The Charizard Ultra Premium Collection was released on October 22, 2022, and quickly became a top Pokemon gift idea for Christmas and the Holiday season. Today we are doing a Product Spotlight on the Charizard Ultra Premium Collection. Is it still worth picking up in 2023?

How Much is the Charizard Ultra Premium Collection Worth?

The original MSRP of the Charizard UPC was $119. Due to the UPC having a much larger print run than collectors expected, the price would dip under MSRP on the secondary market. Not long after release, it was not uncommon to see stores unloading their inventory at around the $80 mark.

Now that we are almost a year out from the launch of the Charizard UPC, the box has seen a slight uptick in price to around the $100 mark. Let's take a look at what sort of value you can expect out of your Charizard Ultra Premium Collection and see if it's worth buying at the $100 price.

What Comes in the Charizard Ultra Premium Collection?

The Charizard UPC is packed with a considerable amount of value - but does it add up to the price tag? The UPC includes: 

• 16 Pokémon TCG booster packs from various Sword and Shield sets
• 3 special promo cards, including Charizard V, Charizard VMAX, and Charizard VSTAR
• 1 playmat featuring Charizard in Gigantamax form
• A pack of 65 card sleeves featuring Charizard in Gigantamax form
• TCG supplies, such as a metal coin, dice, metal condition markers, and a players guide
• A code card for Pokémon TCG Live

Some Charizard UPCs, such as the one we opened for this picture, contain 17 packs instead of 16.

By taking a look at the secondary market, we can get an idea of the value of the separate components to see if it adds up to the price tag. So what does everything in the Charizard Ultra Premium Collection sell for?

First, the open box with TCG components, including the Charizard playmat, sells for around $18 by itself at present time. 
Next, the pack of 3 sealed Charizard UPC promos has recently been selling for around $30.

This leaves us with the 16 included packs. With around $48 in value so far, this means our pack price to reach the $100 price tag is $3.25/pack. A booster box of 36 packs, for comparisons sake, would cost $117 with this pack price.

Notably, these are some of the best packs from the entire Sword and Shield era. So what packs are included in the Charizard UPC?

What Packs Come Inside the Charizard UPC?

Inside your Charizard UPC, although they can sometimes vary, you can expect to find:

• 3 Packs of Evolving Skies
• 3 Packs of Fusion Strike
• 3 Packs of Astral Radiance
• 3 Packs of Brilliant Stars
• 2 Packs of Lost Origin
• 1 Pack of Vivid Voltage
• 1 Pack of Darkness Ablaze

So what are the current prices of each of these Pokemon packs on the secondary market? 

Evolving Skies is the most valuable at present time, going for around $7/pack as the cheapest option we can find. 

All the other sets currently retail between $3 and $4 per booster pack, with an average around $3.50. This brings the value of the booster packs at time of writing to around $66. Combined with the $48 value from the open box and Charizard UPC sealed promos, this brings the total value of the Charizard UPC components to around $114. This is lower than the original MSRP, but higher than the current market price of the sealed box.

But let's take it one step further, for the sake of science. Let's say you decided to open the UPC promos and get them graded by PSA.

Should you Grade Charizard Promos from the Ultra Premium Collection? 

Current grading prices for these cards would be $15 each, bringing your cost to $145 ($45 grading fees + $100 UPC). When we don't factor the $30 in value from the UPC sealed promos, our value is about $84 before grading ($66 booster packs + $18 for accessories and empty box). Now we have to make up a $61 difference to break even. So what is the average value for each card in different grades? And what is the likelihood of receiving each grade?

And if we decided to grade our cards, would our value be higher than our costs based on these average populations?

Because collectors will usually vet their cards before sending to PSA, this means that you can't expect each promo to have a 30% chance of being PSA 10 condition out of the box. Thankfully, since the PSA 9 is near the breakeven (grading cost of $15 + retail value of $10 for the raw card), you actually have a decent shot of getting at least the break even retail value out of grading your Charizard UPC Promos.

That said, because of selling fees, shipping fees, and material costs, we would recommend only grading the promos you have closely inspected. If it looks 10 worthy, it may be worth getting it graded. We would avoid grading any with poor centering or noticeable flaws.

Is it Worth Buying the Charizard Ultra Premium Collection?

If you want to open the Charizard UPC to enjoy some of the best sets from the Sword and Shield era, get the 3 Charizard promos, and especially if you can get the Charizard UPC for under MSRP, we think this is still a great product to buy. It is also not a bad sealed collectible piece, since it displays well and features one of the most popular Pokemon of all time, Charizard. 

Where Can I Buy the Ultra Premium Charizard Collection?

Although you may not find the Charizard UPC in your local stores, The Charizard UPC is still readily available on the secondary market, and can be found on Amazon and eBay, and occasionally comes up for sale on different LGS websites. Our recommendation is to find a reputable seller on eBay or Amazon.

Final Thoughts