Chinese Pokémon cards are surging in price as collectors look beyond English and Japanese sets
According to price-tracking app Collectr, Chinese Pokémon cards are becoming the new target for collectors.
Pokémon TCG collectors are suckers for exclusives. I should know, I am one. Between limited-release promos and Pokémon Center-stamped cards, owning Pokémon cards that aren’t around for long plays on that societal FOMO, yet we still keep falling for it. As English and Japanese stock gets harder to come by, Chinese chases are becoming more popular than ever, and there’s plenty of exclusives to buy.
Pokémon TCG collectors should be used to the story by now. Cards get popular, packs get bought in a rush, prices increase for both, and then it becomes an expensive hobby for those who missed out at the start. It’s the circle of (a collector’s) life. It happened with Japanese booster boxes - those used to be below the £50 mark, if you can imagine - and now the hype wave is crashing into China.
According to my research on Collectr, which allows users like you and me to manage our ever-growing card collection, Chinese chases have seen a recent spike across modern expansions. This isn’t tied to a single set, but rather, it’s a pattern that appears across every Pokémon set from 2022’s Storming Emergence. For reference, that was the first expansion in Simplified Chinese, so this spike is occurring across all sets.
Collectr’s market data shows that collectors are spending an increasing amount on chase cards from each expansion, highlighting an upward trend. With more people willing to buy Chinese cards than ever, the price naturally increases. Classic supply and demand stuff.
The reason for this is threefold. Firstly, Chinese Pokémon cards have some of the most desirable exclusives in the hobby. Secondly, print quality is comparable to Japanese cards, making them more appealing than some other foreign-language alternatives. And finally, with English and Japanese products increasingly difficult to find at retail, collectors are naturally looking elsewhere.
Take, for instance, Pikachu 172/151 from the Collect 151 Surprise set. It shows the iconic electric mouse hiding behind a tree, avoiding the gaze of a spooky Gengar. It’s almost like a horror movie, capturing a side of Pokémon we rarely see in wild-based artwork. And it’s enticing. It’s no ‘surprise’ (excuse the pun) that this card sells for around $2,000.
Or there’s the almost romantic Cubone 0407/07, showcasing two of the skull-wearing ‘mon sitting on the edge of a bridge with an Autumn-like atmosphere, soaking in the pink light. It’s a gorgeous card that only those collecting Chinese cards can enjoy.
So, where can you buy Chinese Pokémon packs? Well, in the UK, Japan2UK is likely your best bet for booster boxes and the like, while US buyers should try PokiPair. For specific cards, you should regularly check eBay for cards you like, and try to find a good deal. Luckily, Chinese Pokémon cards have a handy holographic ‘Pokémon’ logo in one of the bottom corners, so fakes will be more obvious.
More importantly, both cards highlight a growing trend: some of the most desirable Pokémon artwork now exists entirely outside the English market.
Have you been collecting Chinese Pokémon cards? Let me know in the comments - I’d love to start collecting them soon myself. Alternatively, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter for up-to-date news and exciting announcements, especially if you want to stick with English or Japanese cards.
