EX Series or WOTC era?

Between the EX series booster boxes and WOTC 1st Edition era boxes (excluding base) which do people see as being worth the most in the future?

Same goes for the cards each set holds.

WOTC WOTC WOTC WOTC

WOTc t think about? :wink:

WOTC all the way. They had the rights during the highest point and most memorable as a whole for the franchise. You’re going to get the people who grew up with the WOTC sets and the newcomers who want a piece of the old school action for the first time.

the ex sets are memorable for me too though, 2001-2006 is probably my favorite time of being a Pokemon fan. I came in right after the “fad” ended as a kid.

TBH any sealed english from 1999-2005…you cant go wrong! shinings, gold stars, base charizard, many awesome arts, nostalgic and old awesome cards. Either or tbh …value wise we already know 1st edition base, 1st ed shadow base, the gold star boxes, expedition, skyridge, neo etc are the high value sealed

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This question is a lot more difficult than people think.

WOTC is all the rage right now and I think there’s really nothing that can compete with it at the top of the value pyramid. However EX Series is underrated in a lot of ways. There’s a lot less total product out there for EX Series which makes sealed stuff much rarer, you already see prices for some EX Series sets (TRR, Dragon Frontiers) surpassing even 1st Ed. WOTC era boxes by a fair amount. EX Series stuff has been steadily increasing and we’re seeing a big rise in gold star cards now as well. It’s inevitable that the actual ex cards and holos rise as well. We’ve seen some of this recently with big sales like hisoka’s TMTA Suicune which went for $600+ iirc.

The card design itself in EX Series is unique and isn’t seen anywhere else. Yes, the mechanic was revived for BW/XY and SM as well, albeit with a one-letter change and a new gimmick, but the galaxy holo borders and toned-down yet special design will attract people who aren’t fans of newer flashy cards. They were the first extended set of ultra-rare cards, which were obviously a success given that Pokemon has continued with ultra-rares since the EX series.

If all you want to know is what’s going to have the highest monetary value, WOTC stuff is clearly the winner. But I’d place the market outlook on EX Series stuff as a very good investment, possibly better than later WOTC sets. The first WOTC sets (Base/Rocket/Fossil/Jungle) I think are in a class of their own, but I’d buy TRR/Dragon Frontiers boxes over Neo/e-Series sets any day.

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For this collectible, I think its very tough to determine purchases solely by top value, but much more projected return. Old product, unless there was an issue with the set or just nothing to collect will usually take a higher value over later product. However, ROI versus Market Value is a much better valuation. Pre E-series boxes are hitting the point of not worth flipping by opening in my opinion besides base 2. I still believe there is room to run with BS2.

Box of EX Legend Maker up on Troll and Toad for $699 way below the point of the majority of gold star boxes, being a set that has potential for a gold star pull. Almost all 1st Ed WOTC boxes have eclipsed the $1k mark and without a few 10’s in there, its a rough investment. As the market begins to accept pricing for boxes of multiple eras in the 1k, 2k ranges, these newer boxes will have the opportunity to grow as previous sales won’t seem so crazy. However, WOTC products, everytime they break a new high its a sudden realization of “how much higher can it go”, “is it worth that value”, “how many more people will pay for it.” With other boxes, its almost a bypass of those first questions in someway as even though previous boxes may not have sold for higher with that certain set, there are booster boxes within pokemon climbing to higher rates, which helps move the market in the right direction. Its not a stale market.

Why invest in a product that has already hit its maturity and has huge population numbers, versus a product that is still gaining ground due to sheer numbers of people having not much of a clue of its existence, and an opportunity to begin collecting graded/ungraded. So many former collectors of the 99-2002 era coming back in the market that are realizing how expensive WOTC product is and looking for something a little cheaper to go after. With just a little research people will flock to EX-Series items. I am just speaking towards a portion of the market that hasn’t invested at all into EX series, but with a lower price point, its almost always going to be more attractive off the bat.

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The pull rate for gold stars in that set is extremely low…

so low it’s 0%

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The fact that the set has zero gold stars is what he is referencing.

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I just realized I put down hidden legends, mean’t legend maker. Edited post.

I laughed for 2 minutes straight over that. I knew what ya meant. Personally, I think that the EX series is very undervalued in some areas. In areas like gold stars and Team Rocket Returns people are very interested (high demand, high price), but in areas like Kraze Skitty, Kids WB, and secret rares I honestly believe are super undervalued and will grow in popularity and price in a few years (currently low demanded and priced low, but their scarcity will attach more people as time progresses)… Or if they don’t, just send one of those cards to Unlisted Leaf, that man is a market god.

In the WOTC era, the time have long past where one could buy a sub $100 card and then watch it grow 100+ percent. People have already gone through every WOTC card and so its price is less likely to experience a sharp rise in price.

In summary, WOTC is like a low risk index fund (very low risk and yielding a low but consistent yield) while the EX series is more of a medium risk high return type of investment.

Just my 2 ¢.

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So much thought went into the responses :open_mouth:

There’s sound reason for both sides… I’m having a difficult time deciding whether to go for an EX Crystal Guardian box or a 1st Edition Neo Discovery box.

Although the WOTC product has matured and found a relatively solid pricepoint it would still continue to rise, would it not? I’m just not sure which will be worth more in say 10 years… :confused:

the topps sets!!

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