Charizard keeps finding new gears, and the 2023 Pokémon 151 Charizard ex is the latest proof. What started as a fun Kanto-themed chase has turned into a price story with real traction. The headline is simple: recent PSA 10s are consistently landing in the $800–$1,000 lane, with multiple late-August auctions printing right in that pocket (and even a few punches higher when two bidders won’t blink). PSA’s auction tape shows a run of $835, $985, $995, and $990 back-to-back, with the average for PSA 10s now hovering in the high-$800s. That makes “eight to a thousand” a fair shorthand for current comps—and it’s supported by nearly 1,800 recorded auction sales, which gives this market real depth rather than a couple of lucky hammers.
If you like a second reference point, PriceCharting’s tracker pegs the PSA 10 “current market price” right around the $1,000 mark, which lines up neatly with what collectors have been seeing on eBay closes. For raw copies, TCGplayer’s live pages still reflect a healthy mid-$200s market, reinforcing the gap between raw and gem that’s become a fact of life with modern Charizard chases.
Why this card, and why now? 151 is catnip for nostalgia. It focuses on the original Pokédex lineup and dresses it in the clean modern Scarlet & Violet template, which means you get the memory hit without the quirks of late-90s printing. The Charizard ex artwork lands right in the pocket collectors like—dynamic without being busy—and the chromium-style finish helps the card pop in a display. Most importantly, there are enough slabs trading hands every week that buyers can price with confidence. You don’t have to guess; you can look at last week’s tape and set a number.
Condition is the whole game at the top. The difference between a PSA 9 and a PSA 10 isn’t just dollars; it’s psychology. Nines give you the look for far less, but tens command attention because the community recognizes how tough a clean surface, strong corners, and honest centering can be on glossy stock. That’s why a tight cluster of recent 10s in the $800–$1,000 range matters: it’s liquid, repeatable action, not a ghost sale.
It’s also useful to view 151 Charizard in the broader Charizard universe. The 2019 Hidden Fates Shiny Charizard GX, the 2021 Shining Fates Charizard VMAX, the 2016 Evolutions reimagining, and the 2020 promo trio from the Ultra-Premium Collection have each had their own cycles—hype spikes, consolidation, then a long, slow re-pricing as populations settle. The 151 ex is threading a different needle: it’s a modern Kanto love letter with sustained demand and a comp tape that actually supports the excitement. If you care about the Japanese/English split, even the JP “SV2a” version tells a neat story—PSA 10s regularly sit far lower than the English gem, underscoring how much the English 151 release has become the hobby’s reference point for this artwork.
What does a healthy market for this card look like in practice? It looks like steady evening-auction liquidity for PSA 10s, modest day-to-day variance, and the occasional push above the band when an especially clean example shows up or two buyers decide it’s time. It looks like raw pricing that holds its ground in the mid-$200s, leaving room for grade-and-hold plays if you’re picky and patient. And it looks like enough transaction volume that both collectors and dealers can negotiate without reaching for outdated screenshots.
For collectors who build Charizard runs, 151 ex slots cleanly alongside the modern headliners. It’s not trying to out-icon the 1999 Base set holo or the 1st Edition grails; it’s staking its claim as the modern Kanto flagship that most people can actually chase. If you want a tiered approach, a strong PSA 9 is a sensible first step, a raw that passes the bright-light test is the project lane, and the PSA 10 is the display piece that won’t need a long explanation when someone points at your shelf and asks, “What’s the big one?” If you’re a comps-first buyer, the recipe is the same every week: watch the evening eBay auctions, expect most 10s to settle in that eight-to-a-grand range, and keep an eye out for the occasional northbound outlier—there’s precedent for it.
There’s also the fun part. You can pull the 2023 Pokémon 151 Charizard ex out of our Galaxy Rips TCG packs. We keep the pool fresh and we build real chase into the mix, so the possibility is on the table—and when it pops, the room reacts. That’s the point of a good rip: a real chance at a card that can change your night, with the same electricity you feel scrolling through sold listings and seeing those gem numbers stack up.
Zooming out, the through-line is durability. Prices don’t climb in a straight line forever, and nothing is guaranteed, but this is what a mature, well-followed modern Charizard looks like when demand stays thick: a deep comp log, realistic raw-to-gem spreads, and an audience that spans set builders, Charizard superfans, and collectors who just want one flagship to anchor their binder. It’s not hype for hype’s sake. It’s a steady market finding its level—and for now, that level keeps inching up.
If you’re budgeting, pick your lane. If you’re grading, be ruthless on centering and surface. If you’re ripping, enjoy the sweat and know the chase is real. However you approach it, 151 Charizard ex has earned its spot in the modern conversation, and the tape backs it up week after week.
