Which sealed product should I choose?

Collecting Pokémon can be overwhelming at times; there are so many products to choose from, and you simply don't know what's right for you. Don't stress! We're here to help! In a previous blog post, we explained that it's helpful to identify yourself as a sealed or singles collector, or perhaps both. In this blog post, we'll explain the different sealed products and which one is designed for which collector!

Elite Trainer Boxing

Elite Trainer Boxes are, in my opinion, the perfect start to collecting a set! An Elite Trainer Box contains a variety of products to appeal to different types of collectors. The contents are:

• 9x Boosters of the specific set
• 65x Sleeves
• Accessories for the Pokémon TCG (dice, damage counters, flipping coins)
• A promotional card
• Manual for the specific set

As you can see, there's something for everyone! The set-specific instructions give you a glimpse into the set and all the cards it contains! This makes it the perfect starting point for your collection, in my opinion, especially since the instructions are included exclusively with this product!

There are two types of Elite Trainer Boxes: the regular version and the boxes that come from Pokémon Centers. These special boxes are stamped with a Pokémon Center stamp, making them true collector's items! They often also include an extra promotional card with another Pokémon Center stamp, and often two extra packs. At CardsByBeard, we always try to offer these boxes because they are among the best products in a set. As you might expect, these boxes are very exclusive and difficult to obtain.

Twilight Masquerade Elite Trainer Box / Prismatic Evolutions PokémonCenter Elite Trainer Box.

As you will see, some products are not available with certain sets, but the Elite Trainer Box is made with every set.

Booster Boxes

Booster Boxes are large boxes designed to open as many packages as possible—it's that simple! With 36 packages per box, this box is perfect if you plan to open a lot of packages, and it's often cheaper per pack.

These boxes are recommended for collectors looking for that one card and willing to spend a bit. They're also great for collectors who want to collect a master set and get off to a good start. Some sealed collectors add these boxes to their collections, and they're beautiful boxes for that, but in my opinion, there are better products out there if you're looking for a visually appealing collection.

Scarlet & Violet Booster Box / Obsidian Flames Booster Box

Booster boxes aren't created for every set; they're not created for specialty sets. Examples of these sets include Prismatic Evolutions, Shrouded Fable, 151, and Black Bolt & White Flare.

Booster Bundles

Booster Bundles fit nicely behind Booster Boxes in the order. This is because booster bundles are essentially just small booster boxes! These bundles look great in a collection, as Pokémon often emphasizes the design of these bundles more.

The booster bundle comes with 6 packs of the given set. Perfect for occasional purchase to open some fun packs. These bundles are therefore highly recommended for the casual collector who doesn't want to spend a lot of money but still wants to open fun packs.

Journey Together Booster Bundle / 151 Booster Bundle

Booster Bundles are not made exclusively for one type of set, you will see these in every set.

Binder / Poster Collections

I'm combining the Binder and Poster collections into one segment because they're essentially the same product concept. With this product, you get a super cool accessory, a Binder, or a Poster with your packages.

Pokémon sells these products with many sets.

The Binder Collection comes with an UltraPro binder specifically designed for Pokémon, and it's really cool! Is this the best binder you can get? No, but it's better than the regular plastic binders sold separately, and you get some fun packs to open!

The Poster Collection is a smaller box that includes a cool poster. This poster is often very cool with designs printed on both sides. One side often features all the Pokémon from the set, and the other side a special design specific to the set. Do you like a poster for your room or anywhere else? Then this is a great product; otherwise, I'd suggest other options.

Black Bolt Binder Collection / Prismatic Evolutions Poster Collection

Binder and poster Collections are not included in every set, but many are.

Blisters

There are also products sold with only a few packs. These products are called blister packs and are often plastic packages with two-thirds of a set visible.

There are different types of blisters, but the common ones are:

• 3 pack blister + promo card
• Premium checklane blister
• Checklane blister

The 3-pack blister contains, as you might expect, three packs, each with its own promotional card. The checklane blisters each contain one pack, but each blister is expanded with some fun themed promotional cards.

Over time, different types of blister packs have been created, such as tech sticker blister packs or special blister packs containing different sets. However, this is more the exception than the rule.

Obsidian Flames 3-pack Blister / Stellar Crown Premium Checklane Blister

Sleeved Boosters

This product is actually quite simple: a beautiful package wrapped in cardboard. One of the advantages of this product is the guarantee that nothing bad has happened to the packages themselves. This product is also somewhat sturdier and can be hung on a hook in your collection! These sleeved boosters feature various artworks that match the artwork used on the packages, but are slightly larger and printed on cardboard. This makes this product popular with collectors who love to have these fun artworks in their collection.

Journey Together Sleeved Booster / Temporal Forces Sleeved Booster

Sleeved boosters appear in almost every normal set, never in specialty sets

Tins

Besides the products mentioned above, Pokémon also offers more products for the casual collector. These also include products with more accessories for your collection. One such product is tins. These are aluminum containers with fun packaging where you can store things. It's definitely not recommended to store your cards in these! Binders or toploaders are better!

