The Pokemon 30th Anniversary series was originally designed to make it easier for players to pull shiny cards. With over 150 cards in the entire set, including 30 rare Pikachu cards, 30 classic cards, and over 20 illustration rare and special illustration rare cards. But after the card packs hit the market in large quantities, players started frantically searching for those “shouldn’t exist” misprint versions, turning printing accidents into another type of rare collectible.
Are People Actually Buying Misprint Cards?
Some misprint cards have already recorded actual sales. The Mew misprint version has multiple sales on Japanese Mercari, with prices reaching as high as 150,000 yen, and median sales around 56,000 yen (approximately NT$12,600 / HK$2,780 / RM1,560)—that’s 4 times the regular version’s 14,000 yen. Another Mewtwo misprint sold for a median of around 30,000 yen, also significantly higher than the regular version.
The Most Eye-Catching “Blood Dream” Hasn’t Sold Yet!
One of the most discussed items in the community is the misprint card players call the “Blood Dream.” The card shows a large abnormal red area, looking like the entire card was dyed red, which quickly went viral on social media. But the most important question remains: Currently there are only asking prices and discussions—no reliable actual sales records.
In other words, no matter how outrageous a price you see now, it cannot yet be considered a real market price.
Buyers Need to Watch Out for Fakes
Beyond the Blood Dream, the 30th anniversary series has also seen issues like image doubling, energy symbol misprints, red holofoil patches, and cutting abnormalities. What’s more troublesome is that the collectibles market has already seen suspected counterfeits, so players cannot simply see “misprint” and reach for their wallets. Pokemon has also not officially included these misprints as official card versions—the market recognition mainly relies on collectors, misprint experts, and appraisal agencies.