idk when i was in school silver more popular b/c of the lugia on the cover i guess… sealed prices now show that silver is more expensive in basically every grade and way more at the high grades even though the population is very similar
2 Likes
Yeah, makes sense that Silver is more expensive now. Lugia apparently has completely overtaken Ho-oh, for now. It’s interesting to see these shifts in Pokémon popularity. Umbreon now seems to overtake Charizard.
1 Like
A lot of people liked Lugia more because it looked badass back in the day and it stuck, personally I love Ho-Oh a tad more because its first appearance in the anime stuck to me like glue, with that being said if people would stop being obsessed with “10’s” you can buy a PSA 8 or 9 for much, MUCH less than a 10, let’s be honest, 99% of the people won’t be able to even tell a 9 from a 10 unless there’s a glaring flaw sticking out like a sore thumb.
Dragon-like pokemon just have a higher popularity/demand. Same reason why Charizard is more costly in every set than the fat turtle with squirt guns
Back in 2018 I had to choose between getting 1st Edition Lugia or Ho-oh in PSA 10. Both were close in price, around $700-900 I think. I liked Ho-oh more but Lugia seemed harder to grade so I went with it instead.
When Lugia was hyped up as the charizard of gen 2 back in 2020 that’s when it left Ho-oh in the dust. Before that I don’t remember either of them being more popular or wanted than the other. At least in the hobby.
2 Likes
Congrats on picking up your grail! That card is stunning!
As far as Ho-oh vs Lugia prices I think it just comes down to popularity. When I was a kid and gen 2 was released, my impression of Ho-oh was that it was just a reskinned Fearow which made it feel not “legendary”.
If Fearow didn’t exist I think the prices would be much closer because Ho-oh really is a cool Pokemon. It’s just difficult to not see the similarities to Fearow
3 Likes
Ho Oh has been the gen 2 goat for me since playing Pokémon gold in my childhood. I’ve never understood the lugia obsession vs Ho Oh. Maybe one day it will moderately even out
4 Likes
Right? Ho-oh has the irl lore tied to 金閣寺 aka the burned tower. Whereas Lugia is a random ocean bird with great knuckles
3 Likes
Isn’t this the case with Lugia as well? It used to live in Brass Tower which became Burned Tower after the fire, only after this Lugia moved to Whirl Islands. 
1 Like
True that. And you didn’t even bother to include the frog with the flower? Come on man.
This sounds right to me. I remember the Crystal Ho-oh being more desired than the Lugia. Back then the only mass-printed vintage cards that were worth a lot were Base Set 1st editions, Crystals and Gold Stars.
Fearow was a dope pokemon up until 2002 Expedition set then the TCG did him dirty 
1 Like
I always felt Lugia as a pokemon was more popular overall, even before the boom and bust of the psa 10 neo gen card.
I think the Ho oh art is “better,” but theres a sort of aura to the Lugia. Maybe im biased
1 Like
Just read up about it, you’re right!
Lugia premium justified
2 Likes
I didn’t know that. Always looked at Lugia as just an awesome, late game sea monster. I do think that Ho-oh is tied a lot more to the Johto games though because of the burned tower, so that makes it more nostagic for Johto fans. That may also be why the Destined Rivals set (Johto themed set?) focuses on Ho-oh.
1 Like
Aside from debates around their cards and character design (Ho-Oh just has a little too much of the giant chicken aesthetic for my taste), Lugia had a bigger cultural impact than Ho-Oh, and earlier on in the franchise at that, Ho-Oh’s flying shadow in S1 Ep1 notwithstanding. Lugia was a centerpiece of the cinematic marvel that was the Pokemon Movie 2000, and featured as the clear chase card of the first Neo set that landed while the TCG’s original popularity was soaring. Ho-Oh on the other hand was arguably overshadowed in Neo Rev by the likes of Shining Gyarados, Magikarp and Houndoom, and didn’t score a key role in a movie until many years later.
1 Like
Lugia simps seem to forget that the pheonix always rises from the ashes. Better watch your backs, as Ho-oh is gonna be the one dishing out burns with its Sacred Fire 
4 Likes
1 Like