Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR BGS 10 Sells for $15K

2025 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals SIR #231 Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex BGS Black Label 10 Sells for $15,128

On May 18, 2026, Goldin closed a notable ultra‑modern Pokémon sale: a 2025 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals SIR #231 Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex in a BGS PRISTINE / Black Label 10 slab realized $15,128.

For a brand‑new set, that is a serious result and a useful early data point for how collectors are valuing high‑end copies of this card.

The card at a glance

Character: Mewtwo (Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex)
Set: 2025 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet – Destined Rivals
Card number: #231
Variant: SIR (Special Illustration Rare)
Year/era: 2025, ultra‑modern Pokémon
Grading company: Beckett Grading Services (BGS)
Grade: PRISTINE 10 / Black Label (all four subgrades 10)
Auction house: Goldin
Sale date (UTC): 2026‑05‑18
Price: $15,128

This is not a rookie card in the traditional sports sense, but within the Pokémon hobby it functions as a key issue for Mewtwo in the Scarlet & Violet era: a high‑end, chase‑tier special illustration rare from a flagship S/V expansion.

Why Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR matters

A legacy character in a modern chase slot

Mewtwo is one of the franchise’s most established “blue‑chip” legendaries. Every time the TCG introduces a premium Mewtwo artwork in a tough pull slot, it tends to draw interest from:

Long‑time collectors who grew up with Base Set
Modern set chasers who target the top SIR/SAR cards
Character collectors focusing specifically on Mewtwo

In Scarlet & Violet, SIR (Special Illustration Rare) slots have become the spiritual successors to earlier alt‑arts and illustration rares: low‑pull‑rate, full‑art cards with story‑driven artwork. They usually sit near the top of a set’s chase hierarchy.

Team Rocket branding adds another layer of nostalgia. When you combine:

A legacy character (Mewtwo)
A villain tie‑in (Team Rocket)
A top‑tier rarity (SIR)

…you have a card that, on paper, lives near the top of many collectors’ want lists for Destined Rivals.

The importance of the BGS Black Label 10

A BGS Black Label 10 means Beckett assigned perfect 10 subgrades for centering, corners, edges, and surface. Black Label is effectively Beckett’s highest tier, above a standard BGS 10 Pristine.

For ultra‑modern Pokémon, the difference between a BGS 9.5, BGS 10, and BGS Black Label 10 can be substantial:

BGS 9.5 (Gem Mint): Strong card, but typically considered a step below the best PSA 10s and BGS 10s.
BGS 10 Pristine: Top‑end copy; often commands a meaningful premium over PSA 10.
BGS Black Label 10: Usually the absolute top of the market for that card at that moment, often a low‑population grade.

Population data (how many copies exist in a certain grade – often called a pop report) on brand‑new sets is still developing, but early on, Black Labels are almost always very scarce relative to PSA 10 and BGS 9.5.

Market context and recent sales

Because Destined Rivals is a 2025 release, the sales history for this specific card is still shallow. The most informative context comes from:

Raw and PSA 10 copies of Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR
Other top‑tier SIR/SAR Mewtwo cards from recent Scarlet & Violet sets
Black Label results for comparable chase cards in new sets

From early marketplace scans across the major platforms (Goldin, PWCC, eBay, and other auction houses):

Raw / ungraded copies of this SIR have generally fallen into the high two‑ to low three‑figure range soon after release, with some early pre‑grading premiums as collectors rushed to secure clean copies.
PSA 10 examples, where available, have been clustering in the low‑ to mid‑four‑figure range as the market establishes an early band for “gem mint but not Black Label.”
Other modern Mewtwo chase cards (notably alt‑arts and SIRs from previous Scarlet & Violet sets) often settle in a similar pattern: strong raw demand at release, then a tiered structure where PSA 10s and BGS 10s lead the graded market.

Within that backdrop, the $15,128 result for a BGS Black Label 10 Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR sits at the absolute high end of observed pricing for this card type. It reflects both:

The scarcity and premium that collectors assign to Black Labels
The ongoing willingness of high‑end buyers to pay top dollar for the very first perfect copies to hit public auction

As more data accumulates, we’ll have a clearer picture of whether this is near the long‑term range for Black Label copies or an early, thin‑supply premium.

How this sale fits into the broader Pokémon market

Ultra‑modern, but with vintage DNA

Destined Rivals is clearly in the ultra‑modern window – current‑generation product with modern print technology, pull‑rate management, and a large active player base. However, its chase structure still leans heavily on:

Nostalgia (Team Rocket branding, classic legendaries)
Premium illustration slots (SIRs)
Grading culture (submitting big pulls immediately to PSA, BGS, CGC, etc.)

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a consistent pattern:

The top 1–3 chase cards in a new set get graded quickly.
PSA 10s establish the first stable price band.
A handful of BGS 10 and Black Label copies test the absolute ceiling in early auctions.

This Goldin sale is an early example of that pattern for Destined Rivals.

Black Label premiums in context

While exact multiples vary by card and character, Black Label premiums over PSA 10 or BGS 9.5 on comparable modern chase cards have often landed in the 2–5x+ range when supply is extremely thin and the card has strong character demand.

For Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR:

Early PSA 10 sales suggest a healthy four‑figure “gem mint” band.
A $15,128 Black Label result is consistent with the idea that a small group of collectors value “population leadership” and a perfect grade very highly, especially when they believe the pop will remain relatively low.

It’s difficult to call any single sale a long‑term benchmark this early, but as a data point, it signals that collectors are willing to treat this card like one of the premier Mewtwo pieces of the Scarlet & Violet era.

What collectors might take away from this sale

For different segments of the hobby, this result offers a few practical insights:

1. Set chasers and Mewtwo collectors

If you’re building a Destined Rivals master set or a focused Mewtwo PC (personal collection), this auction highlights:

Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex SIR is being treated as a top‑tier chase.
Grade matters a lot at the high end; Black Label demand is clearly there.

For most collectors, raw or PSA 10 copies will remain the more accessible paths, but understanding where the current ceiling sits can help frame what “fair” looks like for lower grades.

2. Grading strategy for ultra‑modern SIRs

For pull‑and‑grade collectors, this sale reinforces a few ongoing themes:

Surface and centering on SIRs are critical. Even minor defects are magnified when chasing BGS 10s.
Submitting the earliest, cleanest copies can matter if you’re targeting top‑of‑market outcomes; the first Black Labels to hit public auction often test the premium most directly.
Not every SIR justifies BGS submission. The cost and risk profile mean most collectors will continue to favor PSA 10 as the primary target, using Black Label attempts selectively on exceptionally clean copies.

3. Sellers and small consignors

If you’re a small seller or someone considering consignment:

Early‑release timing plus a headline grade can amplify visibility, especially on a platform like Goldin.
For similar cards, it can be useful to track how PSA 10 and BGS 10/Black Label tiers diverge over time as more supply enters the market.

None of this is a recommendation to buy, sell, or grade a particular way, but rather context for how one high‑end sale fits into the emerging price structure for the card.

Final thoughts

The 2025 Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Destined Rivals SIR #231 Team Rocket’s Mewtwo ex in BGS PRISTINE / Black Label 10 selling for $15,128 at Goldin on May 18, 2026, is an early marker for how the market views this card:

A premium, story‑driven SIR of a legacy character
A scarce, top‑of‑the‑scale grade on a still‑new release
A result that sits at the upper edge of early observed pricing for modern Mewtwo chase cards

As more graded copies hit the market and additional auctions close, figoca will continue tracking how this card’s price curve develops relative to other Destined Rivals highlights and to the broader Mewtwo collecting landscape.