PSA Commits $200 Million Investment Amid Grading Demand 💵, Trainer’s Challenge Set Mew Kit Sells $10.1k 🫧, PSA 10 Skyridge Charizard Holo Sells $100k 🔥, Sky-Splitting Deoxys Half-Decks Factory-Sealed Box Sells $106k 🦠

🔵 PSA Announces $200 Million Investment Amid Record Grading Demand

PSA announced a $200 million investment from parent company Collectors over the next 18 months, focused on doubling its physical footprint, advancing logistics tech, and adding roughly 1,000 new team members (370 open and ~700 more by year-end). PSA graded 2 million cards in 2020 versus 19 million in 2025, and 2026 is currently running on a 39% year-over-year pace, with global daily throughput growing from around 15,000 cards in 2021 to roughly 90,000 today.

Alongside the announcement, turnaround estimates were shifted to ranges across all service levels effective May 14, 2026. Value Bulk moved from 95 business days to 140 to 160 business days with a new 50-card minimum starting May 18 (up from 20), Super Express increased from $299 to $349 per card, and active Collectors Club memberships were extended by three months at no cost.

(Source: PSA)

🔵 Pokemon Footbath Opens in Wakura Onsen to Support Noto Recovery

The Wakura Pokemon Footbath opened on May 12 inside Yuttari Park in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, developed in collaboration with the Pokemon With You foundation. The 15-meter footbath uses natural hot spring water from Wakura Onsen and features Pokemon sculptures throughout, a Gyarados hot water spout, and shoji-style windows decorated with Pokemon artwork, with views looking out toward Nanao Bay.

The project supports recovery from the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, which forced widespread closures across Wakura Onsen, including a period when every inn in the hot spring town was temporarily shut down. The facility is free and open daily from 7 AM to 7 PM, and ties into the broader Poke Lids manhole cover initiative across northern Noto.

(Source: Tokyo Weekender)

🔵 Magic: The Gathering Cards Found Misprinted With Pokemon Energy Symbols

A Reddit user opened a Lorwyn Eclipsed Commander precon and pulled a Path to Exile misprinted with Pokemon energy symbols stamped upside down on the card. A second user posted a similar but fainter set of Pokemon energy misprints from their own ECL precon, suggesting more than one isolated incident.

The two franchises have crossed paths before, including faint Pokemon logo misprints on Japanese foils from The Brothers' War and a 1998 uncut test print sheet featuring promo Blastoise alongside Magic cards that sold at Heritage Auctions for $375,000. Wizards of the Coast handled English Pokemon TCG printing from 1999 to 2003.

(Source: Draftsim)

🔵 Trainer’s Challenge Set Mew Kit Sells for $10.1k

The Trainer's Challenge Set was a 2006 English-only product that came in two deck variations: a Plusle and Minun pairing or a Latias and Latios pairing. Both variations include the Mew #040 Nintendo Black Star Promo, with the deck contents being the only difference between them. This sale is the Plusle and Minun variation.

Sealed Type - Year: Trainer's Challenge Set (Plusle and Minun variant), 2006 Trainer's Challenge Set (Plusle and Minun variant) - 2006
Contents: Plusle and Minun half decks, EX series booster pack, Mew #040 Nintendo Black Star Promo
Sales History: Direct sealed comps are scarce. The closest data point is an opened Latias and Latios variation that sold for $300 in April 2026, but that is opened and a different deck pairing, so not directly comparable.

🔵 Pokemon Center Ascended Heroes ETB Sells for $520

This is the Pokemon Center exclusive variant of the Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes ETB, released February 20, 2026. The Pokemon Center version contains 11 booster packs instead of the standard 9, and includes two full-art N's Zekrom promos rather than one, with the second promo carrying the Pokemon Center stamp.

Sealed Type - Year: PC ETB - 2026
Contents: 11 Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes booster packs, 2 full-art N's Zekrom promos (1 with PC stamp), accessories
Sales History: Lot sales around release in February 2026 averaged ~$246 to $250 per box (~+108% vs current).

🔵 PSA 10 Skyridge Charizard Holo Sells for $100k

The 2003 Skyridge Crystal Charizard is the secret rare chase card of the final e-Card era set, slotted at 146/144.

Singles Type - Condition: Graded - PSA 10
Set Name - Year: Skyridge - 2003
Sales History: PSA 10 copies sold in the $15k to $16.5k range across mid-to-late 2024 (~+500% vs current).

🔵 PSA 10 Ooyama Pikachu Sells for $8.2k

The 1998 Japanese Vending Series 3 set was distributed as uncut card sheets via vending machines in Japan.

Singles Type - Condition: Graded - PSA 10
Set Name - Year: Vending Series III - 1998
Sales History: PSA 10 copies sold in the $600 to $737 range across September 2024 (~+1,100% vs current).

🔵 Sky-Splitting Deoxys Half-Decks Factory-Sealed Box Sells for $106k

Listing

The 2004 Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Sky-Splitting Deoxys was a Japanese-exclusive half-deck tied to the Destiny Deoxys film. Each blister contains the lenticular Sky-Splitting Deoxys card, the first and only lenticular card ever released in Japan. This factory-sealed box holds 10 blisters plus one additional unopened blister.

Origin Source - Year: Movie Commemoration VS Pack: Sky-Splitting Deoxys (Japanese Pokemon Center exclusive), 2004
Sales History: Sealed box comps are essentially non-existent. Individual sealed blisters sold for $1,625 in June 2025 and $9.3k in May 2026, roughly a 5x jump over the past year.

🔵 Sealed Masaki Promo Gengar in Distribution Envelope Sells for $10,980

The 1999 Masaki Promo set was distributed through a Media Factory mail-in campaign. Participants sent in a pre-evolution card (Haunter, Graveler, Machoke, Kadabra, or Omanyte) along with a Bill's PC card to receive the holo evolved form. This example is unusually preserved with the card still inside its original paper holder and mailing envelope, accompanied by the Japanese-language thank-you message.

Origin Source - Year: Masaki Promo (Media Factory mail-in campaign), 1999
Sales History: No direct comps exist for the full distribution package. Raw PSA 10 Masaki Gengar copies sold for $14k to $14.5k across late 2024 and May 2025 (~+30% vs current), though those reflect the card alone without the original envelope and thank-you note.