Pokemon released the 151 Ultra-Premium Collection (UPC) in October of 2023, and since we did a review of the Charizard UPC that came out the year prior, we thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at this one as well. Stick with us as we go over our thoughts on the set, the box itself, and some of the numbers that may or may not justify the purchase of the Pokemon 151 Ultra-Premium Collection in 2024 and going forward.
What Cards are in Pokemon 151?
We cannot start discussing the UPC without taking a quick dive into the Pokemon 151 set itself. As a 90s kid, I can't have been more excited for a set to focus on the Kanto region exclusively. Although we've seen parts of the original 151 rehashed in a number of different sets like Celebrations and Pokemon Go, Pokemon 151 is the first time all the original Kanto region Pokemon would be part of the same set. Even in the original base set you only got 69 original Pokemon, with the remaining Pokemon showing up in Jungle and Fossil sets.
Pokemon 151 is a large set, made up of 210 total cards. What is very cool about Pokemon 151, is the Pokemon are numbered in order of their Pokedex entry. This means Bulbasaur starts at #1 and Mew ends at #151. After #151, you have Trainer cards, Illustration Rare cards, Full Art Pokemon, Full Art Trainers, Special Illustration Rare Pokemon, Special Art Trainers, and Secret Rare Gold cards.
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Charizard exSpecial Illustration Rare #199 Check eBayCheck Amazon |
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Blastoise exSpecial Illustration Rare #200 Check eBayCheck Amazon |
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Venusaur exSpecial Illustration Rare #198 Check eBayCheck Amazon |
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Zapdos exSpecial Illustration Rare #202 Check eBayCheck Amazon |
Anyone who has enjoyed the Pokemon TCG for any amount of time can probably venture a solid guess as to which Pokemon 151 cards have the most value. The top 3 most expensive cards for the set are, as expected, the Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur Special Illustration Rare cards. Other sought after cards from the set include the Zapdos ex and Alakazam ex Special Illustration Rare cards, as well as the starter Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle Illustration Rare cards. There are several Full Art Trainers to look for as well like Erika and Giovanni, and of course a Pikachu Illustration Rare that is a fan favorite.
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Charizard exUltra Rare #183 Check eBayCheck Amazon |
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Alakazam exSpecial Illustration Rare #201 Check eBayCheck Amazon |
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CharmanderIllustration Rare #168 Check eBayCheck Amazon |
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SquirtleIllustration Rare #170 Check eBayCheck Amazon |
How Much is the Pokemon 151 Ultra-Premium Collection Worth?
Pokemon has created a number of different UPC boxes the past several years, and they often experience a good bit of price volatility as the market tries to figure out what they should be worth. This is reflected in the price history of the Pokemon 151 UPC, where at launch, it was performing well above the intended MSRP. Since then, it has come down in price and found more stability in the $100-$120 range.
Pokemon 151 UPC price history on TCGPlayer
Pokemon lists the MSRP of the Pokemon 151 UPC at $119, though if you keep an eye out on multiple sources you can definitely currently find this box for cheaper. We would recommend taking a look at eBay listings of reputable sellers, as well as checking TCGPlayer. Just make sure wherever you are looking to purchase, you are looking at brand new boxes from reputable sellers. Use the following links for quick searches:
Check eBay | Check TCGPlayer | Check Amazon | Check Walmart
What Comes in the Pokemon 151 Ultra-Premium Collection?
The Pokemon 151 UPC comes with quite a few components, including some of the coolest promos we've seen in a while. The full contents include:
- 3 special promo cards
- 1 etched foil promo card featuring Mew ex #053
- 1 etched foil promo card featuring Mewtwo #052
- 1 etched metal card featuring Mew ex #205
- 1 Pokemon 151 Mew playmat
- 1 deck box
- 1 metallic coin featuring Mew
- 6 damage-counter dice
- 2 plastic condition markers
- 16 booster packs from Pokemon 151
- A code card for the online TCG
The Pokemon 151 UPC is the latest product to feature a metal promo card. We've seen metal cards in previous UPCs, notably the Celebrations UPC which featured the metal base set Charizard and Pikachu, as well as the Arceus UPC, which featured the metal Arceus cards. These metal cards are an awesome addition to any collection. Note that you can pick up the Mew metal card on eBay for a very affordable price at the moment, which would make an awesome collection piece or gift.
Is the Pokemon 151 Ultra-Premium Collection Worth it?
To start off, we want to state that if you or a family member or friend would like having this box to enjoy opening, and the entertainment value is easily worth the price, then this section is nearly irrelevant. This is a very cool product, with cool promos, and a lot of packs from one of the best sets of the Modern Pokemon era. If you are buying this box for around $100, then your pack price is $6.25, which is close to the market value of these packs anyway.
Pokemon 151 booster pack price history on TCGPlayer
This is where we like to dive into the numbers to see if it makes sense financially to purchase the Pokemon 151 UPC. Collectors and Pokemon TCG enthusiasts have a lot of products to choose from, so if you are trying to make your collecting dollars go as far as possible, this is the section you may be interested in.
