Table of Contents
Special Pokemon Cards and Where to Find Them - An Overview
In this series, we want to introduce you to special Pokemon cards because they have either left a particularly lasting impression on the collector world or simply because they were particularly exclusive and difficult to obtain, for example. To put it briefly: you can definitely look forward to some very interesting items.
Munch "The Scream" Promo Cards from Japan
Some of the most unique and coolest Pokemon cards of all time were released in Japan in early November 2018. The cards are based on the famous painting "The Scream" by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. There were a total of 5 Pokemon cards that were distributed and exhibited as exclusive and special Pokemon promo cards. These cards were only available in Japan.
The special Mimikyu promo card was sold exclusively with an accompanying mini-card binder. You could only obtain this card in 2 ways, either online at the Pokemon Center (maximum 1 per person) or in VERY limited quantities at the Tokyo Art Museum. However, to be allowed to buy Mimikyu at the museum, you had to buy a ticket for the museum itself.
Eevee, Entei & Rowlet were given out at various Pokemon Centers in Japan (1 per person) when you bought 2 or more Pokemon booster packs (during the period of November 2018). However, there was a big problem: at that time, hardly any booster packs were sold in the centers. In most stores, long queues formed from around 5 a.m., and it was a real lottery to get the promo cards, as you also had to be lucky enough to be able to buy a booster pack at all.
The last promo card was a Pikachu, which was only available for a total of one week in early December 2018. However, to be able to buy the card that week, you had to visit the Munch art exhibition at the Tokyo Art Museum (admission ticket required). So it was even more complicated to get this special Pikachu card than all the other cards from the set, even though they were already incredibly difficult to obtain.
Mask Royale (SM-P 85)
At first glance, you would certainly assume that this card is just a normal Japanese Trainer card. But that is far from the case.
First, the card is a Japanese promo card from the Sun & Moon cycle, but much more. This card was limited to a total of only 100 copies and was only available for a very limited period starting in July 2017 in Japan. Thus, there are extremely few copies worldwide, making this card the currently most expensive Japanese promo card from the Sun & Moon cycle. It is extremely difficult to determine an exact value due to the limited availability and very few sales. Therefore, it can be estimated at approx. €10,000-€30,000 (according to Cardmarket).
Eevee Poncho Promo
The Eevee Poncho Promo was held exclusively in Japan in October 2017. The promo revolved around all Eevee evolutions, i.e., Jolteon, Flareon, Vaporeon, Espeon, Umbreon, Leafeon, Glaceon, Sylveon, and finally Eevee itself. In this promotion, Eevee wore different ponchos of its evolutions, making the cards unique and relatively valuable. Each card costs several hundred euros. When graded by PSA and the like, all cards quickly increase in value to several thousand euros.
Poncho Pikachu Promo Cards
Pikachu has been the mascot of Pokemon for over 25 years, so it should come as no surprise that the popular mouse Pokemon appears in various promo events. A series of very interesting Pikachu promo cards are the poncho-wearing Pikachus.
Because the cards were Japan-exclusive and heavily limited, all versions are worth quite a bit of money today.
Mega Tokyo Poncho Pikachu
These two Pikachu promo cards were given out on the occasion of the relocation of the Pokemon Center in Tokyo during the initial weeks at the new location.
Pretend Magikarp Pikachu & Pretend Gyarados Pikachu
You could find these two Poncho Pikachu promo cards in their own promo box. This box was sold exclusively in the Pokemon Center Hiroshima in June 2015, which is why both cards are quite valuable.
Mega Pokemon Poncho Pikachu
In the winter of 2015, the first Mega Pokemon Pikachu promo card was launched in Japanese Pokemon Centers when you bought something in one of the centers. The card depicted a Pikachu with a Mega Lucario poncho, a Pikachu with a Mega Audino poncho, and a Pikachu with a Mega Slowbro poncho.
In the spring, further similar promo cards followed, but these were more limited, which is why they were slightly more expensive than their predecessors.
Mega Charizard X & Mega Charizard Y Poncho Pikachu
In 2016, two more special boxes were released in the Pokemon Center stores in Japan. Both cards were part of their respective boxes. These boxes were extremely limited and only available in Japan, which is why these cards are now relatively expensive.
Rayquaza & Shiny Rayquaza Poncho Pikachu
Given the amazing success, another box was released 6 months after the Mega Charizard boxes to celebrate the opening of the Skytree Town Pokemon Center in Tokyo. As with similar promotions, this box also contained promos of Pikachu wearing a poncho. This time, the mouse Pokemon wore a Rayquaza poncho, referencing the mascot of the new Pokemon Center.
Tohoku's Pikachu
As part of the celebrations for the reopening of the Tohoku Pokemon Center, customers who purchased something in-store or online received a special promo card of Pikachu dressed as Rowlet, the center's mascot.
Alolan Vulpix & Vulpix Poncho Pikachu
One of the last special boxes with Poncho Pikachu promo cards was released in early 2017. It featured a Fire & Ice theme with Vulpix and Alolan Vulpix. This box was a decidedly stripped-down version of earlier boxes, as it only contained 2 booster packs, sleeves, and a deck box. Although these were the last Poncho Pikachu promos and the box was easier to acquire during its release window, the promos themselves are still very valuable.
Conclusion
So, that was Part 1 of the series: "Special Pokemon Cards and Where to Find Them".
In the first part, we have covered a selection of special promo cards from the X&Y and Sun & Moon era. It is definitely noticeable that all these exclusive and valuable promo cards were produced and released exclusively in Japan. Thus, they never received an international equivalent and are therefore even more exclusive and interesting. In any case, they all enrich an individual collection, but unfortunately, some of them are also extremely expensive and therefore difficult to obtain. It is still mega interesting to take a closer look at these special Pokemon cards.
Info: In the shop, we currently also have a variety of vintage Pokemon items to choose from, so if you are interested, feel free to take a look here, here or here.
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Your Opinion Matters to Us
But what do you think of the special Pokemon cards presented? Did you already know all of them, or was it completely new territory? What do you think of this series? Do you have any special requests for which special cards should be covered next? Feel free to write us something in the comments, we would be happy to hear from you.
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