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October 27th - November 2nd, 2025

📋 TLDR

📰 TCG News: Complete PSA 10 1st Edition Base Set sells for a record $911k, Pokémon unveils China-exclusive “Dream Painting Collection 151”, and a viral basement flood reminds collectors about insurance and safe storage.

🔢 Card Market Highlights: Team Up box corrects to $7.65k, Phantom Forces Silver Dialga sells $14.9k, and Eevee Fan Club 500pt PSA 10 reaches $17k.

😴 Potential Sleepers: Latios #203 (Surging Sparks) is still lagging far behind Latias but could surge soon.

🏆 Card of the Week: Genesect ex (Black Bolt #169) is kantaro’s cool depiction of the Team Plasma lab experiment.

📰 TCG News

Note: Not all news may be directly TCG related

🔵 Chinese Pokemon 151 Collection Figurine Set Announced

The Pokémon Company has unveiled the “Dream Painting Collection 151,” a new collectible figurine line releasing in China alongside the 151 set. Each blind box features a detailed miniature diorama of iconic Kanto Pokémon such as Mew, Pikachu, and Eevee, depicted in an art style matching their respective cards.

The set ties directly to the 151 expansion, which continues to see strong popularity in the Chinese market following its initial global release. This marks another step in The Pokémon Company’s growing localization and merchandising efforts for the region.

Source: Pokebeach

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​🔵 Collector Loses Entire Pokémon Collection to Basement Flooding

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A longtime Pokémon fan shared a heartbreaking story on r/PokemonTCG after losing their entire collection to a sewage flood in their grandmother’s basement. The collector, who had been storing both childhood and modern cards while helping his father start a business, discovered that the flooding destroyed binders, sealed packs, and thousands of dollars in cards.

Because the collection wasn’t insured, the insurance company only compensated for the “cardboard” value, leaving the collector with nothing but photos and memories. The post struck a chord across the community, serving as a sobering reminder about the importance of collection insurance and safe storage, especially for valuable or sentimental items.

Something that is important to note is that even insurance policies on collectibles are not always offered at reasonable rates. Perhaps even more important is making sure that expensive collectibles are stored safely since that will ultimately be the first line of defense when something goes wrong.

Source: Reddit

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🔵 Complete PSA 10 1st Edition Pokémon Set Sells for Record $911,629

A complete PSA 10 1st Edition Pokémon Base Set has sold for a record-breaking $911,629.69 through Rally, a platform that lets users invest in collectible assets. The set, one of only nine registered with every card graded Gem Mint 10, was initially offered on Rally in 2021 with a $600,000 market cap. After a 24-hour bidding war, the final offer of $911,629 was reached (with a majority of owners voting to sell). The sale delivered a 51.9% gross return since IPO and a 137.4% gain since its last trade. Rally co-founder Rob Petrozzo called the sale proof that “Pokémon isn’t a fad, it’s a fixture.” The set’s most valuable card, the Charizard #4, alone has reached $264,000 in recent PSA 10 sales. This marks the highest public sale for a complete PSA 10 set, surpassing the $666,000 record set in 2021.

Source: Yahoo Sports

🏆 Card of the Week

Genesect ex

English Black Bolt #169

Japanese Black Bolt #172

This card is illustrated by kantaro who is known for illustrating many cards but most notably the Pikachu ex promo from the 2023 World Championships and Jolteon ex from Prismatic Evolutions. What is really cool about this card, similar to cards I’ve shared in the past, is how Genesect is depicted in its natural habitat (to a degree).

According to the Generation V games, Genesect was revived from a fossil and enhanced by Team Plasma. Additionally, Generation V also introduced a held item specifically for Genesect called drives which allowed Genesect to change forms (at least visually in the anime) and use different types of its signature move, Techno Blast.

These drives could only be obtained by visiting the P2 laboratory which was being used by Team Plasma for unknown research (creation of Genesect and its drives) and is possibly the environment being depicted in this card which makes it even more interesting to look at.

🔢 Card Market Highlights

📦 Sealed Product Market Highlights

🔵 S&M Team Up booster box sells for $7.65k

Listing

Team Up has seen a solid correction in price from the peak of around $10k at the middle of this year to as low as around $6.8k. Team Up still has some more room to move down based on the last month of sales so it's difficult to say when prices will start to go back up again. Interestingly, Latias & Latios GX (top chase of this set) has been very stable around $8.5k going as far back as the beginning of September. This correction is for the most part proportionately affecting individual cards as well but they seem to be more stable.

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🔵 Sylveon Collection Box with Legendary Treasures booster packs sells for $3.25k

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I wrote about this box in the September 22nd report. At the time it sold for $2.85k. This collection box is a bit different from most rarity wise. This collection box was the only way to collect the Eevee promos (to my knowledge) it contains which have risen in value drastically. The Umbreon alone, for which there are 14 in a PSA 10, has sold as high as $9.9k. The Japanese equivalent is the Pokemon Center Campaign Eevee Collection File released in 2012.

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🔵 XY Steam Siege ETB sells near ~$2.8k

Listing

The top chase of this set is Gardevoir EX #116 featuring both Gardevoir and Yveltal (PSA 10 ~$1k). This ETB has seen a massive jump over the past 6 months. In June/July, multiple sold in the $600-$700 range. Prices shot up really quick to the $1k+ range starting in September. This is really just an outlier sale though as even in October there were several sales in the $1.1k - $1.4k. The Gardevoir chase cards in this set could lend to its fast growing popularity but to a lesser extent.

