Pokémon fans around the world are preparing for what many are calling the most significant release in the franchise's history. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the Pokémon Company is launching a special trading card set that has already generated huge excitement among collectors and retailers. Stores across the UK are expecting long lines of eager fans, with some planning to queue before shops even open. Gus Hall, owner of Evolution Games in Halifax, said the release is "the biggest in a long time" and that the value of certain cards has reached "crazy" levels. The rise in value for Pokémon cards has been dramatic over the years. Some cards that were once worth just a few pounds in the late 1990s now sell for as much as £35,000. Phoebe Watson, a long-time collector and employee at Evolution Games, expressed her excitement about the anniversary set, though she warned that the first batch of cards would likely sell out very quickly. Drew Emerson, one of Europe's top Pokémon players, said that getting the cards on release day would be "very, very difficult," but he called the collection "very, very exciting." The Pokémon franchise began in 1996 as a video game called Pocket Monsters, developed for the Nintendo Game Boy in Japan. The success of the games led to the launch of the Pokémon Trading Card Game that same year. Over the past three decades, more than 85 billion cards have been produced, with some ultra-rare cards selling for millions of dollars. Lee Glen, owner of Rocket's Hideout in York and Selby, noted that the hobby has "exploded" in popularity over the last five years, partly because it appeals to multiple generations. He said the franchise has kept fans engaged by constantly introducing new products and reinvigorating the trading card game. Among the fans hoping to get their hands on the anniversary cards is 21-year-old Grace Orton, who started collecting just three years ago. Despite being relatively new to the hobby, she is planning to spend a significant amount of money on the new release. Ash Mehr, who has been collecting for 20 to 30 years, said he is bringing his son to the event, calling it a "little bit of a guilty pleasure." Glen has also warned fans to be cautious of scams around the release, advising them to buy cards only from trusted retailers and avoid secondary markets where prices could be inflated by two or three times the original cost. He emphasized the importance of researching the cards and knowing what to expect in terms of price and authenticity.