What Is the First Partner Collection?
The First Partner Collection 2026 is the Pokémon 30th Anniversary product that put every starter Pokémon — all 27 across nine generations — onto clean illustration-style promo cards with region-themed backgrounds. It shipped in three staggered series through 2026, each covering three generations:
- Series 1 (late March 2026) — Kanto, Sinnoh, Alola (cards #037–045)
- Series 2 (late June 2026) — Johto, Unova, Galar (cards #046–054)
- Series 3 (early August 2026) — Hoenn, Kalos, Paldea (cards #055–063)
The cards drew a lot of interest at launch — nostalgia, a complete-the-set hook across all nine regions, and 30th-anniversary hype all pulled buyers in. That interest is exactly why the price story is worth telling: a set that everyone wanted at release has spent the months since giving almost all of it back. This page tracks what actually happened to prices and to available supply, starter by starter.
How We Tracked the Trend
Two data sources sit behind every number here:
- Price trend — daily ungraded (loose) market prices for all 27 promos, from each card’s first tracked day through 5 September 2026. “Launch” is the first recorded market price after the card hit the secondary market; “Now” is the 5 September price. Series 1 has ~5 months of history, Series 2 ~10 weeks, and Series 3 ~4 weeks.
- Supply / quantity — a live snapshot of active TCGPlayer listings for each card on 5 September 2026, including the lowest asking price versus the tracked market price.
Because Series 2 and 3 have shorter histories, treat their percentage drops as early trajectory, not a settled floor — the direction is unambiguous, but the exact bottom is still forming.
Price Trend Since Launch: All 27 Starters
The pattern is brutal and consistent: 24 of 27 starters are down from launch, most of them 40–90%. Averaged per card, Series 1 is down about 42%, Series 2 about 80%, and Series 3 about 56% — roughly a 60% haircut across the whole collection. The table shows each starter’s launch price, current price, change, and current TCGPlayer supply.
| Series 1 — Kanto · Sinnoh · Alola (tracked since late March 2026) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card | Launch (USD) | Now (USD) | Change | Listings |
| Bulbasaur #37 · Kanto | $27.99 | $27.43 | -2% | 3 |
| Charmander #38 · Kanto | $41.99 | $34.98 | -17% | 9 |
| Squirtle #39 · Kanto | $41.44 | $27.57 | -34% | 4 |
| Turtwig #40 · Sinnoh | $32.00 | $6.16 | -81% | 12 |
| Chimchar #41 · Sinnoh | $49.99 | $7.22 | -86% | 9 |
| Piplup #42 · Sinnoh | $9.81 | $12.25 | +25% | 8 |
| Rowlet #43 · Alola | $12.18 | $5.50 | -55% | 9 |
| Litten #44 · Alola | $12.50 | $6.48 | -48% | 9 |
| Popplio #45 · Alola | $33.35 | $5.69 | -83% | 9 |
| Series 2 — Johto · Unova · Galar (tracked since late June 2026) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card | Launch (USD) | Now (USD) | Change | Listings |
| Chikorita #46 · Johto | $99.03 | $9.25 | -91% | 6 |
| Cyndaquil #47 · Johto | $95.00 | $10.96 | -88% | 8 |
| Totodile #48 · Johto | $90.00 | $11.23 | -88% | 6 |
| Snivy #49 · Unova | $14.99 | $5.63 | -62% | 8 |
| Tepig #50 · Unova | $49.99 | $4.99 | -90% | 8 |
| Oshawott #51 · Unova | $34.99 | $8.50 | -76% | 10 |
| Grookey #52 · Galar | $35.00 | $5.39 | -85% | 10 |
| Scorbunny #53 · Galar | $16.98 | $5.43 | -68% | 8 |
| Sobble #54 · Galar | $14.99 | $4.08 | -73% | 11 |
| Series 3 — Hoenn · Kalos · Paldea (tracked since early August 2026) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card | Launch (USD) | Now (USD) | Change | Listings |
| Treecko #55 · Hoenn | $50.00 | $10.29 | -79% | 4 |
| Torchic #56 · Hoenn | $15.50 | $11.87 | -23% | 4 |
| Mudkip #57 · Hoenn | $32.50 | $19.85 | -39% | 5 |
| Chespin #58 · Kalos | $10.99 | $5.43 | -51% | 4 |
| Fennekin #59 · Kalos | $39.99 | $6.27 | -84% | 3 |
| Froakie #60 · Kalos | $30.00 | $8.34 | -72% | 4 |
| Sprigatito #61 · Paldea | $12.45 | $7.84 | -37% | 3 |
| Fuecoco #62 · Paldea | $15.95 | $7.95 | -50% | 3 |
| Quaxly #63 · Paldea | $19.60 | $6.13 | -69% | 3 |
(Prices are ungraded market values via PriceCharting; listings are live TCGPlayer counts as of 5 September 2026. Prices move fast — verify before buying or selling.)
