www.elitefourum.com/t/an-elaborate-attempt-at-print-run-estimation-wip-5-8-18/20273/1
if you extrapolate this information based on these assumptions, it might give you an idea of how massive modern print runs may be. the amount of cards is ridiculous for singles, regardless if it’s SR, UR, alt art, but obviously, the pokemon fan base is massive as well. i definitely enjoy the art and the thrill of opening boxes that are more or less MSRP for the experience. evolving skies definitely has many cards i was ecstatic to obtain. i am not sure if base MSRP is suppose to go up in the near future, but i feel like boxes that are around 100-120 these days will not be around for long. post-release, evolving skies has maintained and increased in prices for the box. i think that’s pretty telling sign that this is an extremely popular product. the single cards will definitely drop, as more boxes being opened means more card pops. and yes, modern cards are mostly sleeved immediately, so mint condition is nothing special. it’s expected. right now, grading costs are pretty high since you can only submit via the higher tiers. any graded cards will have a pretty big premium.