The ZDF-show Bares für Rares has already presented some curiosities and rarities that have been taken by the dealers for proud sums. But when a Pokémon fan presents two TCG boxes, it even blows Horst Lichter away.
What kind of boxes does the fan bring? The 27-year-old Monty Schön from Hannover arrived at the set of Bares für Rares with two special boxes. The boxes were original sealed Pokémon TCG promo boxes from Japan that were never released in Germany.
Monty purchased the boxes in 2016 at a Japanese store for 60 euros and had them shipped to Germany, but he has not opened them yet. Instead, he even had 2 acrylic glass cases made to better protect the boxes beyond the plastic wrap.
The expert Sven, who assesses the value of the rarities brought along, must first explain to the moderator Horst Lichter and the present audience what Pokémon actually is, what makes the trading cards so popular, and that they are traded for a high value.
However, when Lichter hears for what value the most expensive Pokémon card of all time was sold, he is also astonished: “5 million euros for a trading card … Well, that’s how it is, right? To each their own.” However, Monty is a bit more realistic with his boxes and wishes for a value of at least 9,600 euros, which the expert can also confirm.
The fan watches what happens – and a lot happens
What makes the boxes so valuable? The value of the boxes derives partly from their exclusivity. They are special promo boxes that show Pikachu in a Mario and a Luigi variant. Moreover, they could only be purchased in Japan in 2016.
The promo boxes are in perfect condition due to careful storage, and the seam of the plastic wrap indicates that they have never been opened.
The expert emphasizes that it could even be the case that the cards contained may be even more valuable than the box itself. But to find that out, one would need to open them, thereby reducing the assured value that collectors would pay for sealed boxes.
Monty’s purchase and the decision not to open the boxes were therefore a very good and above all lucrative intuition, as it turns out.
How do the dealers react to the two boxes? The dealers are less surprised than Horst Lichter when they see the two boxes, as they are not unfamiliar to them. Dealer Julian Schmitz-Avila even explains that the best deal he made in 2024 was a discount on a huge Magic and Pokémon card collection (Source: YouTube).
Hence, they are also not shy to start with an initial offer of 3,000 euros. Ultimately, they bid each other up several thousand euros, but Monty admits that he has already received an offer from a local card dealer in Hannover who would offer 9,500 euros.
Then, the dealer who already has experience with card collections offers a round 10,000 euros, which the former owner of the boxes accepts happily.
Another Pokémon fan had less luck than Monty at Bares für Rares. The collector wanted to liquidate his collection of over 600 Pokémon cards and decided to sell it at a flea market. However, he made a serious mistake that not only affected the value but also destroyed his beloved collection: Pokémon fan makes a fatal mistake before selling his collection, destroying over 600 cards