Buy First Partner Collection on TCGPlayer
The Winners & the Wipeouts
Two very different stories hide inside that 60% average.
| Held Value | Change | Now | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piplup (Sinnoh) | +25% | $12.25 | The only card up from launch — penguin-fandom demand |
| Bulbasaur (Kanto) | −2% | $27.43 | Round-tripped: ran to ~$57 in May, then back to launch |
| Charmander (Kanto) | −17% | $34.98 | Most valuable card in the set — Charizard halo |
| Torchic (Hoenn) | −23% | $11.87 | Best-holding Series 3 card so far |
| Squirtle (Kanto) | −34% | $27.57 | Completes the Kanto trio that anchors the set |
| Wiped Out | Change | Launch → Now | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chikorita (Johto) | −91% | $99.03 → $9.25 | Launched on peak hype; biggest fall in the set |
| Tepig (Unova) | −90% | $49.99 → $4.99 | No sustained demand behind the launch price |
| Cyndaquil (Johto) | −88% | $95.00 → $10.96 | Same Johto spike-and-dump as Chikorita |
| Totodile (Johto) | −88% | $90.00 → $11.23 | Completes the Johto crash trio |
| Chimchar (Sinnoh) | −86% | $49.99 → $7.22 | Biggest Series 1 faller — hype without a fanbase |
Key Findings
- The whole set is a falling knife. Every series trended down since release; the average starter lost about 60% of its launch value.
- Kanto is the only real anchor. Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are the three most valuable cards and the only ones still holding near or above $27.
- Later series launched more inflated and fell harder. Series 2 Johto cards debuted at $90–99 and gave back ~90%. The higher the launch hype, the deeper the drop.
- Piplup is the lone riser (+25%), the one starter where demand outran the initial price.
- Supply is thin but cheap. Most cards show only 3–12 listings — this was never a mass-oversupplied set, yet prices fell anyway as launch demand evaporated.
- Graded value survived where raw value didn’t. PSA 10 copies of the crashed cards still carry 14x–25x premiums over raw.
Quantity & Supply: Who Is Drying Up
A falling price usually means a flood of sellers — but First Partner never had huge supply to begin with. On 5 September, most starters showed only a handful of active TCGPlayer listings, and the interesting signal is where the thin supply sits:
- Kanto and newest Series 3 cards are the scarcest — Bulbasaur (3 listings), Fennekin/Sprigatito/Fuecoco/Quaxly (3 each), Squirtle and several Hoenn/Kalos cards (4–5). On many of these the lowest asking price sits above the tracked market price, a sign sellers are holding firm rather than racing to dump.
- The rock-bottom bulk carries the most listings — Turtwig (12), Sobble (11), Oshawott and Grookey (10 each). These are the cards that fell 73–85%, and they’re also the easiest to find, so there’s little reason to expect a bounce.
Thin supply did not save prices. First Partner fell on collapsing demand, not oversupply — so the cards that held (Kanto, Piplup) did it on genuine fandom, and the cheap cards are cheap because nobody is chasing them, not because they’re everywhere.
