S'porean, 31, trades One Piece cards for S$160,000 Patek Philippe watch & S$20,000 cash

A Singaporean man recently traded eight "One Piece" trading cards for a windfall: a S$160,000 Patek Philippe watch and S$20,000 in cash.

He made the trade, which he calls the biggest of his career, at a Malaysia card show on May 1.

The man, who gave his name as HK, was a former interior designer who made the switch to full-time card trading as of last year.

Offered Patek Philippe and Ferrari

HK said that at the show, a Malaysian buyer came to him to make a trade for those eight cards.

One Piece is a popular Japanese manga series that has been adapted into an anime show.

It proved a hit with Western audiences too, with a live-action adaptation on Netflix.

The cards are valued at around S$180,000 in total, he said.

The buyer offered two options: the watch, or a Ferrari car.

"[The car] is worth more... but I can't really bring back the car, and I will need to pay COEs... takes a lot of trouble.

So I chose the Patek Philippe."

On top of the watch, the buyer also topped up S$20,000 in cash, he said.

Needs cash flow for his trading

HK said decided to make the trade as he needs cash flow to "rotate [his] inventory".

He has been in the business for about a year, and flies to card shows around the world every month to trade, he said.

He also attends local shows on occasion.

In total, HK has spent over S$1,000,000 on his hustle.

But while this was his biggest trade, it was not his biggest deal, he explained.

Previously, he sold some cards for roughly S$500,000 in cash.