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💎 Singles & Graded Cards Highlights

🔵 XY Phantom Forces Silver Dialga sells $14.9k

Listing

The PSA 10 pop for this card is 55. The last recorded sale I could find was $3.5k in 2023 but it's no surprise that prices were cheaper at that time. The pull rate of this card in particular was really really low around 1 in every 18-24 packs. The rising prices for Phantom Forces booster packs (~$200) will definitely add to its rarity.

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🔵 2019 World Championships Pokemon Trophy Pikachu No. 3 Trainer sells for $37.3k

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This sale took place on Sunday last week so not quite a sale from this week but I felt it was too rare to pass up sharing here.

This card was awarded exclusively to players who finished in third place in the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) tournaments across the Junior, Senior, and Masters age divisions at the 2019 Pokémon World Championships held in Washington, D.C. This has been a common practice across many world Championships. Generally speaking there are only 3 copies of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places across divisions so obviously its rarity goes without saying.
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🔵 PSA 10 1998 Vending Series 1 Snorlax sells for ~$1.73k

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Vending Series Snorlax has shot up in price since June from $600 to its current $1.2k range. While the growth is staggering, it could be argued that vintage cards (and a unique distribution method via the vending machines in this case) are seeing a correction in the right direction because of their long history and enthusiasts taking notice.

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🕰️ Vintage & Niche Market Highlights

🔵 PSA 10 Eevee Fan Club 500 Point sells for $17k

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​Listing

This card was an exclusive prize in Japan for members of the original Pokémon Card Fan Club (which ran from 2000-2002) who earned 500 GET points. There are only 81 in a PSA 10 and because of the high price they command they don’t come up for sale often. Two separate copies of this card sold in June last year for $10k. This year in June another copy sold for $10.8k. To my knowledge this sale seems to be a record so far.

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🔵 1st Edition Team Rocket booster box sells for $29k

Listing

Similarly, the sale of this Team Rocket booster box also seems to be a record high sale. This is roughly double the prices from 2023/2024 at around ~$13k-$15k. There have been multiple sales earlier this year at around $21k. The top chase of this set is the 1st edition Dark Charizard (~$10k in a PSA 10). Rare and early vintage boxes like Team Rocket often significantly outpace the value of the top chase cards. Given its long history does this price point seem like an outlier or a long time coming?

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​🔵 Japanese Southern Islands sealed box sells for $4k

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The Southern Islands was originally released in Japan as a part of the 2nd Pokemon Movie in the form of two different folders that contained 9 cards and unique artwork. This sale is for the Tropical Island version of the box of Southern Island packs released later on (the other type being the Rainbow Island). These sealed boxes are definitely a bit more rare than the 3-card box sets that were released following the promo folder. The top chase of this set is Mew #151 (~$1k in a PSA 10).

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😴 Potential Sleepers

Surging Sparks - Latios #203

PSA 10 - 6379 pop / 20351 total - $200 average

Ungraded - $33 average for near mint condition
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So typically a lot of collectors would not consider $200 in a PSA 10 or $33 for an ungraded card to be a sleeper. But I think some Pokemon, if popular enough, can be the exception. Latios and Latias cards, especially full arts or vintage cards have always done very well because of how popular they are. For some reason this Latios card in particular seems to be lagging very far behind its Latias counterpart from Surging Sparks which is close to reaching as high as $800.

Purely from an art perspective, it might be because Latias is just a bit more prominent on the card making it more popular. Regardless, this Latios card has an opportunity to skyrocket anytime to catch up with Latias but it might take some time.

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📚 Educational Commentary – Collector’s Corner

What is the best way to store cards and sealed products?

Protecting your cards comes down to two areas: insurance and storage. Standard homeowners or renters insurance often doesn’t fully cover collectibles, especially high-value cards. Specialized collectibles insurance can potentially be a better option because it can cover theft, fire, water damage, and even transit if you ship cards for grading or sale. Many collectors often opt for the coverage add on that comes with Home owners insurance because rates for collectible specific insurance can be really bad at times. Regardless of what you choose, keep a detailed inventory with photos, card names, grades, purchase dates, and current market values. Graded cards make this easier since they already have an established record of condition. For higher-value collections, look for agreed-value policies that guarantee payout amounts rather than fluctuating market-based coverage. Review and update your policy at least once a year to make sure it reflects current values.

Storage is just as, if not more important than insurance. Keep cards in a dry, temperature-stable environment away from sunlight and humidity. Use archival-safe sleeves, top-loaders, or slabs, and store them upright rather than stacked to avoid warping. Fireproof safes, sealed cabinets, or locked display cases offer additional protection. Consider using acrylic cases that are not an ultra tight fit along with dessicants to prevent moisture. Check your storage every few months for moisture or discoloration and make adjustments if needed. A little prevention and documentation go a long way toward protecting both the physical condition and financial value of your collection.

🫐 Berries For Thought

💭 Do you think Pokemon card prices are coming down in general or does it just seem like a temporary dip?

💭 How do you personally like to store your cards and sealed products?

Share your thoughts on the above questions by replying to this email! (I read all of them 🙂)