Why This Promo Snorlax Pokemon Card is Suddenly Selling for $260 More Than an Identical Card

As Pokemon card collectors know, some cards are much harder to find than others. While relatively common cards can have stunning artwork, it’s often the Special Illustration Rares and above that boast beautiful, full-card art. And they often tend to be the most valuable on the resale market, particularly if they are rare promo cards with few copies in the wild. But sometimes, nearly identical Pokemon cards can go for vastly different prices. That’s the case with one Snorlax promo that recently saw a massive jump in resale value.

The card in question comes from the highly sought-after Scarlet & Violet 151 collection. Originally released in 2023, this set features the original Kanto region’s original 151 Pokemon. Given the ongoing popularity of the first generation, it’s not surprising that 151 is among the most in-demand releases from the Pokemon TCG‘s Scarlet & Violet era. Its promo cards in particular can fetch pretty solid prices on the resale market, including the Snorlax full art promo. But before you rush to sell your copy, you’ll need to check for a key detail that makes some versions of the card worth nearly $260 more than others, even ungraded.

Pokemon TCG‘s $300 Snorlax Has Just One Difference From Its $30 Counterpart

Since 2021, the Pokemon Center has started releasing special, exclusive versions of new Elite Trainer Boxes. These versions are typically around $10 more expensive at MSRP. But they also come with unique packaging and additional booster packs compared with standard retail ETBs, making it well worth the extra price if you’re a collector. And during the Scarlet & Violet era, these limited-run ETBs stepped up their rarity a notch by adding a special Pokemon Center stamp to the included Promo Cards.

The artwork on promo cards like the Snorlax included with Pokemon Scarlet & Violet 151 is identical. So, whether you grab your ETBs from your local card shop or the Pokemon Center, you can expect the same lineup of promos. At least, for the most part. But as the Snorlax promo from 151 proves, the smallest difference can make a huge impact when it comes to resale value.

If your Snorlax card comes from a Pokemon Center ETB, it will include a small but significant difference from the standard Black Star promo. Underneath the attack information, a Pokemon Center stamp marks this card out as rarer (and more expensive) than its otherwise identical Black Star promo counterpart. Although the relatively large stamp arguably makes the card less visually appealing, it also makes it much more valuable. Because Pokemon Center ETBs are exclusive and rare, promo cards with this stamp are more expensive.

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In the case of Snorlax, the difference is pretty staggering. The standard Black Star promo currently sits at a value of about $30 ungraded, or up to $234 for a PSA 10 rendition, according to price tracking site PriceCharting. Meanwhile, the Pokemon Center promo counterpart with identical artwork and one small stamp? That goes for almost $300 ungraded, and as much as $1,660 for the coveted graded PSA 10. That’s an ungraded difference of over $200, and a massive difference of over $1,300 for a PSA 10 card.

Snorlax isn’t the only card that shows a similar price difference. Pretty much any Pokemon Center promo is going to be worth significantly more than its otherwise identical Black Star counterpart. This is one of the more interesting trends in the Pokemon TCG market right now, as such a small detail can make such a big difference in the value of a card that, at first glance, appears to be the same.

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