edition collectible cards! The complete set consists of seven adorable designs, each inspired by Ocean Park’s six superstar giant pandas, brilliantly capturing their one-of-a-kind charm and personalities — cuteness overload! During the “Grade10 Festival," simply follow the official “Potatoz” and “Panda HK Official” Instagram accounts on-site, or make a purchase at the Ocean Park booth, and you’ll stand a chance to receive these limited-edition cards right there and then! Extremely limited stock — while supplies last!

According to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's research report*, the global trading card transaction market was valued at US$15.8 billion (approximately HK$123.2 billion) in 2024, projected to grow to US$23.5 billion (approximately HK$183.3 billion) by 2030, at an annual growth rate of 6.5%. Notably, Pokémon and soccer cards have emerged as new darlings of the alternative investment market. The global collectibles market is anticipated to reach US$489.48 billion (approximately HK$3,818 billion) by 2033, with adult collectors known as “Kidults” emerging as the primary driving force, accounting for one-third of global toy sales.

Grade10 was established in 2023 to promote trading card culture and events, and has become the preferred platform for local and international trading card enthusiasts and industry professionals.

*Hong Kong Trade Development Council "Orchestrating the Adult Collectibles Ecosystem" (September 2025): https://sourcing.hktdc.com/newsbites/trend/adult-collectibles/

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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 (2440.HK), 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 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.

About MemeStrategy
MemeStrategy (stock code: 2440) is Asia's first publicly listed digital asset company, founded by the team behind 9GAG, a globally renowned meme platform with over 200 million users. Leveraging the team's expertise in social media and Web3, the company is committed to a people-first approach, focusing investment on three future growth drivers: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain and Culture. It aims to build a bridge between innovative economy and traditional finance, advancing decentralised technology development.

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