Pokemon 151 vs Celebrations: Which Reprint Set Is Worth Grading

Pokemon 151 vs Celebrations: Which Reprint Set Is Worth Grading

Pokemon 151 has a $370 Charizard ex and nineteen distinct cards with market prices above $20. Celebrations has one card worth submitting: the Mew Secret Rare at $63.80. That asymmetry is the answer, though the submission math on individual cards varies enough to know before you pay a grading fee.

Both sets are Gen 1 anniversary releases built around the original 151 Pokemon. Both have been in collector hands long enough that prices are stable and PSA population data is real. The difference is structure: 151 is a full modern expansion with a deep chase tier, and Celebrations is a 25-card anniversary set so compact it has no tier below the top.

What Each Set Contains

SV: Scarlet & Violet 151 is a full modern expansion. The base set runs 165 numbered cards, and the special art rarities extend the full print above that: the highest-numbered card in the ZeroPop catalog is 205/165, so the master set covers at least 205 cards. It uses the standard Scarlet and Violet rarity structure: Special Illustration Rares at the top, then Illustration Rares, Ultra Rares, and Hyper Rares, down through standard holos.

Celebrations is a 25-card main set released in October 2021 for Pokemon's 25th anniversary. The cards reimagine Gen 1 classics in modern card quality: Surfing Pikachu, Flying Pikachu, a Mew, and a Pikachu, alongside V and VMAX forms. A separate insert, the Celebrations Classic Collection, reprints 25 cards from older sets using their original artwork, including Base Set Charizard and Blastoise.

The 151 Chase Structure

Every price in the table below is from the ZeroPop catalog, pulled September 16, 2026.

Card	Number	Market (Sep 16)	Primary grade risk
Charizard ex	199/165	$370.48	Surface; black wing texture exposes micro-scratches
Blastoise ex	200/165	$137.16	Centering; wide print margin is forgiving
Venusaur ex	198/165	$114.45	Centering; grass-textured background hides flaws
Charmander	168/165	$95.25	Corners; small card format, tight print tolerance
Zapdos ex	202/165	$94.98	Surface; yellow electric texture catches print lines
Squirtle	170/165	$90.62	Centering; same print run as Charmander
Pikachu	173/165	$86.23	Surface; yellow foil reads scratches at low angles
Bulbasaur	166/165	$80.17	Corners; first card off the sheet
Alakazam ex	201/165	$70.48	Surface; purple-gold foil texture
Psyduck	175/165	$67.19	Centering; horizontal art bleed reaches the edge
Wartortle	171/165	$60.28	Corners; same risk profile as Squirtle
Charmeleon	169/165	$57.40	Surface; flame background shows micro-scratches
Dragonair	181/165	$50.79	Surface; blue gradient foil
Poliwhirl	176/165	$45.87	Centering; small text block at card bottom
Ivysaur	167/165	$44.99	Corners; mid-evolutions historically print tight
Charizard ex	183/165	$41.94	Surface; shares the dark-background risk with 199
Mew ex	193/165	$31.86	Surface; pink foil is forgiving but not immune
Mew ex (Gold)	205/165	$29.52	Surface; gold texture, same risk as any gold card
Machoke	177/165	$22.79	Edges; fighting-type dark border

Nineteen cards above $20. Eight above $70.

The Charizard ex 199/165 is the headline. At $370.48 raw, a PSA 10 at 3x raw puts it above $1,100. Based on ZeroPop scan data, surface is the most common failure on 151 SIRs: Charizard's black wing background reads heat micro-scratches clearly. Inspect at four angles before submitting, not three.

The three starter evolution lines (Bulbasaur through Venusaur, Charmander through Charizard, Squirtle through Blastoise) drive a collector demand segment that is specific to this set. Completing a full three-stage PSA 10 evolution run requires six separate submissions per line. A PSA 10 Charmander at $95 raw, with a 2 to 3x PSA 10 multiplier, grades into the $200-to-$300 range at the high end of the market.

Skip the Machoke. At $22.79 raw, the break-even does not work at standard PSA service fees. The card needs to return above $75 at PSA 10 to clear even a modest profit, and PSA 10 sold comps do not support that price. Grade it on a bulk order if you are building a complete set submission, not for individual ROI.

The Celebrations Chase Structure

Card	Number	Market (Sep 16)	Verdict
Mew (Secret)	025/025	$63.80	Submit if pack-fresh
Mew	011/025	$8.99	Skip raw
Surfing Pikachu VMAX	009/025	$8.59	Skip raw
Flying Pikachu VMAX	007/025	$8.27	Skip raw
Surfing Pikachu V	008/025	$6.93	Skip raw
Pikachu	005/025	$6.41	Skip raw
Flying Pikachu V	006/025	$6.14	Skip raw
Zamazenta V	018/025	$2.21	Hard skip

The Mew Secret Rare 025/025 is the only Celebrations card that clears standard PSA submission fees. At $63.80 raw, a PSA 10 needs to sell above $130 for the submission to break even, and PSA 10 Mew Secrets have sold in that range.

Every other Celebrations main set card is below $9 raw. A card at $9 needs to grade PSA 10 at $30 or more to justify a standard submission, and that price has no sold comp support on Flying Pikachu VMAX or Surfing Pikachu VMAX. Do not submit them unless you are building a complete display set and the submission fee is a cost you are willing to eat.

