Part of what makes thePokemon Trading Card Gameso accessible for all is the wide range of products and ways to enjoy the cards. Whether you just collect your favorite Pokemon or enjoy playing the game casually, there is always something for everyone to pick up.
TheSword & Shield eraintroduced alternate art cards along with many now-beloved staples of the TCG. This era felt like one of the TCG’s very best and the premium collections were no exception, being the greatest way for fans to pick up any of the fantastic expansions and, these collections have become some of the most desired.
10Sea & Sky Premium Collection – $145.95
A Legendary Set
While this collection was technically released during the Scarlet & Violet era, it only contained Crown Zenith packs and V cards, making it one of the final releases of the Sword & Shield era and giving Crown Zenith one final push. This collection has a focus on the two Generation Three icons, Kyogre and Rayquaza, but is strangely missing Groudon to complete the trio.
Crown Zenithis one of the best special sets in the Sword & Shield era, with both fantastic pull rates and a brilliant subset called the Galarian Gallery, which contains 70 gorgeous art rare cards, including some of the era’s most valuable. If you have yet to open any Crown Zenith, this collection is an amazing way to do so, as it gives you a whopping 14 packs of pure crowning glory for a decent pack-to-price ratio.
9Pikachu & Zekrom GX Premium Collection – $146.62
Electrifying Power
You may, at first glance, think that this is a Sun & Moon era collection due to the inclusion of a GX card rather than a V. However, this box was released randomly in the Sword & Shield era to finally give us an English print of a beautiful card we never got. Many premium collections are just made to give an excuse to release promo cards in English, and this box is no exception, giving us the final Sun & Moon promo.
The Pikachu & Zekrom GX card included was originally from the final Japanese Sun & Moon era set, Tag All-Stars, but in the English version of the expansion,Cosmic Eclipse,it was seemingly left out. As the Sword & Shield era continued on, this card felt like it would never be printed in English, but this box luckily gave it to us out of the blue.
8Heavy Hitters Premium Collection (Fall 2023) – $146.97
This strange premium collection got reprinted out of nowhere during the first year of the Scarlet & Violet era, containing some of the final stock of Sword & Shield era expansions. The Heavy Hitters collection has a theming around Lucario and Tyranitar and gives you two V and two holo rare cards alongside some coins and late Sword & Shield era packs.
We often see collections like this come out in the next era as a way for The Pokemon Company to clear any leftover stock of the old expansions. These always have cobbled-together theming and a random assortment of packs and this Heavy Hitters one is the perfect example of that. Tyranitar and Lucario have nothing in common, and they aren’t even good cards to be worthy of this “Heavy Hitters” title.
There are two versions of this Heavy Hitters box, each of which has a different pack selection and included cards and they each go for separate prices due to their availability being vastly different.
7Reshiram & Charizard GX Premium Collection – $172.60
Flaming Fury
This ancient box contains a relic of the Sun & Moon era that was released amid the Sword & Shield era to finally catch the English TCG up with a card that fans had been begging for the release of. The gold Reshiram & Charizard GX card is a stunning card that
Containing an exclusive promo card featuring the ever-popular face of the TCGs market, Charizard instantly makes this collection much more valuable than any other before, even considering the rest of the contents. This collection also has some packs from Sword & Shield’s best expansions, making it one of the better, cheaper boxes of the era.
6Eevee Evolutions Premium Collection – $172.74
An Eevee Paradise
While many premium collections just feel like booster pack collections with a single promo card to sweeten the deal, this Eevee Evolutions collection has much more to offer. This box comes with a ton of Eevee promo V cards, with nine in total, one for each Eeveelution.
In the modern era of Scarlet & Violet, the expansion Prismatic Evolutions has shown how popular Eevee-focused products in the TCG can be, and this premium collection was equally as popular back when it released. It remains popular as one of the best collections in terms of the sheer quantity and quality of the cute promo cards.
5Sword & Shield Ultra-Premium Collection - Zacian & Zamazenta – $176.98
The Crowned Sword And Dauntless Shield
This ultra-premium collection was released right in the middle of the Sword & Shield era and commemorated it with a prestigious collection fitting of the legendary royal heroes Zacian and Zamazenta. Containing two gold and black promos of the two crowning box art legends, this box is an extravagant masterpiece that will make your collection look regal.
With deck sleeves, damage counters, status markers, and a fancy drawer-like storage container to keep your collection in, this box has both class and quality with its stunning gold and black design that just looks phenomenal. While Sword & Shield’s first few expansions weren’t the best, this collection makes them feel like royalty and is a Galarian royal treasure for any collector.
4Arceus VStar Ultra-Premium Collection – $194.96
Heavenly Designed Elegance
Arceus is the creator of the Pokemon universe, and so it’s only fair that it gets an ultra-premium collection of its own. This box includes a bunch of divine packs and items like a play mat and damage counter dice that feel even more premium than any other collection, thanks to Arceus' intervention with the design team.
This was actually one of the first collections to solidify the ultra-premium collection name and concept, which is fitting for Arceus to be the face of. With two solid metal cards included of Arceus V and VStar, this collection is a heavenly set of astral designs and accessories that can put other ultra-premium collections to shame, as they cannot compare to the might and style of Arceus.
3Vaporeon/Jolteon/Flareon VMAX Premium Collection – $221.64-$196.33
Three Iconic Collections
These premium collections were near impossible to get your hands on at release, and they have now become valuable collectors' items that any Eevee fan needs. With the hype around Eevee and its Eeeveelutions because of the wonderful set,Evolving Skiesgiving some stunning alternate art versions of them, these boxes were released, and fans went crazy over them for the wonderful promos they included.
The three versions of these boxes each focused on one of the Generation One Eeveelutions, Vaporeon, Jolteon, or Flareon, and come with two exclusive alternate art promos of a V and VMax for each box. These promo cards are just as beautiful as the other Eeveelution cards from Evolving Skies, and they are the reason these boxes are some of the most valuable, as anything Eevee-related always tends to be.
The exact prices for each version of the collection are as follows:
2Sword & Shield Ultra-Premium Collection: Charizard – $303.92
The Pokemon Company’s Favorite
The TCG is notorious for creating card after card for its most iconic mascot, Charizard, and the products are no exception, with countless Charizard-centered collection boxes that are perfect for collectors. However, none have ever been as prestigious as this Ultra-Premium collection, which contains not only a luxurious array of accessories but also three detailed Charizard promo cards.
This box, while being one of the most premium products of the era, was very overpriced at release, and before scalpers got to it, you could almost find it anywhere, with stores having to slowly reduce the price to get it off the shelves. Now that it is an older product, this premium collection is actually worth picking up as it is still one of the best, and who can say no to a bunch of premium Charizard-themed items?
1Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection – $467.29
The Ultimate Collection
Celebrations was released to celebrate the TCG’s 25th anniversary and features reprints of classic cards in their untouched retro glory alongside a bunch of legendary Pokemon with unique stamped cards. This set is a love letter to the TCG, and this ultra-premium collection contains even more fan service.
Inside this box, there are a ton of high-quality items. Some of the highlights are metal reprints of the iconic Base-set Charizard and Pikachu, which go for ridiculous prices, as well as a unique golden Pikachu V and Poke Ball item card. Alongside these, there are a bunch of Celebrations packs, as well as some packs of Sword & Shield’s best, making it the ultimate Sword & Shield collection.
