TCG Market Watch July 10: BGS and PSA Examples Set New Highs for Pokémon and MTG Cards

1999 Pokémon Base 1st Edition Grey Stamp #11 Nidoking HOLO R

Before jumping into pricing data, collectors should know there are 27 different #11 Nidoking cards in circulation. The primary variant among the cards is the language – English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Korean, and others.

Another important discrepancy in the labeling is 1st Edition – Base Shadowless – and Base Unlimited.

The last key part that can determine card values Thin Stamp – Grey Stamp – and Thick 3-D Stamp.

Historically, 1st Edition cards are more valuable than the Base Unlimited and Thick 3-D Stamp examples. Thin Stamp cards also tend to hold higher premiums than Grey Stamp copies, according to the Beckett Online Price Guide (OPG).

The distinctions are important, because not every card posted for sale on secondary platforms are listed properly – raw or graded. And not every grading company lists out the distinctions on their grading labels. Those differences can cause volatile price swings on examples with identical grades.

At the high end of the 1999 Pokémon Base 1st Edition Grey Stamp #11 Nidoking HOLO R, a PSA Gem Mint was purchased during a May 14 Heritage Auctions event for $22,500, exceeding expectations.

Trying to understand the value of a PSA 9 example, especially compared to a Gem Mint 10 copy, is far harder to pinpoint.

On January 19th, a buyer purchased a PSA 9 for $2,150. That valuation increased to $2,990 during a June 1 Probstein eBay auction. However, on June 18, during another Probstein auction on eBay, a PSA Gem Mint was sold for $2,025.  

*Buy 1999 Pokémon Base 1st Edition Grey Stamp #11 Nidoking HOLO R cards on eBay and TCGPlayer

2006 Pokémon Japanese Offense and Defense of the Furthest Ends Charizard 1st Edition Gold Star Holo #052

First Edition – Limited Release – Gold Star Holo – Illustrated by Masakazu Fukuda – 20-years-old – Charizard. Need anymore be shared?

This Holon/EX-era Charizard example is one of the more desirable Pokémon in circulation.

To help drive home the price increases across the board in the TCG market, from mid-December to now, collectors are paying double the price for a BGS 9.5 Gem Mint example.

A Fanatics Weekly auction saw a copy realized for $8,700 on December 14. During another Fanatics Weekly auction on January 11, the value bumped up to $9,300 for a BGS 9.5.

Then, on May 31, another Fanatics Weekly auction established a new public high for a BGS 9.5 when sold for $18,600.

*Buy 2006 Pokémon Japanese Offense and Defense of the Furthest Ends Charizard 1st Edition Gold Star Holo #052 cards on eBay and TCGPlayer

2006 Pokémon EX Holon Phantoms #103 Mewtwo GOLD STAR HOLO R

With only four variants – English, French, German, and Italian – this Mewtwo Gold Star Holo Rare has been easier for collectors to track.

A staple in the Pokémon universe, demand has spiked dramatically since February for this 20-year-old card.

On February 15 during an eBay auction, a buyer landed a PSA 9 copy for $6,162.23. Nearly two months later, a mid-April eBay auction pushed the value to $8,426.65.

By May 31, the valuation had increased by $10,000. A Fanatics Weekly auction realized a PSA 9 for $18,600.

However, three different auctions during the month of June saw lowered pricing:

• June 1 – eBay – $14,900
• June 10 – eBay – $15,000
• June 27 – Heritage Auctions – $15,000

Fanatics Weekly struck again during a June 28th auction – $18,600.

*Buy 2006 Pokémon EX Holon Phantoms #103 Mewtwo GOLD STAR HOLO R cards on eBay and TCGPlayer

1999 Pokémon Jungle Snorlax 1st Edition Holo #11

These days, any opportunity to add a high-grade vintage Pokémon to the binder is being pounced on.

In late June, raw copies were directly purchased on eBay for $249.95 and $280 – nearing the $300 value of a CGC 6 example sold during a Fanatics auction on June 21.

A June 24 eBay auction saw a PSA 9 example realized for $2,300.

Collectors took notice on July 5, when a CGC Gem Mint 10 went off the board during a Fanatics Weekly auction for $5,160.

Put the same card in a PSA slab – values rise precipitously.

Another example of how strong the TCG market currently is, a Gem Mint PSA sold for $21,600 on December 14, $55,200 on April 5, and for $76,635.60 during a July 11 Alt Auction.

*Buy 1999 Pokémon Jungle Snorlax 1st Edition Holo #11 cards on eBay and TCGPlayer

1998 Magic: The Gathering Urza’s Saga #321 Gaea’s Cradle R

Another TCG note to hobbyists – triple check card labels during searches for best results.

Unfortunately, how a card is labeled could cost a seller hundreds of dollars. But a savvy buyer could end up buying a very valuable card at an unintended discounted price from a seller if not thoroughly researched.

Case in point: 1998 Magic: The Gathering Urza’s Saga #321 Gaea’s Cradle R. A BGS 9 copy sold for $1,795 off a fixed price on Fanatics’ platform on June 2.

Throughout the month of June and into early July, raw examples with varying conditions sold for:

• $1,500
• $1,100
• $1,300
• $1,200

The difference? The raw cards were labeled on eBay starting with “Gaea’s Cradle Urza’s Saga” rather than the industry wide accepted titles.

Using the “correct” card labeling, the BGS sale on June 2 was on par with the rise in MTG pricing – a PSA 9 copy with the same labeling sold for $1,650 on January 5.

A July 9, direct eBay purchase of a card labeled as “MTG Gaea’s Cradle Urza’s Saga BGS 9” was scooped up for $1,900.

Conversely, could this be a sign that margins between raw and high-grade examples are narrowing?

The movement, or lack thereof, of this vintage TCG will be interesting to track in the coming months. Will Urza’s Saga #321 Gaea’s Cradle, in its many labeling forms, keep pace with the rest of the TCG market?

*Buy 1998 Magic: The Gathering Urza’s Saga #321 Gaea’s Cradle R cards on eBay and TCGPlayer