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These The Best Vintage Pokémon Booster Boxes To Invest In…
If you’ve got some money to play with, and want to invest in sealed Pokémon boxes, this is the article for you.
I’m going to break down my top recommendations that I believe stand the best chance of long term growth.
Quick note – It goes without saying, I’m merely sharing my opinion. You are responsible for how you spend your money!
Big disclaimer out of the way, let’s jump into it!
1. 1999 Base Set
No list of the best Pokemon booster boxes would be complete without a trip in our time machine back to the first ever English set!
For many this is the ultimate collectors item, and whether you’re buying to keep sealed, or to open packs and relive your childhood, there are few items in the hobby that can bring as much joy as a 1999 Base Set booster box.
Plus the pull rate is actually very good, as 1 in 12 packs contains a holographic, which can make these investment pieces incredibly tempting to open!
In all honestly though, they’re worth much more sealed – now, and in the future.
Furthermore, as you may already know, there are multiple variants of this box; we have 1st Edition, Shadowless, Unlimited and even the 4th Print (which has gained recognition in recent times).
The prices of which vary massively – from approximately $15k all the way up to $250k!
This gives options for a variety of mid to high-end investors.
Ultimately though, Base Set is where it all began and will forever be desired by passionate collectors and savvy individuals looking to ride the Pokemon card wave long term.
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in Base Set
2. 2000 Team Rocket
Team Rocket is my favourite ever set – this is because it’s the only one I actually managed to complete as a kid!
I also love the ‘dark’ Pokemon and I think the menacing artworks are just fantastic.
Interestingly, it’s the first ever Pokemon set to include a secret rare card – the Dark Raichu #83/82.
Many other collectors I’ve spoken to love Team Rocket as well, and I think it has a lot of nostalgic value.
In my opinion it’s a great vintage booster box to obtain, available in 1st Edition and Unlimited printings.
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in Team Rocket
3. 2000 Gym Challenge
The Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge sets are both brilliant.
They feature Pokemon who belong to the key gym leaders at that time such as; Blaine, Sabrina, Giovanni, Erika, Misty, Brock, Lt. Surge, Koga and even some of Team Rocket’s Pokemon!
These kind of cards haven’t been repeated in the two decades since it’s launch, making these sets super unique.
The reason why I believe Gym Challenge has the slight edge is because of Blaine’s Arcanine #1 and Blaine’s Charizard #2. Both stunning artworks and highly valuable cards.
This set also has the beautiful Erika’s Venusaur #4 which is notoriously hard to grade in a 10, because of its large holofoil area.
Like Neo Destiny above, Gym Challenge has a 1st Edition print run and an unlimited print run, giving booster box collectors two price options to enter the market at.
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in Gym Challenge
4. 2002 Neo Destiny
Neo Destiny is one of the most popular sets throughout the whole Wizards of the Coast era.
This is because it contains 8 hyper rare ‘shining’ cards; Shining Celebi #106, Shining Charizard #107, Shining Kabutops #108, Shining Mewtwo #109, Shining Noctowl #110, Shining Raichu #111, Shining Steelix #112 and Shining Tyranitar #113.
Unlike normal holographic cards, only the character itself is ‘shiny’. The background is matte.
This gives a lovely silhouette effect of the Pokemon which has many dimensions as you tilt it towards the light.
Now when it comes to booster boxes, again they’re highly collectible and valuable.
But because Neo Destiny had a 1st Edition print run, going after an ‘unlimited’ print box will be the most cost-effective way to buy into this product.
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in Neo Destiny
5. 2002 Legendary Collection
Legendary Collection is probably the only set in Pokemon history where the reverse holo’s are more collectible than the actual holos!
This is because of their incredible ‘firework design’, where as you tilt the card into the light, the holofoil makes it looks as though fireworks are going off.
If you don’t own any of these cards, I recommend adding them to your collection – they’re so cool.
