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November 10th - November 16th, 2025

📋 TLDR

📰 TCG News: Best Buy rolls out new invitation only system for Pokémon TCG drops, the Pokémon Day 2026 collection debuts the 30th anniversary logo, and Pokopia updates reveal four new regional variants which may spark the question of whether they could appear in future card releases.

🔢 Card Market Highlights: Japan Post Stamp Box climbs to ~$2k, a PSA 10 Armored Mewtwo hits ~$6.3k, and a PSA 9 Tropical Mega Battle Whitney’s Furret sells for ~$27.5k

😴 Potential Sleepers: Prism Star cards - Celestial Storm Latias - Affordable in near mint condition despite low PSA 10 gem rates and might hold a similar appear to Gold Star cards long term.

🏆 Card of the Week: Shedinja from English EX Deoxys #14 and Japanese Clash of the Blue Sky #38 illustrated by Yukiko Baba. The sparkling holo and somewhat eerie forest background in this card pairs really with Shedinja - a Pokémon described as being a hollow shell floating through the air while its body parts (like the wings) remain immobile.

📰 TCG News

Note: Some updates may touch on wider Pokémon news beyond the TCG.

🔵 Best Buy Moves to invitation only system for Pokémon TCG releases

Best Buy is shifting all future Pokémon TCG product drops in the U.S. to an invitation based system, something no other major retailer has tried yet. Instead of racing against bots on release day, buyers now have to log into their Best Buy account, request an invite on the product page, and wait to see if they are selected. Those who receive an approval email get a 24 hour window to complete their purchase.

Behind the scenes, Best Buy is using an algorithm to filter out accounts that look like bots or bulk resellers by weighing factors like purchase history and user behavior. The system is only being used for Pokémon cards, not other categories, and in store buying will remain unchanged. (Source: PokéBeach)

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🔵 Pokémon Day 2026 collection revealed – Pokémon 30th Anniversary logo first shown

A new product celebrating Pokémon Day 2026 has been officially revealed, marking Pokémon’s 30th anniversary. The set will be released on January 30, 2026 with an MSRP of $14.99 USD. It includes a specially stamped foil promo card featuring Pikachu with a "Pokémon Day 2026" stamp, a metallic coin bearing the new 30th anniversary logo, and three Pokémon TCG booster packs from different expansions.

The brand new 30th anniversary logo also made its first appearance as part of this reveal. This product ushers in a major celebratory year for Pokémon as the franchise enters its third decade. (Source: PokeGuardian)

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🔵 Pokopia’s New Regional Variants - Could we see these in a future card release?

The four new regional variants introduced for Pokopia add some fresh personality to the game. It does make me wonder whether these designs might eventually show up in the TCG.

Pokémon has a long history of using card releases to highlight new forms and regions and tie into games, so it would not be surprising to see these variants adapted into card artwork at some point. Whether it ends up being a small promo run or part of a larger set, it could be an interesting way to support interest in the game and give collectors something new to look forward to.

📈 Card Trends

Source: Price data provided by TCGPlayer and 7 day data breakdown provided by TCGMarketNews (which sources all data from TCGPlayer).

Top Gains 🔼

Top Losses 🔽

🔢 Card Market Highlights

📦 Sealed Product Market Highlights

🔵 Pokémon Japan Post Stamp box sells for ~$2k

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The Pokémon Japan Post Stamp Box is a collaboration product between Japan Post and The Pokémon Company that was released in Japan in 2021 at a price of 4,000 yen (about $36 at the time). It includes several items including a sheet of postage stamps and most notably, two promos featuring Pikachu and Cramorant inspired by traditional Japanese art pieces.

Some boxes on the secondary market are sold without the original stamp sheet due to resale restrictions on unused Japanese postage. Prices for this box were around $1400 in July and have been steadily rising to the $2k mark.

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🔵 Heart Gold Soul Silver Collection box sells for ~$1.8k

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This collection box contains five HeartGold & SoulSilver series booster packs. While the exact packs can vary, a common configuration is one Undaunted, two Triumphant, one Unleashed, and one Base set pack. The box also includes an Entei figure and three collectible foil cards. Undaunted packs go for about ~$250, Triumphant for ~$220, Unleashed for about ~$170, and base set HGSS packs for ~$250.

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🔵 Celestial Storm booster box sells for $1.8k

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The top chases of this set are the Rainbow Rayquaza GX #177 (PSA 10 ~$900), #160 (PSA 10 ~$750), #177a (PSA 10 ~$500) - 3 different variations of the same Rayquaza card. In this mix as well is the Lisia #164 (PSA 10 ~$700). Both the booster box prices and top chase card prices have been going up and down quite a bit. In mid-July, there were several booster box sales at around $2.3k.

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💎 Singles & Graded Cards Highlights

🔵 Lot of 80 PSA 10 Chinese Gem Pack 2 Umbreon sells for $32k

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Note: Many of these lots of Chinese cards have been sold by the same seller over the past few months.

In June-July, PSA 10 copies of this card were going for around $900 (about a month after Gem Pack Volume 2 released in China). Since then, this card has come down significantly with several sales in the ~$360 range. Even this lot sale puts the card price in a similar range at ~$400. At this price, this Umbreon card might be a solid pick up especially as it is a Chinese exclusive.
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🔵 PSA 10 Armored Mewtwo sells for ~$6.3k

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The Armored Mewtwo promo (SM228) was released in 2019 as part of the Fall Collector’s Chest where it was packaged alongside the Charizard and Pikachu promos from the same lineup. The card is based on Mewtwo’s appearance in the movie Mewtwo Strikes Back: Evolution where it is shown restrained in combat armor created by Team Rocket.

