On March 14, 2025, the “Pokémon Center Tohoku R Sticker Set” was released.
This is a region-exclusive item only available in the Tohoku area, making it unique compared to other Pokémon Center products. The design features traditional Tohoku festivals, giving it strong cultural and regional identity.
One key point is that these are card-sized stickers.
However, at the time of release, they didn’t receive much attention.
Most collectors were focused on the “Tohoku Pikachu Special Box,” and merchandise like this was largely overlooked.
Back then, I wasn’t running a blog yet, but I was active on Reddit.
I actually mentioned the potential of these stickers at the time… but unfortunately, it got completely ignored (no comments at all 😅).
Even then, I believed that card-sized stickers could eventually be graded by PSA, and that the combination of regional branding (Tohoku) and unique artwork would become valuable over time.
Fast forward to today the price of these stickers and PSA 10 copies has increased by over 80% in about one year.
(For reference: The Tohoku Pikachu Special Box was released on June 20, 2025.)
Of course, very few people buy items expecting them to increase in value from the start.
But just like trading cards, there is always a reason behind price growth.
For example, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Don Quijote collaboration card I introduced yesterday.
Most people are not familiar with the brand or the characters, but it had a limited print run (5,000 copies), and more importantly it’s something people initially think “What is this?”
Items like this tend to gain value over time.
We’ve seen similar patterns in Pokémon.
Cards like “Hamachan’s Slowking” or collaborations with entertainers were largely ignored at the time, especially from an investment perspective.
More recently, Hikakin one of Japan’s most famous YouTubers was featured on a Pokémon card.
Currently, it’s priced around $3.2, with lows around $2.
This card is still easy to obtain because it comes as a bonus in a magazine called “CoroCoro.”
However, I believe that in 3–4 years, it could easily reach 10–12x its current value.
Another important trend:
Items that are sealed with their original packaging (like magazines) tend to gain more value than the card alone.
In other words, the “background” matters just as much as the card itself.
Another example is the McDonald’s Pikachu card distributed on August 8, 2025.
Despite having one of the largest PSA populations ever:
- Total graded: 292,175
- PSA 10: 256,118
- Gem rate: 87.66%
…it is still actively traded and has recently started to rise again.
Personally, I don’t own PSA 10 copies but I do hold many sealed packs.
Most people focus on singles or graded cards, but sealed packs behave differently.
They are less affected by market fluctuations and tend to hold their value better.
More importantly, once opened, they can never return to their original state.
That means they preserve the exact moment of release a piece of history.
Because of this, I believe that in the long term, sealed packs may even outperform PSA cards.
To wrap up It’s not just about new items.
Sometimes, the most interesting opportunities come from:
- Older items
- Items with a story
- Things people ignored at the time
These are the pieces that become valuable later.
We don’t just sell products we share insights, ideas, and conversations with our customers.
Many people discover opportunities through these discussions.
If you’re not sure what to buy, feel free to reach out.
We’re happy to help you find the right items.
Instagram: @pokeshopjp
WhatsApp: Click here
Substack: Market updates & insights
(WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach us)
Shinobu 🇯🇵
HAKATA7 