Posted in: Card Games, Games, Pokémon TCG, Tabletop | Tagged: Crown Zenith, pokemon, pokemon cards, Sword & Shield

Pokémon TCG Value Watch: Crown Zenith in January 2026

Our monthly Pokémon TCG Value Watch series observes the special set Crown Zenith closing out the Galarian era in January 2026.

The Pokémon TCG is an ever-changing and unpredictable market. Over the past year, we have witnessed a significant surge of renewed interest in the hobby. The hype around the Alternate Arts of the Sword & Shield era and the Illustration Rares of the Scarlet & Violet era now continues in the new era, Mega Evolution. The Mega Evolution era continues the popular Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rare cards while introducing Gold Hyper Rares as the rarest type of card that can be pulled from a booster pack. As packs become more and more difficult to get, it seems that the hobby is more popular than ever. Every month, I will do an installment of this series, Pokémon TCG Value Watch, to track the collector's market of modern sets. This series is not financial advice but is rather a way to help collectors know the trajectory of a card's availability so that Pokémon TCG completionists like myself know when to strike. Should you buy singles or packs? Is that chase card obtainable? Let's find out. Today, let's see how the cards of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith, which came out in January 2023, are doing now, three years later, in January 2026.

Here are the top valued cards of Pokémon TCG: Crown Zenith, with market values observed on TCGPlayer as of this writing:

1. Pikachu Secret Rare 160/159: $31.49
2. Elesa's Sparkle Full Art 147/159: $15.82
3. Charizard VSTAR 019/159: $8.72
4. Radiant Charizard 020/159: $7.92
5. Rayquaza VMAX 102/159: $7.10

The main attraction of Crown Zenith is the Galarian Gallery subset, which consists of Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares. Let's take a look at the top-valued cards of this subset:

1. Giratina VSTAR Gold Secret Rare GG69/GG70: $201.28
2. Mewtwo VSTAR Special Illustration Rare GG44/GG70: $173.17
3. Arceus VSTAR Gold Secret Rare GG70/GG70: $116.63
4. Origin Forme Dialga VSTAR Gold Secret Rare GG68/GG70: $82.10
5. Origin Forme Palkia VSTAR Gold Secret Rare GG67/GG70: $74.07
6. Leafeon VSTAR Special Illustration Rare GG35/GG70: $55.89
7. Deoxys VMAX Special Illustration Rare GG45/GG70: $46.21
8. Glaceon VSTAR Special Illustration Rare GG40/GG70: $45.22
9. Darkrai VSTAR Special Illustration Rare GG50/GG70: $43.07
10. Suicune V Special Illustration Rare GG38/GG70: $41.54

Giratina VSTAR Gold Secret Rare has shown stability over time, but Mewtwo VSTAR Special Illustration Rare is on the way up. 2025 saw this card increase by $70 while Giratina VSTAR Gold Secret Rare only increased by $30. I could see Mewtwo eventually taking the top spot. Compared to Sword & Shield-era Trainer Gallery subsets, which are going a bit crazy in value spikes right now, the Galarian Gallery has been somewhat steady. Cards are indeed seeing increases over time, but we aren't noticing any huge jumps.

Be sure to check Bleeding Cool every day to follow our in-depth Pokémon TCG coverage as we explore the hobby's past, present, and even future with upcoming set reveals.

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