This is in relation to a complete PSA 10 1st edition Fossil and Jungle set.
I’ve seen that the Base Set 1st edition is priced at around the £100k mark (or more now, i’m not sure?)
Bearing that in mind, what’s the going rate for a complete PSA 10 1st edition Jungle or Fossil set?
Prices for individual cards on eBay are around £20 - £50 for the lower rarity ones whilst the holos are reaching a few £100.
Would a complete set warrant a higher price tag - and be more sought after?
Very intrigued to know this considering what Base Set 1st value is compared the Jungle and Fossil counterparts - even though they’re all, in effect, ‘rookie’ cards, hard to grade, and have a limited release with a coveted ‘1st’ stamp.
It would also be interesting to know what all other WOTC sets PSA 10 would go for (Team Rocket, Gym, Neo etc.)?
Any opinions on this would be much appreciated (especially as my sets are almost complete).
PWCC sold a PSA 10 complete fossil set last year, you can find it on their website auction history. It sold for about $4.5k if I remember correctly … so that would be the rough market value on that set. None of the cards have moved much in price since then that I know of so it shouldn’t have changed much +/-.
It actually sold for $4,050, which is a reasonable value when you add up the value of each card and the cost of buying everything at once. It can be even as low as $3,500 if you buy everything individually.
I think $7,000 is a good estimation for a complete PSA 10 1st Ed Jungle. The non holo set can be $1,000 or more and the holo set for $6,000. This also adds the cost of having the set complete.
Yes you can complete the set on your own for significantly less but buying the entire set as a whole would be close to this amount. The prices for complete PSA sets are alway significantly higher than buying everything individually.
Also recent non holo rares have been selling from 30 to almost $100. A complete Common/uncommon set is almost $700 but the holos have definitely been selling pretty cheap lately. When it came to holos I used the highest sold listing and added up everything.
$7,000 is a bit of a high ball but it would definitely go for somewhere in the 6k range complete and maybe in the 5k range if you buy everything separate at its cheapest.
Ehhh I don’t really see Jungle running for a premium though.
It’s just Jungle, definitely not on the same level as base 1st or even shadowless/unlimited in the eyes of collectors. In my experience Jungle, Fossil and Rocket holos tend to be harder to move compared to any variant of base.
Eh I’d say 1st Edition Jungle is above Base Set Unlimited, or at least on par with it. For example, you can still get most PSA 9 Base Set Unlimited holos for DIRT cheap. I’m talking under $30 (you’ll even see Raichu and Mewtwo fall under that category sometimes). In 1st Edition Jungle, you’re generally looking at $35 and up.
There are a couple of reasons why I don’t think the Jungle Set has really taken off yet, though:
1.) Availability. The Jungle Set was printed at Pokemon’s absolute peak. With the Base Set not having certain Pokemon (i.e. the Eeveelutions), people couldn’t wait for the next set so they could get their hands on species that they had not been able to add to their collection previously. As a result, the Jungle Set had a massive print run and was much more available than, say, the Gym or the Neo sets, which were released at a time when the Pokemon TCG had begun to decline.
2.) Market establishment. The Jungle Set won’t see its market completely established until we see the Base Set market do the same. The Shadowless market is still in its early stages of development, and while we have certainly seen price spikes for the set over the last couple of months, it’s still far from done growing. You can even argue that 1st Edition Base Set has not even fully planted it roots in the ground yet, as you still see PSA 10 versions of certain species go for $30-40, which I think is very low for the most legendary set in the entire hobby.
Once 1st Edition Base and Shadowless fully (or at least legitimately) establish themselves, then you’ll see Jungle start to take off, probably right alongside of Base Set Unlimited (or possibly after Unlimited; it remains to be seen).
And again, you can say things like, “well, the prices of Neo cards are through the roof and those sets were released after Jungle.” Well, yeah; that’s because they are far more scarce due to a much more humble print run.
This is all just my opinion, but I think those are the primary reasons why the Jungle Set has yet to explode. I think it’s absolutely a buyer’s market for that set right now (same goes for Fossil). Give it another year or two, and things will look quite different.
