HAPPY though I am for the mania for Pokmon cards to largely remain a mystery to me, I remain mystified why the Bradley family of Pendle should think that their paying out £500 for a single card is a good investment - even if it is, as they believe, probably the only one of its kind in this country.

For am I being over-practical if I advise 38-year-old dad Jeffrey, who seems to regard this bit of paper as such a gilt-edged asset that it needs to be locked in his solicitor's safe, that its value is dependent on a current craze - and that for it to appreciate the craze must continue?

Rare as this particular card may be now, it is only part of a commercially-contrived collecting fad that is bound to evaporate eventually.

Remember the scramble and over-the-odds prices paid not so long ago for similarly 'unobtainable' Cabbage Patch dolls and Power Ranger toys?

How much are these 'priceless' items worth today - now the craze for them has gone?

Jeffrey says he has already been offered £800 for his card. If I were him, I'd take it - like a shot.

Now, he's looking at a serious profit from someone similarly swayed by the obsession with Pokmon. But, before long, he could be looking at - well, just a card.