[bena]

I think the difference between Beanie Babies and Pokemon/Magic cards is that trading cards hold some sort of utility outside of existence.

There's a game behind the cards. And certain cards increase your chances of winning.

[samatman]

This is an ex ante explanation, because it doesn't apply to (canceled) stamps, which are valuable and have been for a couple centuries.

[bena]

Well, yes. I was speaking to those items specifically. I don't think those cards are worth anything without the game.

Not everything stems from the same reason.