We will be assuming a sealed box price of $100. First, let's take a look at the value of some of the extra components. Assuming you would want to keep the 3 promos and the 16 booster packs, this leaves us with the UPC storage box, the playmat, and the accessories (dice, counters, deck box, etc.) that you may consider selling to bring your pack price down.
Taking a quick look at eBay, aside from the playmat, these components are not the easiest sell. The playmat tends to sell in the $7 range. If you add the components (deck box, coins, dice), then there are a few sold listings in the $15 range. Notably, the playmat weighs right around 10 oz, with the additional components bringing it to about 13 oz. This means that after packaging, you would likely be over the 16 oz limit for cheaper Ground Advantage shipping rates.
The UPC box itself is able to sell for a couple dollars plus shipping, so when factoring all these components together, we think a conservative valuation for what you could expect to earn after shipping and fees on eBay would be about $8. Many components would likely not be a quick sale, but there does seem to be enough sales data to support this value. Here is a summary of these values:
| Product | Weight | Estimated Value |
| Box Only | 16 oz | $2 |
| Playmat | 10 oz | $4 |
| Components | 3 oz | $2 |
Removing $8 from the price of $100 would bring us to $92 to compare the promos and packs against. Let's start with the promos.
How Much Are the Pokemon 151 UPC Promos Worth?
The Pokemon 151 UPC comes with 3 promos, the Mew ex #053, the Mewtwo #052, and the Mew ex #205 metal card. TCGPlayer market prices for these 3 cards are below:
| Promo Card | TCGPlayer Price |
| Mew ex #053 | $5.10 |
| Mewtwo #052 | $1.50 |
| Mew ex #205 | $2.90 |
This would bring the total price of these 3 promos to $9.50, bringing the cost of the packs themselves to $82.50, or $5.16. This would be a great pack price compared to the market already, but what if we grade the 3 promos instead? Would our odds be better or worse than selling them raw? Now we're talking!
It should be noted that grading your cards has no guarantee of a profitable return. There are many cases where grading your cards can result in a net loss, especially if your cards are in poor condition. This is why we like to look at the value of PSA 8s, 9s, and 10s, as well as the likelihood that the average submitted card would hit that grade. Because many submitters will vet their cards and only submit the best condition ones, it is likely that your odds are worse than the stated odds if you do not check the condition of your cards yourself. With that being said, let's jump into some numbers!
| Price | |||
| Promo Card | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Mew ex #053 | $55 | $22 | $18 |
| Mewtwo #052 | $55 | $18 | $12 |
| Mew ex #205 | $40 | $20 | $15 |
| Population | |||
| Promo Card | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Mew ex #053 | 34% | 55% | 11% |
| Mewtwo #052 | 28% | 48% | 24% |
| Mew ex #205 | 58% | 36% | 6% |
As you can see, these are not particularly easy cards to grade in a PSA 10, and getting any grade short of a 9 will result in losing money when you factor a ~$15 grading fee. If you grade 9s, you are pretty much breaking even with the raw price. If you are lucky enough to grade a 10, it would definitely bring the cost of your box down significantly. Surprisingly, the PSA pop reports suggest that the metal card is the easiest to grade of the 3, which would've been the opposite of our assumption, since metal cards have historically had a lot of factory issues.
You also have to factor the time it takes to grade and what the market might look like once your cards return. This could be either downside or upside potential, depending on how graded cards continue to perform in 2024. Recently we have seen large upticks in many modern graded chase cards, particularly from the Sword and Shield era.
The decision is entirely up to you, but our verdict is that these promos should not be submitted blindly. If you can vet your cards and think you have a strong contender for a 10, then it could be worthwhile to send one or two off for grading. In terms of risk/reward, this teeters towards the risk side.
Where Can I Buy the Pokemon 151 Ultra-Premium Collection?
As mentioned before, the Pokemon 151 Ultra-Premium Collection can currently be found across multiple stores and sites. We recommend starting with eBay and checking what reputable sellers are asking in price. You can check Amazon or Walmart but, just like eBay, be sure that you are only buying from reputable sellers. It can be harder to tell on Amazon and Walmart if your seller is legit. Finally, be sure to see what the lowest and market price on TCGPlayer is. You may be able to find a deal in any of these places, so be sure to shop around, and use our links for quick searches:
Check eBay | Check TCGPlayer | Check Amazon | Check Walmart
Final Thoughts
The Pokemon 151 UPC, similar to the previous UPC releases, is an awesome product. Whether your goal is pack ripping or displaying on the shelf, you really can't go wrong with this box. The Pokemon 151 set itself is an absolute fan-favorite from the past several years, so we would expect the value and enjoyability of this product to remain strong in the future. Because of an abundance of supply on the market, the Pokemon 151 UPC is obtainable under MSRP for the moment.
We decided to open a box in preparation for writing this article, and managed to pull the Blastoise ex and the Pikachu Illustration Rare from our box. Be sure to let us know your thoughts on the Scarlet & Violet Pokemon 151 UPC, and if you open one yourself, let us know how your pulls go in the comments below!
Want to see more Pokemon product reviews like this one? See what else we have reviewed here!