Following the release of Crown Zenith on January 20, the Sword & Shield era of the Pokemon TCG has come to a close - giving us an opportunity to discover what the most valuable cards of the era were!
Collectors will have done very well to pull any of these cards from booster packs, with the least valuable card in this list demanding a cool $165 USD according to TCG Player (approximately $237 AUD, and from here on we will be using AUD when mentioning prices)!
A combination of TCG Player market prices and recent eBay sold records have been used to create a ballpark figure regarding three attributes: value, highest amount the card has sold for and lowest amount the card has sold for.
The condition of the card should always be taken into account, as should the fact that some of the sold prices on eBay were in auctions, while others were 'buy it now'. Please also note that this list does not take graded versions of these cards into account.
This list is simply a collection of information that is freely available to anyone, compiled together both for entertainment purposes and a convenient guide for those who might not be aware of how valuable one of these cards are.
Also, the nature of trading card games in general means that this information is correct as of today - 22/1/23 - and might be incorrect in the future. If you are unsure when buying or selling a card, always do your research and seek advice from those experienced in the TCG world!
Without further ado, let's get the list started!
#10 - Espeon VMAX Alternate Art - Fusion Strike
TCG Player Market Price: $237 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $230.23 AUD (22/1/23), $187.06 AUD (22/1/23), $249.99 AUD (21/1/23)
Espeon VMAX kicks off our list with one of two entries from 2021 expansion Fusion Strike, and one of three of the ever popular Eeveelution Pokemon to feature in this top ten list!
#9 Leafeon VMAX Alternate Art - Evolving Skies
TCG Player Market Price: $237 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $192.50 AUD (20/1/23), $214.75 AUD (20/1/23), $200 AUD (20/1/23)
A successive Eeveelution entry into the list, Leafeon VMAX from Evolving Skies is valued almost the same as Espeon VMAX according to TCG Player. However, recent eBay sold prices indicate a lower demand; the last three sold well under their valuation.
#8 Gengar VMAX Alternate Art - Fusion Strike
TCG Player Market Price: $240 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $256.50 AUD (21/1/23), $237.80 (19/1/23), $350 AUD (16/1/23)
The second and final Fusion Strike entry comes from Generation 1 favourite Gengar! Valued slightly ahead of the previous two entries at $240 AUD, Gengar has demanded roughly around that mark on eBay - with a staggering exception from a purchase on January 16!
#7 Shiny Charizard V - Champion's Path
TCG Player Market Price: $245 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $259 AUD (18/1/23), $252.54 AUD (16/1/23), $300 AUD (21/12/22)
Avid collectors were undoubtedly wondering how long it would take for Charizard to make an entrance - so here you go! The much-maligned Champion's Path expansion from late 2020 features twice in this list, beginning here with Shiny Charizard V!
#6 Charizard V Alternate Art - Brilliant Stars
TCG Player Market Price: $250 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $229.51 AUD (21/1/23), $260 AUD (20/1/23), $244.61 AUD (20/1/23)
Charizard returns with a feature from fellow Generation 1 starter Venusaur in this edition from March release Brilliant Stars! There's still another 'Zard to go, though some might be surprised not to see this higher on the overall Sword & Shield list!
#5 Charizard VMAX Rainbow - Champion's Path
TCG Player Market Price: $255 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $239.59 AUD (1/1/23), $330.94 AUD (31/12/22), $273.40 AUD (30/12/22)
Although this completes a hattrick of successive Charizard cards, it is the last to feature in this list! For an era so heavily defined by Charizard, some may be surprised to know that as of writing there are four cards worth more money - some significantly more!
#4 Lugia V Alternate Art - Silver Tempest
TCG Player Market Price: $289 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $261.63 AUD (22/1/23), $256.29 AUD (21/1/23), $359.72 AUD (20/1/23)
Silver Tempest was headlined with this stunning Lugia V Alternate Art, a card currently worth close to three hundred dollars according to TCG Player. As valuable as the card is, the Japanese counterpart from Paradigm Trigger is somehow worth more than double!
#3 Giratina V Alternate Art - Lost Origin
TCG Player Market Price: $372 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $450 AUD (22/1/23), $355.95 AUD (21/1/23), $418.57 AUD (20/1/23)
Perhaps the most unique looking card on this list and in the Sword & Shield era in general, Giratina V from Lost Origin is simply stunning! Hundred dollar disparities between recent eBay solds suggests maybe no one knows exactly what Giratina V's worth is - but they all know that it's a lot!
#2 Rayquaza VMAX Alternate Art - Evolving Skies
TCG Player Marker Price: $398 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $360 AUD (17/1/23), $345 AUD (11/1/23), $500 AUD (8/1/23)
Evolving Skies returns with Rayquaza VMAX, my personal favourite from the list! The Dragon-type was initially the most valuable card from the set upon release. However, our next entry - and final - ascended to the peak of the Sword & Shield era without ever looking back!
#1 Umbreon VMAX Alternate Art - Evolving Skies
TCG Player Market Price: $678 AUD
Recent eBay Sold Prices: $700 AUD (22/1/23), $500 AUD (21/1/23), $300 AUD (19/1/23), $985 AUD (17/1/23), $760 AUD (14/1/23)
While it's likely that the order of ranking in this list could be incorrect even from tomorrow, it's safe to say Umbreon VMAX won't be going anywhere for a while!
To illustrate the madness surrounding this card, I've added a couple more recent eBay sold records. As you can see, the value of this single raw card is all over the place with one lucky eBayer securing a copy for $300! Let's all hope that it's a fair and smooth transaction because, as you can see from other listed purchases, that is a huge bargain!
Evolving Skies has three entries in this list and could easily have more depending on a few dollars here or there on the TCG Player Market Prices. It is easily the best Sword & Shield era set with the likes of Dragonite, Rayquaza and the Eeveelution Pokemon taking centre stage. All of that is topped off with this majestic artwork by KEIICHIRO ITO, the designer of the most valuable Pokemon card from the Sword & Shield era!
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