Price Trends: Pokémon Cards Climbing in Price - 09/01/2026
By Peter Day •
We want you to have the best information available when you price cards on the TCGplayer Marketplace. So to help you get the most from your inventory, we’ve put together a downloadable CSV report of Pokémon cards that have dramatically increased in Market Price in the past 30 days.
(Note: This report only considers Near Mint copies of cards with at least ten sales between Aug 1 and 30, 2026.)
Here are ten highlights from that report. First, we have the five cards that gained the most value in the past 30 days after starting with a Market Price of $50 or less.
Top 5 Price Increases—PKMN Cards $50 or Less
- Set: XY Promos
- Increase: +$12.45
- Current Market Price: $49.99
Sometimes the impact of a buyout takes a while to manifest.
Way back on Black Friday 2025, a massive buyout pushed the average number of copies of Gym Badge (Sabrina) per buyer up to 31.5 for the day. The card’s price remained stable at around $15, but the number of listings has never really recovered. So when this card had a slightly hotter month than usual in August, each individual sale pushed the card’s price higher.
- Set: McDonald's Promos 2018
- Increase: +$14.14
- Current Market Price: $37.99
Other times, a buyout is felt immediately. Somebody bought five copies of this McDonald’s promo on August 11, and its price rocketted up $10 overnight.
This card’s price is still in flux, partly because there are only four listings left on the Marketplace. In the past month there have been sales as low as $24 and as high as $139, with the lowest current listing at $40. It’ll take some time before the market can agree on a reasonable price for this card again.
- Set: SWSH: Sword & Shield Promo Cards
- Increase: +$17.31
- Current Market Price: $42.90
This promo Poké Ball was originally distributed in the (25th Anniversary) Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection. With 30th Celebration less than a month away, all the items from previous anniversaries are back in the public consciousness.
So, somebody bought 26 copies of this promo on August 8, and the card has been rising ever since.
#2 Sparkling Crystal - 129/131
- Set: Prize Pack Series Cards
- Increase: +$17.41
- Current Market Price: $24.67
The normal print of this card costs less than a dollar, but the #129 version from Prize Pack Series Eight specifically has all but evaporated from the Marketplace.
Note that the #142 version from Prize Pack Series Seven looks identical (besides its number), and can be had for $5. Either there’s a major difference in the scarcity of the #129 version, or the market has yet to correct itself.
#1 Lugia BREAK
- Set: XY - Fates Collide
- Increase: +$19.38
- Current Market Price: $44.30
The old BREAK mechanic came back on fans’ radars with the rumor that Greninja BREAK would be among the cards reprinted in the 30th Celebration Classic Collection. Possibly in response to that, Lugia BREAK saw a surge in purchases on August 9 that sent its price spiking from ~$25 to ~$45.
Next, these are the five cards that gained the most value in the past 30 days after starting with a Market Price over $50.
Top 5 Price Increases—PKMN Cards Over $50
#5 Gengar & Mimikyu-GX (Secret)
- Set: Team Up
- Increase: +$59.18
- Current Market Price: $458.72
Like so many other Gengar cards, this Rainbow Rare has been on a gradual upward trajectory for years as fans have reclassified Gengar as a Tier 1 Pokémon on the level of Pikachu and Charizard. It helps that this card has a modern feel but was still printed in 2019, before Pokémon’s recent expansions in printing capacity.
#4 Charizard
- Set: Base Set
- Increase: +$68.13
- Current Market Price: $868.56
While modern chase cards have largely retraced in recent months, vintage cards have held steady or grown. And it doesn’t get more vintage than the original Charizard. Even copies that don’t have the 1st Edition logo or the prestige of being “shadowless” are commanding real value as we approach 30th Celebration.
- Set: SM - Burning Shadows
- Increase: +$91.02
- Current Market Price: $698.31
Sales of this card have remained low and steady for years, so its teetering growth has been entirely organic.
#2 Mew
- Set: Southern Islands
- Increase: +$110.47
- Current Market Price: $578.20
Similarly, this Mew hasn’t seen any significant changes in demand in the past month, but it’s climbed anyway through sheer scarcity.
#1 Gengar & Mimikyu GX (Alternate Full Art)
- Set: Team Up
- Increase: +$177.09
- Current Market Price: $1,764.71
This card’s current climb began all the way back in November 2024, when it was “just” $320. It saw its first real dip in May this year, but it quickly recovered and kept on climbing to new all-time highs.
Gravity seems to work in reverse on Alt-Art Gengar & Mimikyu-GX—it just keeps going up at the same consistent pace.
By selling these cards online, you can reach a broad audience of customers who are willing to pay what these cards are truly worth. Download the August 2026 Price Trends Report to review every Pokémon card that went up in value this month. Then list those cards on TCGplayer so your inventory can do more for your business.
Download the Pokémon Price Trends Report
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