But with Legendary Collection only being released in the US, booster boxes are very hard to come by. As such, they’re in a similar price bracket to Skyridge (below).
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in Legendary Collection
6. 2003 Skyridge
Being the last ever printed set of the Wizards of the Coast era, Skyridge will always play a significant role in the Pokemon TCG’s history.
But we’re not just giving it a place on this list because of this – it’s position is well earned.
Skyridge has some of the most incredible artworks from the last 25 years…
In particular, the secret rare Crystal cards are as special as they come, with the most valuable being the Crystal Charizard #146.
With fewer and fewer sealed boxes in the wild these days, valuations usually exceed $50k.
But for a high-end collector looking to buy the best vintage booster boxes, it doesn’t get much better than Skyridge.
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in Skyridge
7. 2004 FireRed & LeafGreen
Although there are some brilliant sets in the Ruby & Sapphire era containing other Gold Star variants, I’m going to have to been selective here and go for FireRed & LeafGreen as my next pick.
If you’ve ever seen the holos from this set, you’ll know why! They simply look incredible and really add to the perceived rarity and value of the cards.
The big hits are the Blastoise EX #104, Venusaur EX #122, Gengar EX# 108 and Charizard EX #105.
This set also contains 3 beautifully designed legendary bird cards and a very cool secret rare Charmander Holo #113.
As you’ve probably noticed, the further we get down our list, the heavier the investment in sealed product becomes, but that’s always going to be the case as we make our way through vintage cards.
If you can afford it, a FireRed & LeafGreen booster box is one hell of a collector’s item!
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in FireRed & LeafGreen
8. 2004 Team Rocket Returns
If you’re a fan of the original Team Rocket set from 2000, you’re probably going to love Team Rocket Returns!
It has a lot of updated character artworks that look more like they’re out of a video game, than an artists hand.
We still have a lot of ‘dark Pokemon’ staying true to rocket’s roots, and even a redesigned Here Comes Team Rocket! #111 secret rare card.
But what makes this set magic are the three hyper rare gold star cards; Mudkip #107, Torchic #108 and Treecko #109.
Gold Star Torchic is the most valuable, as the fewest number of PSA 10’s exist.
The appeal of pulling such valuable cards makes this an incredibly desired booster box to obtain.
Also this set was released a good few years after the Wizards of the Coast era, so the volume of boxes printed was certainly a lot less in comparison to the buzz of 1999.
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in Team Rocket Returns
9. 2006 Holon Phantoms
Some of the most collectible cards from the naughties belong to the Holon Phantoms set – in particular, the Gold Star Mewtwo #103 and Gold Star Gyarados #103 (which features a unique red Gyarados).
This set also features some beautiful Mew artworks as well as some interesting Rayquaza cards.
As Holon Phantoms is only a 110 card set, that wasn’t heavily printed, it’s one of those boxes that gives the potential to pull something highly valuable – as such booster box prices in the market reflect this.
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in Holon Phantoms
10. 2007 Power Keepers
Power Keepers is a relatively small but awesome set featuring a Charizard Holo #6 (and reverse holo), as well as a super rare Gold Star Vaporeon, Flareon & Jolteon.
As you can imagine, with such valuable cards inside, booster boxes aren’t cheap!
But for serious collectors who have perhaps acquired all the WOTC era boxes they want, and are looking to move onto something new, Power Keepers offers a great eeveelution!
READ NEXT: 10 Best Pokémon cards in Power Keepers
Where To Go Next?
Read my guide on the best Pokemon packs to buy this year!
A Final Word!
Thank you so much for making it to the end of my article. I hope it’s given you a few ideas for your collection.
I just quickly wanted to reiterate that these suggestions are merely my opinion, and what I like spending my money on!
Card collecting is a hobby to be taken in any direction that you want. No one is right or wrong when the topic is subjective; simply collect the cards you enjoy and that bring you happiness.