Thanks for your replies guys - as you’ve said, I think time will tell but given Pokemon’s explosion right now and what has happened to 1st Edition Base Set, as a collector i’d be trying (and i’m trying) to get ahead of the curve before you become priced out - like 1st edition Base Set right now - 1st ed. Charizard is beyond my financial realm.
Just a quick follow up or two -
I’m no expert, but surely logic dictates, and even from a collectors standpoint, 1st editions are inherently more valuable than unlimited counterparts? Personally, my ultimate goal as a collector is to complete all WOTC sets - 1st edition - at PSA 10. A big, and most likely an impossible task i know, but isn’t this the ultimate goal for all of us on some level?
I fully understand the current market for 1st edition Base Set / Shadowless - no arguments there - even smpratte mentioned in one of his videos that 1st edition base set are under valued too! and why he’s buying them up now left, right and centre.
But personally I think it goes further than that. The current market for 1st Edition Jungle and Fossil is bonkers too and they should be more sought after aswell - especially with them being rookie cards and part of the original 151 Pokedex.
Also, I understand that there are 64/62 cards in these sets - less cards = less total value. But they still have 16/15 Holo Rares. These alone should be making the set worth a minimum 10k? Why shouldn’t a complete PSA 10 1st edition Jungle and Fossil set be fetching 25k-30k or 10-15k on their own?
I’m also taking into account that many collectors cannot afford 1st edition Base Set cards at PSA 10 so they target the unlimited set, hence their price being what they are and its longer print run. But still, i personally believe 1st editions should carry more weight, regardless of print run.
How much disparity in the print run was there between 1st edition Jungle and Fossil Print and Base Set unlimited / Jungle Unlimited / Fossil Unlimited? Does anybody know what the print runs were at WOTC of each type and set - from 1st edition Base Set right through to Fossil unlimited(and beyond) - even rough estimates (no wild guesses)? These figures would go a long way to establishing a starting point for a card’s value…
I might be on my own here and looking too far down the road maybe, but I find it crazy that collectors and fans aren’t seriously looking at 1st Edition Jungle or Fossil just as much as Base - regardless of its print run. They have incredible artwork, 1st edition stamp, rookie card, part of original 151 Pokedex - what’s more to like or want?
I don’t know about you but i’m buying them now whilst they’re still affordable!
@thepokeone LOVE your Optimism for Jungle and Fossil!!!
Unfortunately, I cannot see your optimism turning into a reality… Sure, Jungle Set and Fossil Set were part of the original 151-Card Pokedex - both featuring / introducing some very popular cards / species (Flareon, Jolteon, Articuno, Dragonite, Moltres, Zapdos…). However, Base Set was (and always will be) THE FIRST! Just think-back to the original Pokemon Craze - nobody wanted to collect those now-popular cards from the Jungle and Fossil Series. EVERYONE knew about and wanted that elusive Base Set Charizard! Personally, when you take into account the “nostalgic” value of these cards; I can vividly remember opening Unlimited Base Set Booster Packs / Theme Decks. And while I did originally “collect” through Team Rocket, I don’t have those same vivid memories that I had with opening the original product.
Flipping to a more “investor” standpoint; I have been actively buying and selling on eBay since 2009. The 1st Ed. Jungle, Fossil, and Team Rocket have always been easily accessible - whether that is MINT Product or Sealed Product. There was never a point where the market “dried-up” and you couldn’t find multiple sources for Booster Packs / Boxes on eBay. However, the opposite is true with 1st Ed. Base! Sure, there were always a few loose Booster Packs / Boxes listed on eBay back when I first started-out; however, it has since severely dried-up! Even back in '09/'10 this product was not as accessible as 1st Ed. Jungle or Fossil.
It’s tough to compare 1st Ed. Base Set with 1st Ed. Jungle or Fossil. They’re truly two different animals and have always been as such. It’s a risky-move to say 1st Ed. Base is valued at $X whereas the very next Pokemon Set is only valued at $X - this must be the next set that’s going to pop! Nobody knows what’ll happen; however, I really think that we’re going to see this “spike” in-order: already saw it with 1st Ed. Base, now we’re seeing it with Shadowless Base, next we’ll see it with Unlimited Base - switching-over to the 1st Ed. Sets afterwards.
Not to discourage you or anything… Any WotC-Era Product - especially in high-grades - is a fairly safe investment if you’re willing to play the long-game.