Pokémon 30th Anniversary Jirachi card price spikes after 12-year-old influencer's death — family condemns resellers

Avery Garcia, known online as Avery the Poke Kid, died on September 18, 2026, aged 12, after a seven-year battle with stage four pancreatoblastoma. Before his death, his parents filmed him opening one final set of Pokémon 30th Anniversary packs — and on his very last pull, he landed the Jirachi ex Special Illustration Rare card, number 155, illustrated by Akira Egawa. The video went viral almost immediately, and within days the average asking price for that card had nearly doubled on marketplaces like TCGPlayer and eBay.

Avery had built a following of 313,000 across his channels, where he consistently encouraged fans to cherish their cards regardless of monetary value and to live life fully — messages he delivered between chemotherapy sessions and surgeries. The Jirachi pull carried extra weight because of the Pokémon's lore: a Steel/Psychic Legendary that sleeps for a thousand years and wakes for only seven days, and only for those pure of heart. Card artist Akira Egawa, based halfway across the world, saw the video and responded on Twitter/X on September 23. "I'm so deeply moved. I'm so glad I kept drawing. I've honestly been in tears ever since I saw this," she wrote. In a second post she added: "I want my art to bring happiness to people. That's one of the reasons I draw. I'm so glad I put that wish into this piece."

Not everyone's response has been in good faith. Resellers quickly moved to capitalize on the story, with one eBay seller, Ash's Secret Vault, listing a Jirachi card for $20,000 — framing it as a charity sale, though the listing initially allocated only 10% to the Kids Cancer Foundation rather than the promised 90%. Avery's parents, Christian Garcia and Rebecca Rosa-Valentin, issued a public statement: "We are not involved in or benefiting from any cards being sold in Avery's name or likeness. We have not approved these sales. We have asked sellers to take their listings down. Please do so immediately. This does not honor Avery's generous heart." Ash's Secret Vault has since removed its charity listings, though Jirachi prices across the platform continue to climb. A GoFundMe set up to help the family cover medical costs has nearly reached its $130,000 goal.

The price surge is particularly ironic given that The Pokémon Company deliberately designed the 30th Anniversary set with more generous pull rates than usual, specifically to reduce scarcity and scalping. The community's reaction has been split — widespread grief and admiration for Avery on one side, and sharp anger at opportunistic resellers on the other. Avery's Instagram remains flooded with tributes from longtime fans and newcomers alike.