There are a number of types of tins.

Mini tins

Mini tins are small tins containing two packs. These tins also contain cute cardboard cards with a fun design and a poster with the same design. A mini-tin display, the box containing all the tins, often contains 8 to 10 tins with 4 or 5 different designs respectively. If you collect them all, they create a large combined artwork featuring both the tins and the cardboard cards!

Sometimes tins are released with special features. For example, Prismatic Evolutions has created eight different tin designs for all eight eeveelutions.

Normal tins

Regular tins are tins with various fun Pokémon and designs. These tins contain 3 or 4 different packs to open, and these packs are almost always combined sets! There's also an American version that's slightly larger and also contains 4-5 packs. This tin also comes with a special promotional card of the Pokémon featured in the tin's design. Are you a true fan of this Pokémon? Then this is a great product to get!

Stacking tins

Stacking tins are also available! These tins contain three packs. You also get two sticker sheets with fun stickers that match the tin's theme! The tins are specially designed to be stackable, which makes them easy to store! These tins are very handy for collecting or storing various items, but it's not recommended to store your cards in them! Or at least not your beautiful cards!

Collector's Chest

Collector's Chest with tins? Yeah, it's also a kind of tin case, isn't it? :P

Collector's Chests remain one of my personal favorite Pokémon products. They're like lunchboxes filled with all sorts of fun items. What makes them so great? Kids can use them as school lunchboxes! That's just so cool!

The contents of different collector's chests vary depending on the version. For example, there are chests with 6 and 5 packs, which are always combined. Furthermore, the chest is packed with accessories such as stickers, promotional cards, and more!

Paldea Vibrant Mini tin / Paldea Partner Tin / Collector's Chest 2024 Fall

Tournament Collection

Sometimes you might forget it with all the collecting, but Pokémon are actually meant to be played! All the cards can be used in a deck to battle each other!

The Tournament Collections were created specifically for this theme. These smaller boxes are easy to take with you, specifically designed for everything you need for a tournament. They contain six packs, various accessories for the Pokémon TCG, and a deck box to store all your cards! You'll also sometimes get some fun stickers or a photo from the box's theme. These boxes are often themed after a Pokémon Trainer! For example, one was created especially for Lillie!

Lillie Premium tournament Collection

Build & Battle Kit / Stadium

Are you a huge fan of the TCG and want nothing else? Then these products are perfect for you! With the Build & Battle products, you can create your own complete deck with supporting cards to make it perfect!

The Build & Battle Kit comes with 23 standard cards (1 of every 4 is an exclusive holofoil promotion card) and 4 packs to build your deck. These standard cards are specially designed to perfectly match the set you open! This way, you can always build a great deck and go into battle!

Along with this product, you also have the Build & Battle Stadium! This box is specially designed so you and your friend can battle together! With two standard decks and 11 packs, you can build your perfect deck and see who the true Trainer is! This box also includes all the TCG accessories you need to play the game!

As mentioned before, these products are truly special to the TCG. These boxes are therefore less commonly used for purely collecting sealed cards.

Special Collections

This is a group of various products I call special collections. Pokémon often creates a variety of fun boxes to collect, and with special collections, they strive to create a unique product each time. There are different types of special collections, often tied to a Pokémon or a Trainer. Examples of these special collections include:

• Blooming waters Premium collection
• Accessory pouch special collection
• Cynthia's Garchomp ex Premium Collection
• Iono's Bellibolt ex Premium Collection
• Armarouge ex Premium Collection

There are dozens more released in Scarlet & Violet alone. These boxes are super fun to collect because they're visually stunning! They also often come with fun and unique accessories to collect, and they've recently started making acrylic accessories to display on your shelf! Of course, these boxes also contain packs; there are both set-specific boxes and combined sets.

Armarouge ex Premium Collection / Kingdra ex Special Illustration Collection / Accessory Pouch Special Collection

Premium Collections

Finally, we'll also mention one of the most premium products Pokémon occasionally releases: the Premium Collections. These collections are special boxes, expensive ones at that, with a whole bunch of unique accessories that are fantastic to collect! They also contain a relatively large number of packs to open, sometimes as many as 16! Examples of these products include:

• 151 Ultra-Premium Collection
• Terapagos ex Ultra-Premium Collection
• Prismatic Evolutions Super Premium Collection

These boxes often contain a playmat, a deck box, promotional cards, and a whole book of packs. Besides booster boxes, these boxes often contain the most packs, especially with specialty sets where booster boxes don't exist. This is a true collector's item that every true collector needs!

151 Ultra-Premium Collection / Prismatic Evolutions Super-Premium Collection

Conclusion

There are many different products to choose from if you want to collect sealed items. There are Elite Trainer Boxes, booster boxes, and even tins that are super fun to have! Looking for something premium? Then you can go for the Premium Collections or a Pokémon Center Elite Trainer Box. These products are often rarer and look great in your collection! There are also boxes that focus on the TCG aspect of Pokémon, these are the Build & Battle Kit and Stadium boxes. These are heavily focused on this aspect of the hobby and are often not collected much.