The Classic Collection insert cards (Base Set Charizard and Blastoise reprints) show $0 market price in the ZeroPop catalog: community scans exist, but there are no TCGPlayer sales to pull a market price from. High asks, no velocity. Skip them without independent sold comp evidence from another source.

The Grade Math: Where the Submission Line Falls

For 151, the minimum card that pencils at standard PSA service fees (roughly $25 after turnaround discount) sits around $50 raw, assuming a 2x PSA 10 multiplier and a realistic PSA 10 hit rate. That puts 16 of the 19 cards in the table above the line. Mew ex at $31.86, gold Mew ex at $29.52, and Machoke at $22.79 fall below it. Submit those only in a bulk batch where the per-card fee drops.

For Celebrations, one card clears the line under normal fee conditions: Mew Secret. That is the complete submittable set for most collectors.

The ROI math shifts if you use bulk grading tiers. At $12 to $15 per card on a larger submission, Mew ex and gold Mew ex from 151 become marginal yeses. Gold cards have a specific collector audience that pays for PSA 10 confirmation, and $29 raw at 2x is $58, which clears a $15 fee comfortably. The Machoke still does not work even at bulk rates.

Grading Risk: What to Watch

151 SIRs. The Special Illustration Rare tier uses the Scarlet and Violet modern print quality, which is consistent but not forgiving at PSA 10. Surface is the most-reported failure axis in ZeroPop scan data on this set. Gen 1 Pokemon silhouettes on colored foil backgrounds expose micro-scratches that a busier background would hide: Charizard's black wings, Zapdos's yellow field, Pikachu's foil overlay. Inspect at four light angles. The base evolution cards (Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur at 166, 168, 170) have a small physical card format that leaves less margin before a centering deviation becomes visible. Trust a scan sub-grade over a visual check.

Celebrations Mew Secret. The full-art foil treatment on 025/025 makes this a surface-risk submission. Because Celebrations is a low-print-run 2021 set, pack-fresh copies are harder to source than a modern release. Pre-owned copies circulate with corner wear and surface handling. Before submitting any copy you did not pull yourself, inspect every corner under magnification and check the full surface at low-angle light. A Celebrations copy graded below PSA 9 comes back at a loss with no path to recovery.

The Pokemon grading guide has the full sub-grade framework with defect photos at each tier. The is my card worth grading calculator runs the break-even on your specific card and current PSA fee tier.

The Verdict: 151 Wins, Celebrations Is One Card

151 is the better grading set by a wide margin. Nineteen cards with real prices, eight above $70, a proven PSA 10 premium on the headline Charizard ex, and a collector demand segment (complete evolution sets in PSA 10) that is specific to this release and not going away. If you have 151 pack pulls or singles, the submission list is easy to build.

Celebrations is a single-card submission for most purposes. The Mew Secret at $63.80 is a real card with real PSA 10 support. Everything else fails the break-even test at standard fees. Sell raw unless you are building a full display set or your bulk submission rate brings the per-card cost down far enough to change the math.

The one edge case for Celebrations: if you own sealed product from 2021 that you have not opened, the pack-fresh pull rate on the Mew Secret and the scarcity of genuinely unhandled copies give that sealed box a different calculus. The grades from a 2021-sealed opening will skew higher than the pre-owned single market. But that is a narrow scenario.

The PSA vs BGS vs CGC comparison covers turnaround times and grading standards by company, which matters on a 151 submission where the PSA vs CGC label premium varies by card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pokemon 151 worth grading in 2026?

Yes, for the top 16 cards in the set. The Charizard ex 199/165 at $370.48 is the headline, but the entire starter evolution line holds real PSA 10 premiums. Cards below $40 raw do not pencil at standard PSA fees unless you are submitting a bulk order where the per-card fee drops below $15.

Is the Celebrations Mew Secret worth grading?

At $63.80 raw as of September 16, 2026, yes, if the card is in genuine pack-fresh condition. A PSA 10 needs to sell above $130 to break even at standard service fees, and that price has sold comp support. A PSA 9 or below comes back at a loss. Grade it only if the corners and surface pass a four-angle inspection.

What is the most valuable card in Pokemon 151?

Charizard ex 199/165 at $370.48 market, pulled September 16, 2026. The next tier is Blastoise ex 200/165 at $137.16, then Venusaur ex 198/165 at $114.45. The three starters anchor the top of the set price structure.

How many 151 cards are worth submitting?

Sixteen cards clear the break-even at standard PSA fees based on September 16, 2026 catalog prices. Three cards (Mew ex at $31.86, gold Mew ex at $29.52, Machoke at $22.79) fall below the line at standard fees but become marginal yeses on a bulk order at $12 to $15 per card.

Which set is harder to grade?

151 SIRs are harder to pass at PSA 10, specifically because of surface risk on the Gen 1 foil treatments. Charizard's black wing background and Zapdos's yellow texture expose defects that a busier background hides. Celebrations' Mew Secret is a full-art foil with its own surface risk, but the smaller scope means a simpler inspection: clean corners and a clean surface is almost the whole checklist.

Can you complete a PSA 10 master set for either?

A 151 PSA 10 master set, all 205-plus cards graded, is a substantial long-term project. The top 16 chase cards alone carry a combined raw market value above $1,500 as of September 2026. Celebrations is a far smaller commitment: 25 main set cards, of which only the Mew Secret clears the fee threshold on its own. Both are collector projects with different scales, not ROI plays at completion.