Non holo Rares psa 10 from 1st edition base. $200-300 is a steal IMO. Sure some are more expensive then others but to me it’s crazy how electabuzz or electrode go for less then $700.
Non holo cards in general are way easier to grade, so their prices are lower because of 1) lower demand 2) ease of grading
Sure they are easier to grade and yes they have lower demand. But looking at how many 10’s have been graded the recent 2 years it’s obvious where the prices will go. No non holo rare have a pop over 162. Item finder for example has a pop of 99 and since 11/2/2018 only 11 psa 10’s have been added to that number. Looking at the price of a pack that does not even guarantee a psa 10 I think it’s safe to say they will just continue going up.
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VS series Holos. Unique artwork not seen in English. Just beautful
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Clearly not many people have noticed how much EX cards have risen over the last year. Along with neo, the ex era would have to be the best performing cards since 1 year ago. Nearly every EX 10 I bought has gone up 300% but quite a few have done 500-1000%. I still think EX has the most potential moving forward along with E-series.
They have increased 300-1000% but are still undervalued?
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Funnily enough, yes imo. The pops are crazy low on 10s and demand will only keep rising rapidly as people who grew up with the ex era are slowly able to afford them (this has already played out for most wotc sets). Short term I imagine they pullback along with everything once pops increase from PSA reopening. I could be completely wrong just my view. I’m also optimistic on base set given it has lagged the increase seen in gym/neo/fossil/jungle. It does seem base is starting to catch up tho over the last month!
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Agreed. Expedition is my fave set but collectors do NOT agree lol
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I agree with this, but also see Scott’s perspective that they exist in this nebulous area that’s not quite unlimited and not quite 1st edition, and are kind of the red headed stepchild of the OG base set, and don’t have a clear identity (paraphrasing here). With that said, I tentatively skew more towards your stance and imagine that people would rather get a PSA 9 shadowless then a sub-7 1st edition (depending on the card, of course), and agree they are ridiculous value.
If anything I think PSA 10 Shadowless cards are in a more nebulous area than PSA 9 Shadowless cards. PSA 10 Shadowless is a little awkward because people who want the cream of the crop and want to spare no expense will go for 1st ed, so why bother paying a premium for the PSA 10 Shadowless?
PSA 9 Shadowless checks two boxes - you’re getting mint condition cards from the first English TCG run but you’re saving an enormous amount of money by foregoing the stamps and foregoing the Gem Mints.
A PSA 9 Shadowless set is like 1/4th the price of both a PSA 9 1st ed Base set and a PSA 10 Shadowless set, which in turn are both like 1/4th the price of a PSA 10 1st ed Base Set.
So I think PSA 9 Shadowless has the potential to fill a nice niche in terms of affordability and desirability going into the future.
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Oh yeah, it’s been insane. The rise in box prices has been especially insane, even more than WotC (at least in my limited experience). In 2014ish I bought a Ruby & Sapphire box for $300, Power Keepers box for $200, and a Gym Heroes box for $450. In 2019, I sold my Ruby & Sapphire box for double what I sold my Gym Heroes box for (both sold within a few weeks of each other). The Power Keepers box sold for 50% more than my Gym Heroes box. So the growth in EX-era boxes, at least with my tiny sample, has been meteoric relative to WotC.
The set cards have grown a lot, also, as you mentioned (though not nearly as much as my boxes). I’ve sold ~40 of my remaining PSA 9 exs I hadn’t yet cracked on eBay over the past 1.5 months because the price had risen so much it just didn’t make sense to crack them anymore. And I got into collecting EX-era set cards much later than many – if I had bough them 5-6 years prior, I would’ve saved a lot of money lol. They’re such beautiful cards (with a few exceptions, IMO), and were so underrated for so long. I’m happy to see them finally getting their due 
.
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agree with a lot of what you said here. also, i do have to say that stamp makes a huge difference. for a long time, i used to think shadowless to 1st edition base is like MTG beta to alpha, but i think that comparison is a bit different. beta and alpha cards are nearly identical, save for the more rounded corners of the alpha. however, the difference in shadowless and 1st edition base is more pronounced with the stamp. that stamp is like having a PSA slab or no slab. both quality cards, but the moment you dress the shadowless base card with that stamp, the value and level of desirability goes through the roof. with that said, shadowless does have lower pops at psa 10. for now. but i do agree that its more niche and therefore the price difference will always be there with 1st edition. but i think that’s why i like the set so much - it’s a more humble set, but still soooo beautiful.
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Yeah, I’m not saying that Shadowless is a better investment than 1st edition. There’s no doubt that 1st edition will always be more desirable. I just think PSA 9 Shadowless cards strike a nice balance between being something special while still being affordable for many people.
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@enlightenedbulbasaur good points there’s plenty of people with big goals but also on somewhat of a budget. I’d personally love 1st edition shadowless but would settle for shadowless. I ended up going a extra level down with unlimited but I’ll probably upgrade at one point once I finish the main goals I have 
The more apt comparison, IMO, would be Alpha/Beta = 1st Edition Base (technically Alpha and Beta were the same set, but two different print runs of it, although I suppose that’s also the case with Shadowless :/) and Unlimited (MTG) = Shadowless. And then maybe Revised = Base Set Unlimited. At least I think these equivalencies are closer to how these sets are viewed in the respective hobbies.
all of them lol,I would just say regular rare are probably slept on due to the cost buying weighted and unweighted product.
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I’m guessing base shadowless 9s.
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Totally agree with you on the Japanese southern islands. I’ve opened up about 100 sealed packs and the centering on most of the holos is all jacked up. Those 10s and 9s will go up soon enough, especially Mew, Marill and the egg.
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Ok, apparently last 2 just sold for 400 and 550. They were 150 on average in april last time I checked. Nvm, don’t think they’re being slept on anymore.
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m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Psyduck_(BREAKpoint_16)
m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pikachu_(XY_42)
m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Abareru-kun_(SM-P_Promo_320)
Cards like this with unique artwork, unique release… Really epitomizes everything wrong with English promo releases.
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