151 might be the best ETB investment you can buy right now. In this blog, I’ll explain why that is the case.
Popular Chases
Every good Pokemon investment requires amazing chase cards. Scarlet & Violet 151 is based on the original 151 Pokemon. Therefore, the set has some awesome chases including the Charizard EX, Blastoise EX, Venusaur EX, and Zapdos EX.
The Zapdos has recently become the second most expensive card in the set, coming in around $92 on TCGPlayer. The value of the cards are not as high as some other sets, but there are a couple reasons for that.
Firstly, 151 has been printed HARD. Pokemon has done a great job trying to keep the price down through the boom we’ve experienced since November 2024. A lot of this came in the form of booster bundle reprints, Blooming Waters collection boxes, and Zapdos EX boxes.
Secondly, 151 is part of the earlier SV era block which had easier pull rates. For example, the Charizard and other SIRs have a pull rate around 1/225 packs.
Nostalgia Factor
Nostalgia is a helluva drug! But what does it have to do with this ETB investment?
Well, 151 was the set that brought a lot of people back into the hobby. Not only that, it reminds people of the old days, which for many current collectors, was their childhood. Moreover, since 151 is a specialty set that doesn’t have a booster box (in English), the Elite Trainer Box will likely be the top collector item. This could come in the form of the PC ETB (currently $1000 USD) or the cheaper, regular ETB ($375 USD as of 9/7/2025).
Extremely Liquid
151 Elite Trainer Boxes are very easy to offload. In my market spreadsheet, I do a weekly update for Elite Trainer Boxes. 151 is consistently one of the best-selling boxes, normally only trailing Prismatic Evolutions in sales volume.
This speaks volumes considering 151 ETBs are already a 7x multiple of MSRP.
When it comes to Pokemon investing, liquidity is often overlooked, but it will play a crucial role in your overall returns. The more people interested in what you’re selling, the better chance you get full market price for it.
Insane ROI
Some people don’t believe in TCG investing. However, if you tell them that a 151 ETB investment has a 658.20% ROI in less than two years, they might change their mind.
And yes, those numbers are real assuming you purchased the ETB at MSRP ($50) and use TCGPlayer price ($379.20) on the current day. This also comes out to an INSANELY high annualized ROI (aROI) of 181.27%.
Conclusion
151 is an obvious ETB investment. Despite it’s high price tag, I still believe these ETBs will be above $500 by the end of the year. If you wish to invest in other 151 products like booster bundles, that is fine. That said, I believe for most people building positions in Pokemon, a 151 ETB will be a great addition.
You can buy 151 Elite Trainer Boxes here (TCGPlayer).
If you are Canadian, Cardboard Hero has a great price on 151 ETBs.
If you are on the hunt for a different ETB investment, feel free to take a look at my monthly top 5 post.
Shameless Plugs
If you are interested in more Pokemon investing content, consider checking out my YouTube channel where I upload daily!
If you want to take your Pokemon investments to the next level, check out my market spreadsheet for the most in-depth analysis on current market trends.