How did this Pokémon card suddenly become worth $700?
A PSA 10 version of a Dedenne GX promo is now going for $700 on eBay, but why is this Pokémon card so expensive?
I’ve seen Pokémon cards hit $700 before. Charizard? Sure. Umbreon? Makes sense. A Dedenne promo from a Trainer’s Toolkit? That’s where you lose me. Somehow, this Dedenne GX promo card has joined the former side, and in reality, I have no idea why. Who’s buying this? Seriously? Well, I had to find out.
I’m not being rhetorical. I’ve covered Pokémon TCG prices for years, so when I see something like the Dedenne GX promo suddenly selling for hundreds of dollars, it catches my attention.
According to Collectr, the card is currently sitting around the $30 mark for an ungraded version. However, the PSA 10 has been steadily rising over the last six months, before landing on around $270 last week. Since reaching the $300 point, it has shot up to $520 - but the app is somewhat behind on data.
While some listings are available for around the $550-600 mark, and some receiving bids above that on eBay, there’s also been some $700 sales. Why? Well, I almost admitted defeat; but then I looked into it a little more.
At first, I assumed this was another case of an impossibly low PSA 10 population. It isn’t. PSA has graded 6,356 copies, with 3,135 earning Gem Mint 10. That’s healthy by modern standards, so scarcity alone doesn’t explain a $700 price tag. It also helps that Unbroken Bonds has become one of the defining Sun & Moon Pokémon sets, meaning plenty of newer collectors never had the chance to open it or play decks from that era.
However, what makes this a perfect storm is that, not only is this card an exclusive promo to the 2020 Trainer’s Toolkit, but it’s also a powerful card for the game itself. At the time, it was a staple of competitive decks, so the community has love for it, too.
That means people played with it. It wasn’t sitting in binders or slabs waiting for the eventual day it’ll be sold. Players actively used this card, opening the Trainer’s Toolkit to use it in their decks, and add some flair to their playstyle with a Full Art card. While those who decided to store Pokémon cards away ultimately benefited, it’s nice to see a card grow valuable over time.
Do I think it’s worth $700? Probably not. Do I think that Dedenne will become a popular character like Umbreon, Pikachu, or Charizard? No, I don’t think so. This is a fan-favourite card that has simply shot up due to being exclusive, part of a beloved era, and some level of competitive nostalgia for the Sun & Moon / Sword & Shield era. Electric-type in a bottle, so to speak.
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