Old chase cards keep ripping while Base cards slip

Ancient Origins and Cosmic Eclipse surge, but Base-era names are still getting sold

The split market from yesterday didn't go away, it got louder. Big-name chase cards from mid-era sets like Ancient Origins and Cosmic Eclipse kept ripping higher, while a few old-school staples, especially Base-era names, continued to slide.

Collectors are still paying up for cards that look great in a slab and feel scarce in high grade. At the same time, sealed talk is getting more upbeat again, and that lines up with the strong expected value gap in sets like Shining Legends.

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Ancient Origins is having a real moment.

Primal Groudon jumped 146.54% over 30 days to $334.28, and Hoopa EX climbed 146.31% to $54.14. That's not random. Both cards fit the current buyer taste perfectly, flashy art, older EX-era nostalgia, and strong PSA 10 ceilings. Groudon's PSA 10 average sits at $4,133.33, which tells you buyers still want the best copies badly.

Cosmic Eclipse keeps pulling money back into Tag Team cards.

Mega Lopunny & Jigglypuff GX is up 147.25% in 30 days to $30.48, with a PSA 10 average of $257.63. That's a huge move for a card that was ignored for a long stretch. This looks like collectors circling back to character-heavy, fun artwork after spending the last year focused on the usual blue-chip names.

Base-era weakness is real, even with Charizard sentiment improving.

Base Set 2 Charizard fell 49.89% over 30 days to $500.12. Dragonair from Base Set dropped 49.76% to $17.94. That's the most important contradiction in today's data. Social chatter around Charizard holo copies is getting better, but prices haven't followed yet. That usually means sellers are still unloading inventory faster than buyers can absorb it.

Japanese vintage is still uneven.

Not every Japanese card is weak. Abra from Split Earth rose 148.14% to $26.00, and Will's Slowbro from VS climbed 147.24% to $39.00. But Light Azumarill from the Japanese Darkness, and to Light set dropped 49.64% to $15.55. The lesson is simple, Japanese buyers are being picky. Quirky character cards and low-pop slab targets are working. Lesser-demand names are not getting the same support.

Sealed sentiment is improving, and Shining Legends is backing it up with numbers.

Booster box sentiment improved on two separate trackers, with scores of 70 and 65 across 7 total mentions. Normally I'd call that a soft signal, but the pack EV data gives it teeth. Shining Legends is sitting at a 3.12x pack EV ratio with a 212% margin. That's strong enough to keep sealed product in collector conversations, especially for people deciding between ripping and holding.

Today's movers90 day trend

Primal Groudon, Ancient Origins, $334.28Primal Groudon · Pokemon Ancient OriginsNM$334.28PSA 10$4133.33+6.1%

This is the headline mover. A near-147% gain in a month is massive, even for a card with real scarcity. The PSA 10 average at $4,133.33 says elite copies are in a different universe. Raw buyers chasing gradeable copies are likely driving this. If clean raws dry up, this can hold higher than people expect.

Hoopa EX, Ancient Origins, $54.14Hoopa EX · Pokemon Ancient OriginsNM$54.14PSA 10$892.50+12.2%

Hoopa is moving with Groudon, but at a much cheaper entry point. That matters. When one card from a set spikes, collectors often move into the next best artwork or the more affordable chase. That's probably what's happening here.

Mega Lopunny & Jigglypuff GX, Cosmic Eclipse, $30.48Mega Lopunny & Jigglypuff GX · Pokemon Cosmic EclipseNM$30.48PSA 10$257.63+10.6%

Tag Team cards have been waking up again, and this one checks a lot of boxes, recognizable pair, playful art, and a set collectors already trust. At $30.48 raw versus $257.63 in PSA 10, the grading spread is still attractive if you can source clean copies.

Base Set 2 Charizard, $500.12

Down almost 50% in 30 days is ugly, no way around it. But improving Charizard sentiment matters here. This is one to watch for stabilization, not a blind buy today. If chatter keeps improving and listings thin out, a floor could form fast because it's still Charizard.

Misty's Cloyster 1st Edition, Gym Heroes, $26.47Misty's Cloyster [1st Edition] · Pokemon Gym HeroesNM$26.47PSA 10$419.59+5.4%

This is the kind of move that tells you collectors are hunting left-field vintage again. Up 146.47% in 30 days, with a PSA 10 average of $419.59. Not a trophy card, but exactly the sort of low-cost vintage slab target people chase when bigger names get expensive.

Grading spotlight90 day trend

Sylveon Reverse HoloSylveon [Reverse Holo] · Pokemon Cosmic EclipseNM$11.33PSA 10$390.00-2.8%

Raw copies average $11.33, while PSA 10 averages $390.00. That's a projected ROI of 780%, even with a modest 16.5% gem rate. This is not a bulk submission card, you need to be picky. But if you can inspect surface and centering well, the upside is excellent.

Clefairy Doll ShadowlessClefairy Doll [Shadowless] · Pokemon Base SetNM$14.42PSA 10$414.71+11.2%

Raw is $14.42, PSA 10 is $414.71, and projected ROI is 775% with a 19.7% gem rate. Shadowless nostalgia still sells, and trainer cards are getting more respect than they used to. This looks better than a lot of low-end holo submissions because the buy-in is so cheap.

Community Pulse

Sealed product talk is getting more positive, especially around booster boxes. The mention count is still small, 7 total mentions across the sentiment shifts, but the direction is clearly up. That's usually how a sealed move starts, first collectors talk about holding, then box prices start inching higher.

Starmie V and Team Rocket's Meowth also showed improving sentiment, though on just one mention each. That's not enough to call a trend. Charizard holo chatter improved across 3 mentions, and that's more interesting because it clashes with the recent Base Set 2 Charizard drop. When sentiment and price disagree, I usually trust price first, but keep the card on the watchlist.

Pokemon TCGAncient OriginsCosmic EclipsePrimal GroudonBase Set 2 CharizardShining LegendsPSA 10Pokemon card market

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