With the world having a shortage of a large majority of items, the public has had to deal as the uprising of prices in their favorite hobbies and collectibles skyrockets. Whether it be Nintendo Switches which were largely popular during COVID shutdowns or PC parts that are still rare, collectibles are becoming rarer and rarer.
That being said, there are problems with certain pop culture collectibles, like the overprinting of Funko pops that has started to drive the price down for quite a few. For the large majority, prices have steadily increased, making it difficult to get our hands on a fresh pack of Fossil, Jungle, or any WOTC.
Not to mention newer packs and sets are retailing for more expensive prices. What’s the deal, will they continue to rise in price due to resellers or will they fall in value as overprinting and holding becomes an issue?
As gaming continues to grow as an industry, and media becomes a form of entertainment on a daily basis, more and more consumers are wanting their favorite shows or games to occupy their time. Twitch and Youtube unboxings are a thing of popularity and Tiktok card openings are as popular as ever with stars like PokeRev and Leonhart bringing mainstream attention to Pokémon cards.
Yet, the substantial push that started the craze over again began with Logan Paul. Logan Paul brought down the hammer on remaining TCG card packs like shadowless boxes and Neo-Genesis. Fans of the series would call out Logan Paul for creating an influx of rising prices for a series that they loved dearly. However, this was not only on Logan, as collectables like video games have had no slow-down in delusional price points.
Let’s start with the original release of these card sets, as the Pokémon craze did not happen until around 1999. Starting with the original sets like Wizards of The Coast or Japanese Pocket Monsters, many fans originally kept their booster boxes sealed. Base sets or booster packs in general from this series now retail for over two-hundred dollars, with an increase of sixty times the original price.
Now, this is simply for a booster pack, imagine owning a first edition booster box! First edition booster packs can sell for around five hundred dollars each, being an increase of one hundred and fifty-one times the original price. You read that correctly. If we were looking at first edition booster boxes, those can fetch the heftiest of prices, and upwards towards six figures. Pokémon cards are largely sought after, till this day.
Each passing generation of Pokémon gets a new set of starters and additions to said generation. There have now been up to eight generations of Pokémon sets released into the world, with various subsets for each generation. For example, Crown Zenith is the next set to be released in the Sword & Shield era, with Lucario being the cover Pokémon to pull from the set.
Before that, was the infamous Lugia Alt Art card from the Silver Tempest which can fetch five hundred dollars in mint condition. Keep in mind, sets like these are unknown as to how they will react to price in the future. Some may be worth more than others, but that depends on the set of cards and who the poster Pokémon for them is. Rarer Pokémon like Lugia, Charizard, and varied legendaries are sought after more so than others.
Let’s move on to one of the most valuable Pokémon cards of all time, and potentially the most popular Pokémon in gaming, card, and television history. The PSA 10 Base Set Holo Shadowless Charizard. A mouthful, but more than fetches a pretty penny in price for those lucky enough to own one or pull one.
This is the card that got the majority of Pokémon players and fans back into collecting these rare cards. Many Charizards have been printed and replicated to try and replace this one, but none have reached the limits and rarity of the card that started the craze. For those who have pulled these cards, you can bet they are sealed away in cases and collections, only to be sold for the correct prices.
What exactly is the correct price for one of these? Let’s say it would be around four hundred thousand dollars, and that is a steal for one listed on the market as they are bound to grow in value as the years pass.
For modern day, the best investment I see with new sets would be the 25th Celebration Pokémon packs. Although the majority of them are reprints from the Wizards Of The Coast set, they seem to have almost doubled in value since their initial release. Not to mention that as these original run of Pokémon sets get opened and sold, less will be available from the set that started it all.
In our opinion, more fans will start to flock to the readily available 25th Celebration packs. There are a large amount of different sets out there that could be worth the price and time, if you have both. Anything Neo-Genesis from the second generation of Pokémon is beloved and becoming as priceless as these. Black & White booster packs would also be a find to pick up, if obtained for below correct price-points.
Alternatively, will the costs or rates of our favorite collectables be a detriment to the future? Kids no longer have the chance to open up and enjoy their favorite Pokémon cards because of scalpers and reselling, taking the fun away from those who play or collect. Not to mention games have risen overtime, with PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox classics costs increasing.
Luckily, Game Freak has done well in printing enough Pokémon booster packs to get that vintage feeling with cheaper sets like Fusion Strike and Darkness Ablaze. It seems like Pokémon cards will continue their ascension to the top of everyone’s want lists.
In general, I say to not start looking for Pokémon cards with the idea that they will be worth the price of the shadowless Charizard. In due time, all of these vintage packs and modern packs will have their time, just as anything else does with growth and passing years.
As Pokémon games continue their progression and releases, like Scarlet and Violet or Pokémon GO, fans will be willing to attach themselves to anything that is released with their favorite Pokémon. For any Pokémon Go shinies that are rare finds in games like GO, feel free to check Eldorado.gg for the latest and greatest deals.
