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May 11th - May 17th, 2026 📰 TCG News Note: Some updates may touch on wider Pokémon news beyond the TCG. 🔵 PSA Announces $200 Million Investment Amid Record Grading Demand PSA announced a $200 million investment from parent company Collectors over the next 18 months, focused on doubling its physical footprint, advancing logistics tech, and adding roughly 1,000 new team members (370 open and ~700 more by year-end). PSA graded 2 million cards in 2020 versus 19 million in 2025, and 2026 is currently running on a 39% year-over-year pace, with global daily throughput growing from around 15,000 cards in 2021 to roughly 90,000 today. Alongside the announcement, turnaround estimates were shifted to ranges across all service levels effective May 14, 2026. Value Bulk moved from 95 business days to 140 to 160 business days with a new 50-card minimum starting May 18 (up from 20), Super Express increased from $299 to $349 per card, and active Collectors Club memberships were extended by three months at no cost. (Source: PSA) 🔵 Pokemon Footbath Opens in Wakura Onsen to Support Noto Recovery The Wakura Pokemon Footbath opened on May 12 inside Yuttari Park in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, developed in collaboration with the Pokemon With You foundation. The 15-meter footbath uses natural hot spring water from Wakura Onsen and features Pokemon sculptures throughout, a Gyarados hot water spout, and shoji-style windows decorated with Pokemon artwork, with views looking out toward Nanao Bay. The project supports recovery from the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, which forced widespread closures across Wakura Onsen, including a period when every inn in the hot spring town was temporarily shut down. The facility is free and open daily from 7 AM to 7 PM, and ties into the broader Poke Lids manhole cover initiative across northern Noto. (Source: Tokyo Weekender) 🔵 Magic: The Gathering Cards Found Misprinted With Pokemon Energy Symbols A Reddit user opened a Lorwyn Eclipsed Commander precon and pulled a Path to Exile misprinted with Pokemon energy symbols stamped upside down on the card. A second user posted a similar but fainter set of Pokemon energy misprints from their own ECL precon, suggesting more than one isolated incident. The two franchises have crossed paths before, including faint Pokemon logo misprints on Japanese foils from The Brothers’ War and a 1998 uncut test print sheet featuring promo Blastoise alongside Magic cards that sold at Heritage Auctions for $375,000. Wizards of the Coast handled English Pokemon TCG printing from 1999 to 2003. (Source: Draftsim) 📈 Card Trends Source: Price data provided by TCGPlayer.com and chart visual provided by TCGMarketNews.com (which sources data from TCGPlayer). Weekly Top Gains 🔼 Weekly Top Losses 🔼 📦 Sealed Sales 🔵 Trainer’s Challenge Set Mew Kit Sells for $10.1k Listing The Trainer’s Challenge Set was a 2006 English-only product that came in two deck variations: a Plusle and Minun pairing or a Latias and Latios pairing. Both variations include the Mew #040 Nintendo Black Star Promo, with the deck contents being the only difference between them. This sale is the Plusle and Minun variation. Sealed Type - Year: Trainer’s Challenge Set (Plusle and Minun variant), 2006 Trainer’s Challenge Set (Plusle and Minun variant) - 2006 🔵 Pokemon Center Ascended Heroes ETB Sells for $520 Listing This is the Pokemon Center exclusive variant of the Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes ETB, released February 20, 2026. The Pokemon Center version contains 11 booster packs instead of the standard 9, and includes two full-art N’s Zekrom promos rather than one, with the second promo carrying the Pokemon Center stamp. Sealed Type - Year: PC ETB - 2026 🃏 Card Sales 🔵 PSA 10 Skyridge Charizard Holo Sells for $100k Listing The 2003 Skyridge Crystal Charizard is the secret rare chase card of the final e-Card era set, slotted at 146/144. Singles Type - Condition: Graded - PSA 10 🔵 PSA 10 Ooyama Pikachu Sells for $8.2k Listing The 1998 Japanese Vending Series 3 set was distributed as uncut card sheets via vending machines in Japan. Singles Type - Condition: Graded - PSA 10 📼 Vintage & Niche Sales 🔵 Sky-Splitting Deoxys Half-Decks Factory-Sealed Box Sells for $106k The 2004 Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Sky-Splitting Deoxys was a Japanese-exclusive half-deck tied to the Destiny Deoxys film. Each blister contains the lenticular Sky-Splitting Deoxys card, the first and only lenticular card ever released in Japan. This factory-sealed box holds 10 blisters plus one additional unopened blister. Origin Source - Year: Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Sky-Splitting Deoxys (Japanese Pokemon Center exclusive), 2004 🔵 Sealed Masaki Promo Gengar in Distribution Envelope Sells for $10,980 Listing The 1999 Masaki Promo set was distributed through a Media Factory mail-in campaign. Participants sent in a pre-evolution card (Haunter, Graveler, Machoke, Kadabra, or Omanyte) along with a Bill’s PC card to receive the holo evolved form. This example is unusually preserved with the card still inside its original paper holder and mailing envelope, accompanied by the Japanese-language thank-you message. Origin Source - Year: Masaki Promo (Media Factory mail-in campaign), 1999 💎 Hidden Gem Questions or feedback? Send a message to news@luckyeggreport.com 🥚. Note: Sold listing links sometimes redirect to active listings after some time, but should still be discoverable by searching for the listings manually. Source(s): TCGPlayer.com, TCGMarketNews.com Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246 |
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Subscribe May 4th - May 10th, 2026 📰 TCG News Note: Some updates may touch on wider Pokémon news beyond the TCG. 🔵 PSA Flags $200M+ in Counterfeits PSA’s 2025 Fraud Report estimates that intercepted counterfeit and altered collectibles would have carried over $200 million in market value if they had passed as authentic. Counterfeit Pokémon cards jumped 125% year-over-year and altered Pokémon cards rose 407%, with nine of the ten most-altered subjects being Pokémon characters. The...
Subscribe April 27th - May 3rd, 2026 📰 TCG News Note: Some updates may touch on wider Pokémon news beyond the TCG. 🔵 “Pitch Black” TCG Set and Product Lineup Officially Revealed! Pitch Black has been officially revealed as the fifth English Mega Evolution set, releasing July 17 with prereleases from July 4-12. The set will include over 115 cards with six Mega Evolution Pokémon ex, and the ETB promo will be a new Zarude Illustration Rare. Like recent English sets, Pitch Black will be a near...
Subscribe April 20th - April 26th, 2026 📰 TCG News Note: Some updates may touch on wider Pokémon news beyond the TCG. 🔵 Chaos Rising English Cards Revealed, All Cut and Added Cards Now Known TPCi revealed several English cards from Chaos Rising, the next English set releasing May 22 with prereleases running May 9-17. The set will be a near 1:1 adaptation of Japan’s Ninja Spinner, making it another small English set following the pattern of Phantasmal Flames and Perfect Order. Fennekin’s...