Pokemon card collector gets luckiest Target score ever with packs worth thousands

Brent Koepp
Pokemon Pikachu next to Target logo Black and White TCG

A Pokemon Trading Card Game collector caused a stir online after discovering retro TCG packs at Target worth thousands of dollars. The lucky fan scored the vintage collectibles originally released a decade ago.

No one could have imagined in the 90s that Pokemon cards would one day be worth as much as a house. Players could no longer buy retro sets in 2020 after prices for the classic Nintendo collectibles exploded to absurd prices.

However, one collector discovered retro TCG products at their local Target that now sell for thousands of dollars. The insanely lucky Trainer stunned the community with one of the luckiest scores ever in the hobby.

Pokemon Black White TCG Wallpaper
A lucky Nintendo fan scored retro Pokemon cards worth thousands.

Fan finds retro Pokemon cards at Target worth thousands

Originally released in 2011, the Pokemon TCG debuted its Black and White expansion based on the Gen V RPGs released in 2010. Products from the classic set sell for as high as $300 apiece due to containing popular cards of Legendaries such as Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem.

Despite hitting stores over a decade ago, one fan discovered a shelf full of the vintage Pokemon cards. Twitter user ‘pokelee21’ shared their mind-blowing discovery in a series of tweets on August 29. The fan initially didn’t know what they had stumbled upon.

“My Target had these in a random spot. What’s in them? Coupon on the front expires 04/2013 lol,” the user asked while posting a photo of their lucky score. The TCG community immediately recognized what they had found.

Incredibly the collector was able to buy 17 of the tins at $215, which is incredibly below the prices each item is going for on eBay right now. The fortunate fan was floored after realizing what they had actually scored and followed up the tweet by opening up the classic Trading Card Game products.

“Ok now I’m shaking. Found these at Target. Opened one of them and got these out of it,” pokelee21 exclaimed. The images showed the tins contained booster packs from the Boundaries Crossed, Plasma Storm, and the Dragon Explorers expansions.

Many in the TCG community were just as stunned by his find and equally confused as to how the retro sets could have been put on the shelves over a decade later. However, the fan provided a receipt that showed the item’s SKUs, and a purchase date of August 2022.

“This is like a dream for literally every collector. My goodness” one shocked user wrote.  Another fan tweeted “Unreal find. Congratulations.” After a fellow collector exclaimed, “Each of those tins are $300 a pop!” pokelee21 replied. “I didn’t know that until drops let me know. I was visibly shaking and still couldn’t believe it.”

Pokemon fans react to Lucky Target Score

At $17 a tin, the fan scored over $3,000 in profit alone. That isn’t even taking into account the amount of money that could be made if the tins contain some of the more valuable cards.

While some players theorized that the Black and White tins could be re-prints, the collector’s products had coupons inside with 2011 and 2013 dates. Regardless, pokelee21 will go down as finding one of the luckiest scores ever.

About The Author

Brent is a former writer at Dexerto based in the United States, who covered topics such as Pokemon, Gaming, and online Entertainment.