The tattoo artist inking people for Pokémon payment

A tattoo artist is offering tattoos in exchange for new and old Pokémon cards to add to his huge collection.

The Pokémon franchise - consisting of animated TV series, movies, a trading card game and the mega-hit mobile game Pokémon Go! - turned 30 years old on Friday.

A recent focus has been the trading card scene, and Martin Moore is hoping to add to his tens of thousands by offering tattoos in exchange for certain cards.

The co-owner of Mavericks Tattoo Studio in Totton, Southampton, said the offer, which has already been taken up by some people, can help with the cost of tattoos.

Pokemon trading cards have received increased attention thanks to YouTuber and wrestler Logan Paul, with his splashy, multimillion-dollar purchases of ultra-rare cards.

Moore says he has tens of thousands of cards stashed in folders, as well as five Pokémon tattoos.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent on Pokémon Day he said: "I've always had quite an addictive personality.

"I'm a completionist so just having so many sets with the goal of completing them all, the 'Gotta catch 'em all!' slogan, appeals to me in a way of collecting."

Moore is hoping to build his collection even further through his new initiative.

"Times are tough at the moment and the tattoo industry has been dipping down a little bit because it is a luxury and people don't necessarily have the expendable income that they used to," he said.

"But I see all the time people saying, I found my old Pokémon cards in my loft or I just gave a load of Pokémon cards away, and I thought, I could have them.

"That's something that I like, that I'm into, that does have value that people might not necessarily know has value, and I'm a tattoo artist, something I can do for that is to trade for it."

People who are interested in the offer can message the studio with information about their cards for a valuation.

Moore said: "It depends on the cards, it depends on the conditions... even if they don't necessarily want a tattoo, I'm still happy to give them a valuation so they know what they've got."

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