I remember this! I remember considering whether to purchase one or not, they seemed really rare and undervalued, plus the artwork is amazing. However, I didn’t have much knowledge or interest for trophies at that time, there didn’t seem like they were that popular and I was on the Charizard hype train! (I think this was when I was saving for my 1st edition base Charizard).
One of those ones where you kick yourself for a missed opportunity!
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I agree that these are pretty sick, probably the best Psyduck artwork (outside of the Tropical tournament cards maybe but those don’t count).
I’m more making this comment because it’s been several years and I am just now realizing that it’s pronounced Wa-kay and not wake as in the English word. For years I thought it was some sort of pun related to the phrase “not awake” or something like that… it’s Japanese… I feel so stupid.
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I am not particularly knowledgeable in regards to trophies, but when it comes to promos, it is mostly a matter of studying the card itself (how many raw copies are available, how many have been graded at what grade, what their estimated print run was, how popular is the card/artist/pokemon depicted in it, etc.).
To give you an example, if you had bought a Japanese McDonalds Mew in 2017, you would probably be disappointed to find that its price has tumbled down from previous highs. Despite having a limited print run and being decently popular, it is also quite easy to grade at 10 so there hasn’t been any massive increase in price (or demand) as there is no sense of urgency for collectors to obtain it because it is readily available.
On the other hand, Corocoro mew, which also had a limited print run is now fetching 5x its 2017 price because it is not so easy to grade at 10 (most of them have very poor centering), not so readily available and also more popular among collectors, which gives collectors that sense of urgency to purchase them as soon as they emerge on the market.
If you had studied each card 3 years ago, you would be in a good position to understand which one you should have prioritised buying.
To give you a recent and slightly more complex example, Munch’s Psyduck is extremely popular and also much harder to grade a 10 than Mimikyu. Despite Mimikyu being rarer and more expensive, it has a 78% chance of getting a PSA 10 from raw, whereas Psyduck has a meager 38%.
With this in mind, if I wanted to complete the Munch collection in PSA 10, I would prioritise the Psyduck first as it is more likely to have a rapid unexpected spike than the Mimikyu which is likely to hold its price for a while or even trace back slightly once the market realises it is more readily available in PSA 10 than the Psyduck. Obviously, I cannot predict the future, so use the above as an example and not as investment advice.
As with anything else in life common sense rules the market, so if you go for the least available and most difficult to grade first, and the most available and easier to grade second, you will probably be ahead of the curve. In the end, it is all about optimizing your purchases to extract the best value for money from your budget.
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I was just about to make this post myself, so thank you for posting this! I have been doing research, but couldn’t find much relevant information. Being in Japan though, I have stumbled across trophies in Akihabara before. At the time I just saw a pricey card and didn’t really think twice about it. I didn’t have the money for it because I had my eyes set on other things.
But are these the kind of cards that, if you have the money for it and you happen to find one, just buy it? I saw a University Magikarp sell for 100,000 yen on Mercari even with a smiley face drawn on the card… That tells me a fair bit there, I guess.
Also, does this trend continue with all the top-32’s or 16’s or whatever other version of the newer trophy cards? Does the actual tournament that it’s awarded from play a big role in it’s value? Naturally I assume that world’s ones hold a premium, but world’s aside.
Sorry that I’m just asking more questions on this thread, don’t want to hijack the OP post, but they feel relevant to the original question(s), aside form the promo part. I’m guessing there are other people that might have these questions as well. Well, I at least hope I’m not the only one haha!
Thank you very much for the detailed response! This kind of knowledge written out makes it much easier to focus in on specific viewpoints.
Have a kick-ass weekend! 
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You might want to check out www.elitefourum.com/t/japanese-unlimited-e-series-1-cards-base-expansion-pack/16426/1. Whilst these cards are very hard to track down, the majority of people don’t know about them and when they do show up they often sell for the same as their mass-produced 1st edition counterparts.
With the exception of Ponyta (mass produced), Charizard and Pichu (distribution unknown but likely not much higher than 300), the other cards which are available have an estimated print run between 8 and 50, making them some of the rarest cards in the hobby.
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This thread has sparked some interest for me. Can anyone recommend where to start on studying trophies and rare Japanese promos? I want to learn as much as I can about them. I’ve been searching the forum and have found a few things here and there, figured I would ask for some help. Thanks
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Thank you all for the comments! I didn’t think I would get this much input and help. You’re awesome!
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This is the general resource I always used:
bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Unnumbered_Promotional_cards_(TCG)/1996-2005
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Some cool raw English 2011-12 tropical beach promos came up on eBay. Get them while you can, before I do😉