Pokémon market watch · October 2026
Gengar & Mimikyu led this group in dollars. W-stamped Pikachu led in percentage. Here are five Pokémon price spikes worth a closer look—and the details to check before you buy, sell, or grade.
Price snapshot: TCGplayer’s October 7 report, covering September 5–October 4, 2026. These are raw Near Mint market prices from that report, not today’s quotes or PSA 10 sale prices.
The five price moves, at a glance
Ranked by dollar gain. The percentage underneath each gain puts the move in perspective.
| Exact card | Raw NM market | 30-day gain | PSA 10 count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Gengar & Mimikyu-GXSecret · Team Up · 186/181 | Raw NM$546.23 | 30-day gain+$73.29+15.50% | PSA 10 count949 |
| 2. Pikachu · W-stamped1st Edition · Jungle artwork · 60/64 | Raw NM$248.26 | 30-day gain+$71.50+40.45% | PSA 10 count521 |
| 3. SlowkingSouthern Islands · Holo · 14/18 | Raw NM$349.08 | 30-day gain+$62.25+21.70% | PSA 10 count54 |
| 4. Team Aqua’s Kyogre-EXDouble Crisis · 6/34 | Raw NM$576.61 | 30-day gain+$56.39+10.84% | PSA 10 count11† |
| 5. Darkrai · Team PlasmaBlack & White Promo · BW73 | Raw NM$279.37 | 30-day gain+$45.38+19.39% | PSA 10 count33 |
PSA counts checked October 11, 2026, using the exact English varieties linked below. †Kyogre’s 11 is a PokeInvest snapshot refreshed September 3, 2026; we could not verify that count directly with PSA. Recheck it before using it in a grading decision.
01 / Biggest dollar move
Gengar & Mimikyu-GX · Secret
The rainbow card is the one to match here. Gengar & Mimikyu have several treatments in Team Up. A sale for a different artwork is a different comparison.
Check before paying: ask for an angled photo of the textured surface and a clear back. Look for marks that a straight-on photo misses. If grading is your goal, compare this exact printing in the grades you could realistically receive.
02 / Biggest percentage move
Pikachu · W-stamped, 1st Edition
The gold W stamp is the key detail. This price entry is for the special stamped version. Familiar Jungle artwork alone is not enough to identify it.
Check before paying: confirm both the W stamp and the 1st Edition mark in the seller’s own photos. Check the back edges and corners. When searching sold listings, keep standard Jungle copies out of the comparison.
03 / Match the holo and language
Slowking · Southern Islands
Slowking’s scene makes the card easy to recognize. Still, match the English release and holo treatment when checking prices. A similar-looking listing can refer to a different language or condition.
Check before paying: request photos with light moving across the holo. A single bright photo can hide surface scratches. Compare raw copies with similar wear before applying the Near Mint number.
04 / Keep raw value and grading separate
Team Aqua’s Kyogre-EX
Kyogre has the highest raw market price in this group. The older population snapshot also reports a very small PSA 10 count. Those two numbers answer different questions.
Check before paying: inspect the front texture, back whitening, and any dents. Price a grading plan around the individual card’s condition and the full grading cost. A low reported count does not make a raw copy likely to receive a 10.
05 / Make sure the market still has depth
Darkrai · Team Plasma BW73
Use BW73 to keep your research on the correct promo. Other Darkrai cards can appear in the same search results.
Check before paying: open recent sold listings and count the comparable copies. Then check the available inventory. A higher market number means less when you cannot find enough similar-condition sales to support an offer.
Two numbers readers often mix up
Why does Pikachu lead in percentage if Gengar leads in dollars?
Pikachu started from a lower price. Percentage gain compares the increase with the starting value. We calculate it as gain ÷ (reported market price − gain) × 100, rounded to two decimals.
Does “Near Mint” mean the card should grade a PSA 10?
No. A marketplace condition category is not a grading prediction. The PSA count describes recorded graded copies. Inspect the individual card and keep raw and graded sale comparisons separate.
Sources and dates
Prices: TCGplayer’s linked October 7, 2026 report. Its sample covers Near Mint copies with at least ten sales during September 5–October 4. This article covers the report’s five largest dollar gains among cards that started above $50.
Populations: PSA pages linked with each card, checked October 11. Gengar & Mimikyu’s page showed 949, replacing 948 in the supplied snapshot. Kyogre uses the separately dated PokeInvest source and is not presented as a current PSA verification.
Card images identify the printings discussed; they are reference scans, not photos of cards offered for sale. Artwork: Pokémon TCG API image service and TCGplayer. Pokémon and card artwork belong to their respective owners. Prices and populations can change.
