🎩 Magician drops suit. Kadabra is back!

Welcome back to Ultra Rare,

Week 1 of Crown Zenith box breaks is in the books. The elusive secret rare Pikachu is out there. Let us know on Instagram if you scored one. And don't forget about our Ultra Rare referral program. Refer 3 friends and get 10% off at Metawooky's Cardhouse. No max order size. Basically free money. Details below.

Also, we'd love to hear from you as we grow this newsletter. Don't hesitate to reply and tell us what you'd like to see more of. All suggestions welcome.

Have a great weekend and happy collecting 😎.

Rare Pokémon released from narcissism jail after 23 years

Magician Uri Geller, seen here blocking out the haters, sued The Pokémon Company in 2000 claiming that Kadabra was a likeness to his persona. You see, Kadabra carries a spoon that increases his telekinetic powers. And Uri has this recurring bit where he bends spoons with his very real telekinetic powers. To give you a sense of those powers: in 2019, Geller promised to stop Brexit using telepathy. Omg what will he do next?!

Geller dropped the suit in 2020 when he failed to grow a tail and rat whiskers and Kadabra is finally returning this June to a set called Pokémon Card 151. The magician is so excited by the news that he took to Instagram to tell the very true story of entering a card shop in Tokyo and being mistaken for the character. To his credit (ugh), Geller does seem genuinely sorry about the whole thing. Speaking to PokeBeach:

Early returns: Top 5 most valuable Crown Zenith cards

Unless you're a very popular streamer, you've only had access to Crown Zenith since January 20. One week in we're already seeing demand do its thing. It's important to note how these cycles play out immediately following release. Early demand is dictated by a mix of collectors and players. Players want to win and collectors want what they want. It's easier to figure out what cards will help you win. Sorting out what collectors will covet takes longer. Here are the top 5 values according to TCGPlayer so far.

5. Shining CharizardListed Median Price: $15.76

4. Friends in SinnohListed Median Price: $17.28

3. Friends in HisuiListed Median Price: $21.00

2. Elesa's SparkleListed Median Price: $40.00

1. Pikachu (Secret)Listed Median Price: $40.31This card goes crazy. Not only are the holo elements super vibrant, but it has a one of a kind texture that has to be seen to be believed.

The Pokémon crime wave continues. Energy Card thief at large.

You know times are tough out there when egg prices are a meme. So it should surprise no one that people are stealing Pokémon and other collectibles hoping for a payday. Card store owners have begun to blame influencer culture for the rise in theft. But influence and education are two different things. Observe the unnamed fugitive below who as of this writing is on the loose for stealing a $5 energy card. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Cranberry Township, PA law enforcement. Or if you recognize him from Facebook maybe just message him some collecting tips.

Pokémon buying protip: take advantage of fat fingers

There are 1008 Pokémon. No one is memorizing all of that. Hell, people can't even be bothered to type their names out correctly when posting them on ebay. Now you can swoop in a take advantage. Typofindr can search marketplaces for all conceivable misspellings of what you're looking for. Like everyone's favorite bipedal turtle Bastoise 🥴. PriceCharting shows a PSA 9 being worth over $350. One man's typo is another's treasure or whatever.

🔗 Quick Hits

WarGamer answers the question "How many Pokémon cards are there?" with a set-by-set breakdown.

GamesRadar had the scoop on customs destroying one collector's copy of Pokémon Yellow—a Game Boy classic—worth over $10K

👩‍🏫 GET YOUR CARDS GRADED TO AVOID CRUSHING REGRET

Tweet of the Week

Video of the Week

Deep Pocket Monster attempts to speedrun collecting Evolving Skies in 48hrs at a card show in Hawaii. Much intensity.

Love you mean it 🥰