Since July this card has bounced around quite a bit between the $4k-$6k range but there were also 3 separate sales at the $6.5k range. It would be difficult to say the price has stabilized but its limited release as a promo gives it strong appeal which is second to its feature of a very unique and cool form of Mewtwo which is a direct tie-in with the Anime/Movie featuring the same. The Japanese print of this card features a stamp of the movie name making it even more unique.

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🔵 PSA 10 Pokémon Center 151 ETB Snorlax promo sells for $1.25k

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The Pokémon Center stamp that comes with Pokémon Center ETB promo cards are essentially the modern equivalent of a first edition stamp which was prevalent in the vintage era of cards. PC stamped promos are generally guaranteed to do very well in the long run as a result. Especially when they feature a popular Pokémon. This sale is actually down about 15% compared to the last couple months where sales were in the $1.45k-$1.6k range. But overall up about $500 since July.

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🕰️ Vintage & Niche Market Highlights

🔵 25th Anniv. Creatures Corp History Beta Chansey (PSA 9) sells for ~$15.3k

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The 25th Anniversary Creatures History Beta Chansey is part of the exclusive Creatures Inc. “History of the Pokémon TCG” promotional series, a set of cards gifted internally to employees in 2021 to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary. This Chansey is a reconstructed version of its 1996 prototype design, often referred to as the “Beta” layout, which predates the final Base Set style and reflects the early stage of when the TCG was in development.

Two PSA 9 copies of this card sold for ~$8.1k in March and June this year. A PSA 10 copy sold for ~41k in early 2024 (subtracting the Buyer’s Premium).

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🔵 PSA 9 Tropical Mega Battle Whitney’s Furret sells for ~$27.5k

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Released in 2001 as part of the invite-only Tropical Mega Battle event in Hawaii, Whitney’s Furret was included in the preconstructed “VS” half-decks that participants used during the tournament’s second day. You may already be familiar with the Tropical Mega Battle series thanks to other highly sought cards like the Tropical Wind, and Tropical Breeze from the Tropical Mega Battle series.

This is by far one of the rarest/unique Furret cards which alone makes it interesting as Furret, although not the most obscure Pokémon is not commonly printed in the TCG either. This is also the only PSA 9 in existence with a total of five graded. This card was originally released with the Japanese Tyranitar VS Deck commemorating the fourth Pokémon movie (which the Tropical Mega Battle half-deck mimics). The TMB versions of the cards feature a unique logo in the bottom right.

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🔵 Pokémon The First Movie Topps card box sells for ~$1.75k

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The 1999 Topps “Pokémon: The First Movie” blue logo (compared to the black logo used in later printings) series represents the first printing of the movie themed trading cards released alongside the film’s theatrical debut. Packs typically included a mix of character cards, scene cards, and a chance at a foil insert, all capturing the early era of Pokémon’s expansion into movies.

Sales data for non-TCG series are fairly scarce. However, there have been multiple sales ranging from $900 in August up to its current price point so this box has seen a significant rise this year.

😴 Potential Sleepers

Prism Stars - Celestial Storm - Latias #107

PSA 10 - 46 pop / 328 total

Ungraded - $10 average for near mint condition

Prism Star cards debuted in Ultra Prism during the Sun and Moon era and stood out with their black borders, unique prism-style card design, and a special rule allowing only one copy of each Prism Star in a deck. There are just under 30 of them, and perhaps because many PSA 10 copies have low populations (often under 100) and fetch several hundred dollars, the raw prices are generally the more relevant metric to be highlighted in this case.

Even in near-mint condition, Prism Stars like Latias remain affordable at around $10–$20, up from roughly $5 earlier this year. Long term, the appeal of Prism Stars could grow thanks to their limited lineup of popular Pokémon and their distinct design, potentially echoing the niche appeal that Gold Stars developed over time, though reaching that level will still take time.

📚 Educational Commentary – Collector’s Corner

How predictable is the long term value of sealed products compared to singles?

Sealed products tend to behave more predictably over long periods because the supply only moves in one direction once a set goes out of print. Once a box, tin, or case is opened, it is permanently removed from the sealed market, which creates a natural decline in supply over time. Older sealed items also carry built-in appeal because they represent a full experience (this part is mostly my opinion): original pack art, chase cards, the nostalgia of the era, and a finite pool of what still exists. This makes sealed a slow but steady category where major swings are less common unless a set has unusually strong chases or a sudden wave of collector attention (which in today’s market is often the case).

Singles, on the other hand, are much more volatile. Their prices react almost immediately to grading pops, meta shifts (less of a factor), hype cycles, new art releases, and even social media trends. A single high-end sale can reset expectations on how a card will perform, especially for cards with low liquidity. Long term, singles with strong collector demand because of iconic artwork or artist appeal can outperform sealed, but they also carry much more downside risk. The result is a market where sealed offers steadier predictability, while singles offer higher upside but require closer monitoring.

🫐 Berries For Thought

💭 What do you think about the Prism Star cards?

💭 What is your favorite regional variant announced for Pokopia?

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