A collector received 3 of the rarest booster packs available in the Pokémon trading card game for Christmas. You can find out what makes them so valuable and where the catch lies on MeinMMO.
What kind of gift is this? Reddit user “Elven_goblin” shared a very special Christmas gift with the Pokémon community on December 27, 2024: A set of three from the first expansion of the Pokémon trading card game in the rare “Black Triangle” version.
The lucky one wrote on Reddit: “My father-in-law worked at Wizards [of the Coast, ed.], when these packs were released, so he got them for free. He decided to give them to me and my husband.”
Up to 15,000 Euros for all 3 boosters
How much are the boosters worth? How much the boosters are worth depends on their condition. On ebay, many offers for a single pack are around 1,000 US dollars, even without PSA rating or sealing.
A near-mint set with PSA 10 can quickly cost 6,500 $ (via ebay). One offer is even asking for 15,000 Euros for the set of three (via ebay). Elven_goblin could likely sell the booster packs for 3,000 dollars or more – and the price will likely increase over time.
What is PSA Grading?
PSA is one of the most common grading systems for trading cards and works on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 reserved for the best possible condition. Those who get their cards – or booster packs – graded in this way can usually sell them for a higher price. A globally recognized alternative is the BGS Beckett Grading Service.
At Investment Collector, you can learn more about the individual providers and their benefits.
What makes the boosters so valuable? Pokémon cards were originally translated and distributed by Wizards of the Coast, the company behind the well-known trading card game Magic: The Gathering.
In this particular base set, the company accidentally printed booster packs with a logo that it mistakenly labeled as first edition. However, WotC decided not to simply reprint the packs, but to print a black triangle over the logo instead.
These historic prints now make the boosters rare collector’s items. Additionally, this is a complete set, featuring all three starter evolutions from the 1st generation on the packaging. You can see the packs in Elven_goblin’s post:
Nothing for the curious
What’s the catch? To achieve these sums, the boosters must remain unopened. This means that one may never know which cards would have been in the packs. However, for a casual collector, the thrill of opening them is often what makes it appealing.
Financially, opening them is unlikely to pay off since even the coveted holographic Charizard from the base set can be found on ebay for a few hundred dollars, although there are certainly outliers upwards as well. Opened, the boosters bring in only about 50 Euros.
Accordingly, most users in the comments on Reddit also advise keeping the packs closed and submitting them for grading as soon as possible. However, there are also dissenting voices.
- Juusie says: “The people who advise against opening the packs are boring, sad people who only care about the money […]” (via Reddit)
- NintyGC is undecided: “I wish I had such luck! […] The curious me would open them, but the collector in me would keep them closed. Do whatever you want!!” (via Reddit)
“Maybe someday when I’m 85”
In a comment, Elven_goblin has already explained how the packs should proceed: “1. I know how rare they are, and I’ve always wanted to have one, now I have 3!!! 2. I won’t open them, maybe someday when I’m 85 or so. 3. I might sell 1 or 2 for the right price/buyer, but first, I’ll keep them for a while.” (via Reddit)
Anyone who wants to indulge in the collecting passion without spending a lot of money should check out the new mobile game Pokémon TCG Pocket. MeinMMO editor Jasmin is already playing it diligently and says: The new Pokémon trading card game does almost everything better than the original from back in the day and doesn’t even cost anything
