Rare Candy Research

Finance guy who takes shiny cardboard way too seriously.
Pokémon markets explained for collectors. ↓

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Welcome to Rare Candy Research! 🍬

We break down Pokémon card markets: auctions, prices, grading data, and what it all means for collectors.

Less hype, more context.

Daily videos on IG/TikTok: @rarecandyresearch
Newsletter: The Rare Brief
https://t.co/QpT3sYXXsi

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

103 bids. $406,500 for a Pokémon Rumble Pachirisu PSA 10.

Only 100 original lottery winners. PSA 10 pop: 12. ALT payment pending.

A rare card—but how liquid?

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Six PSA 10 grails closed 40–60% below earlier reported auction prices.

Different slabs, selected comps—not owner returns or proof of a market crash. New ALT payments pending.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

ALT reported $750,000 for Call of Legends Lugia SL7 PSA 10; 31.7x the last CL-listed $23,676 sale (Aug 2025).

Different copies; payment pending. Only 19 PSA 10s.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

A $2.4M ALT reported close for Japanese PLAY Gold Star Espeon PSA 10.

Card Ladder displays older PSA 10 sales at $48K-$66K, but historical tape is incomplete. A dramatic price gap isn't the same as a verified return—or a new floor.

Payment pending.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

A Common-rarity Pikachu sold for $77,345. Another PSA 10 closed at $43,200 just 17 days later. PSA 9s? A fraction of that.

Only 39 reverse-foil copies are PSA 10.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

@peterbalsara Good point! Worth checking whether the 2.9% applies to the full checkout total, including tax and shipping. Could eat further into actual rewards benefit.

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Fanatics × Amex: 5% FanCash on eligible Fanatics Collect purchases, including Pokémon cards.

But Collect currently lists a 2.9% credit-card surcharge.

If that fee isn’t waived, the economics look very different. 5% rewards ≠ 5% savings.

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Could cheaper 30th Celebration singles slow RGB Mew supply? Maybe. But the jackpot itself keeps people ripping, and fewer pulls don't mean fewer listings. Scarcity isn't a price floor.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

A Zoroark promo reportedly closed at $90K at Fanatics.

The catch? It’s a 2010 CoroCoro contest winner. Earlier $72K and $54.7K comps involved different PSA 10 copies—not one investor’s returns.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Blaziken ex: $8K to an $87K reported close—nearly 11× across different PSA 10s. One auction doesn't establish a new price floor. Payment unverified.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Ampharos and Gengar both had reported $102K auction closes in PSA 10 (incl. buyer’s premium). But their PSA 10 populations are 22 vs. 84.

Same price ≠ same demand or liquidity. Payment unverified.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Same Dialga PSA 10 cert. Three reported prices: $60K, $78K, then $168K.

But different sale types, missing transaction history, and unverified payment complicate that 2.8× headline. Not a proven investor return.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Registeel EX PSA 10: $204K reported close vs. $40.8K for another PSA 10 just weeks earlier.

Different slabs, payment unverified. One auction doesn’t establish a new price floor.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

One big Pokémon sale doesn't tell you what a card is actually worth.

Before using a reported close as a comp, check the exact card, grade, fees, payment status, and how often it really trades.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Mew’s $840K price floor?

Southern Islands Mew PSA 10 later saw $660K and a reported $538K ALT close. Different copies, uncertain payment status—and one auction headline is not a guaranteed exit.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

A Togepi PSA 10 reportedly closed at $192K—but the record disappeared from one tracked feed. Fanatics and PSA still list it.

ALT then reported $181,608. Which comp would you trust?

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards #PokemonMarket #PokemonInvesting #PokeInvesting

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Celebi ex is another reminder that rarity alone doesn't determine a Pokémon card's market value.

Collector demand, actual transactions, and liquidity matter just as much as population numbers.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

With Gengar, the biggest sale isn't automatically the market price. Grade, condition, transaction terms, and actual buyer depth all matter. A single headline comp tells only part of the story.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Gold Star Mewtwo PSA 10: $312K at Fanatics vs. $190,960 at ALT.

Different slabs, different auctions—and neither price guarantees what the next copy will fetch. A reported sale isn't a market floor.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards

[Rare Candy Research @rarecandyhq]

Same Gyarados PSA 10 cert: $98,888 reported in January, $450,000 in October. That's +355% in recorded prices—not verified ROI or a new floor.

Scarcity ≠ liquidity.

#PokemonTCG #PokemonCards