Where Value Survived: PSA 10 Premiums
The one place the money didn’t evaporate is graded gem-mint copies. Raw Series 2 cards crashed to $4–11, but their PSA 10 counterparts still trade for a big multiple — because far fewer people bothered grading a promo that had already fallen. That gap is the real opportunity in the set.
| Card | Raw (USD) | PSA 10 (USD) | Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Totodile (Johto) | $11.23 | ~$282 | ~25x |
| Sobble (Galar) | $4.08 | ~$104 | ~25x |
| Tepig (Unova) | $4.99 | ~$115 | ~23x |
| Snivy (Unova) | $5.63 | ~$126 | ~22x |
| Cyndaquil (Johto) | $10.96 | ~$204 | ~19x |
| Chikorita (Johto) | $9.25 | ~$161 | ~17x |
| Bulbasaur (Kanto) | $27.43 | ~$122 | ~4x |
Note the inversion: the cheapest raw cards carry the highest grading multiples. A $4–11 Series 2 card in a PSA 10 holder is worth $100–280, while the already-expensive Kanto cards only roughly quadruple. If you own clean copies of the crashed starters, grading — not the raw single — is where the upside is. Series 3 is still too new for a reliable PSA 10 market to have formed.
Buy, Hold, or Flip?
Buy (as singles) if:
- You want a specific starter for a collection — most are $4–12 now, far cheaper than launch and cheaper than opening packs to chase one.
- You want the Kanto trio or Piplup as the set’s genuine value anchors and are happy holding long term.
- You can source clean, gradable copies of the crashed Series 2 cards — the raw is cheap and the PSA 10 premium is large.
Hold if:
- You already own Kanto or Piplup — they’ve found a floor and are the least likely to keep sliding.
- You have PSA 10 copies — graded value has held while raw collapsed.
Don’t flip / don’t chase through packs if:
- You’re hoping the crashed cards bounce — thin supply hasn’t supported them, and demand, not supply, is the problem.
- You’re tempted to open sealed product for a specific card — with the set down ~60%, buying the exact single is almost always cheaper than the expected cost of hitting it.
The honest bottom line: the First Partner Collection was a launch-hype set, and the hype is gone. As a whole it’s down about 60% and still drifting, so treat it as a collector product, not an investment. If you love a particular starter, now is a far better time to buy the single than launch week was — you’re buying near the floor instead of near the top. Anchor a collection around the Kanto trio and Piplup, grade the cheap Series 2 cards if they’re clean, and skip sealed product unless you just want to open it for fun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are First Partner Collection cards a good investment?
As a set, no. Across all 27 starter promos the average card is down roughly 60% from launch, and every series has trended down since release. Only the Kanto trio (Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle) and Sinnoh Piplup held meaningful value. Buy them because you like the cards, not to flip.
Why did the Johto First Partner cards crash so hard?
Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile launched into peak 30th-anniversary hype at $90–99 each and had nowhere to go but down. As supply caught up over the following weeks all three fell about 88–91% to the $9–11 range — the clearest launch-week spike that never held.
Which First Partner starters held their value best?
The Kanto trio anchored the set: Bulbasaur is roughly flat from launch (about $27), Charmander is the single most valuable card at around $35, and Squirtle sits near $28. Sinnoh Piplup is the only card in the whole collection actually up from launch (about +25%). Everything else is down 40–90%.
How many First Partner cards are still available on TCGPlayer?
Supply is thin — most starters show only 3–12 active listings. The scarcest are the Kanto and newest Series 3 cards (3–5 listings each), where the lowest asking price often sits above the tracked market price. The flooded, cheapest cards (Turtwig, Sobble, Oshawott) carry the most listings.
Should I grade my First Partner cards?
For the crashed cards, grading is where value survived. Raw prices collapsed but PSA 10 copies still command large premiums — Series 2 Johto and Unova cards trade at 14x–25x their raw price in a gem-mint holder (Totodile PSA 10 is around $280 versus $11 raw). If you have clean copies of the cheap cards, grade those rather than selling raw.
Is it worth opening First Partner packs or buying singles?
Buy singles. With the whole set down about 60% and specific starters available for a few dollars, opening packs to hit one card is worse value than buying it outright. Only open for the experience or if you can get product at or below MSRP.
Disclaimer: Price trends are drawn from daily PriceCharting ungraded market data through 5 September 2026; supply figures are a single-day TCGPlayer listings snapshot. All prices are estimates and move quickly — verify current prices before buying or selling. This is not financial advice.