In the Pokémon TCG, everybody has favorites, especially when it comes to starter 'mons. Whether you choose Charmander (wrong), Bulbasaur (weird), or Squirtle (correct), you know all three are firm favorites among the fanbase. No wonder, then, that their cards from the First Partner Illustration Collection are selling for double the retail value of the sold-out booster box. Each, that is.
Every First Partner Collection pack contains three Illustration Rares of beloved starters. These might be the big Kanto three, but they could also hail from Sinnoh or Alola.
Sinnoh and Alola starter cards can sell for up to $10 on the secondary market (unless they're called Piplup, in which case you're looking at closer to $16). That pales in comparison to the Kanto starters, though.
Charmander #038 currently goes for around $36, Squirtle #039 goes for $32, and Bulbasaur #037 comes at $7 cheaper, averaging around $25 on the market. That value makes the Pokémon First Partner Illustration Collection pretty appealing at a retail price of $14.99 (if you can find one).
I'm going to put the jokes aside for a moment; that is ridiculous. For people like me who just want to collect all nine cards from Series 1, this puts them way out of a comfortable price range. All of this information is based on secondary market values, but it continues to prove that - going into the 30th Anniversary - things aren't going to be nice for those craving a nostalgia trip on a budget.
If money isn't a problem, though, you can go ahead and buy the Kanto promos (or any of the other Series 1 cards) at TCGPlayer. There are two more waves of Illustration Collections coming up, according to PokéBeach, so it's up in the air as to whether more Series 1 packs will be printed and coming to shelves. I really hope so, as I don't want to pay market price for them.
Speaking of the upcoming waves, if you want to be kept in the loop, I'd seriously suggest joining our Wargamer Discord. Not only will we ping you with the latest news of any expansions or those neat little extra products, but we'll also share any retail-priced or below-market listings, so you can keep collecting in this chaotic time.