![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/21858d_8de266089fb542a6a596cf4d7497ed9d~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_560,h_315,al_c,q_80,enc_auto/21858d_8de266089fb542a6a596cf4d7497ed9d~mv2.jpg)
See the artwork on the left....awesome right? Our lucky Japanese collector friends would have managed to nab one set each from the release in November but a lot of international buyers were let down due to purchase restrictions. I had made two pre-orders well ahead of the release date and unfortunately both mine got cancelled. Hopefully some of you managed to get one, but if not, don't worry as there will definitely be a reprint coming next year around February time. You can still order these on the secondary market albeit at prices over £180 (excluding customs). Why are these so expensive you may ask, considering they were less than £50 to buy initially (4,640 Yen + taxes) ? Let's have a quick glance at what you get and it will be very obvious why such a high secondary market price tag.
![](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/21858d_bebd82bbfa304e6085e7cbcae1480a02~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_980,h_980,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/21858d_bebd82bbfa304e6085e7cbcae1480a02~mv2.png)
Referring to the picture above, each box contains:
3x Rebellion Crash packs
3x Infinity Zone packs
3x Astonishing Volt Tackle packs
3x Explosive Walker packs
3x Legendary Heartbeat packs
4x Shiny Star V packs
1x Promo card 145/S-P "Milotic" (Mirrorfoil)
1x Promo card 146/S-P "Sobble" (Mirrorfoil)
1x Promo card 147/S-P "Kanazawa's Pikachu" (Mirrorfoil)
1x Card Storage box
1x Deck Sleeves Kanazawa store opening commemoration
Let's break the value down to really understand the value of this box 4 x Shiny V packs = £36 (£9 x 4)
Pikachu Promo = £120
Sobble Promo = £40
Milotic Promo = £50 Deck Sleeves = £10
Just the items above work out to over £250 alone on the secondary market. Is it worth it though? Well, is it worth it is the question we often get asked.
Not everyone collects Japanese sets and not every has Pikachu as their most favourite pokemon. From that perspective, it would probably not make sense to pay a premium to get hold of this and use the money instead on English sets. From an investors perspective, yes you are paying a huge premium now but just look at all the other Pokemon centre exclusives - all have rocketed in price.
I have actually ordered a box from Japan at around the £200 price mark (please let the customs gods be nice to me!). However, I will be adding a few more to my personal collection when reprints become available at a lower price point.
We at Alpha Toys have made a decision not to pursue bulk Japanese Pokemon TCG purchases until our customers want us to. We're growing and we want to stock what we know our customers want. Till next time...adios amigos
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