Today, we welcome Japanese Pokémon Card collector Ryan from Braysh Gaming, who will be talking to us about his PSA 10 The Masked Royal full art promo.
The Masked Royal - A very limited card that commands a high price in today’s market, and Ryan owns 1 of the 100 copies ever made. Upon the rare occasion that this card hits the market, you can expect to see PSA 10 copies sell for thousands!
The full art variant of this card was never released outside of Japan and Korea. It was only obtainable in a special Shining Legends competition during the Shining Legends expansion release in the summer of 2017.
Ryan's copy of The Masked Royal full art in PSA 10
Let's start off right away; Congratulations! You own 1 of the 100 copies given away in Japan. How does that feel?
Ryan: Thank you, and it feels great! To own such a unique card comes with its own unique feeling. It’s one of those cards that feels like a complete set all on its own and I’m very happy to have it.
When did you decide; “I am going to buy a Masked Royal full art.” Was it on impulse, or did you want it for a long time? What is the backstory? How did you obtain it?
Ryan: It was a card I had admired from a distance really, and kind of defined my time of collecting since starting again. What I mean by that is, it's possibly been the rarest card to be released in this era and, for me, it felt like the only card I needed.
It never felt possible to own such a limited card at first, and in the end I have to admit the purchase was kind of impulsive. I found a deal for the card already graded as a PSA 10 that was too good to turn down. I went on to contact the seller directly in Japan, who accepted my offer.
The price of this card has increased alot within these 2 years, did you feel any pressure of missing out on one before it could spike even more in the future?
Ryan: It was definitely something that was on my mind, and it's something I’m going to be thinking about again very soon with Mewtwo HR. I had visited Japan just after this card was initially released, and I managed to see it for sale in two different shops around Osaka. In hindsight, I should have snapped up both really! I feel like I’ve gone full ciricle!
I think the fact that the value of something like this will only go up contributed heavily to actually obtaining the card. It feels like it could be a great investment for years to come.
If it’s possible, how much did you spend on it when importing it from Japan, and did you have any relation/contact with the seller before purchasing it?
Ryan: I was very lucky to have a good friend in Japan to help me out! The import charges on something like this would have probably meant it would be cheaper for me to fly to Japan and collect it myself, so I’m very grateful for the help I received. I have to say that it was a bit of a nervous wait waiting for it to arrive from overseas, but it was worth the stress in the end!
There are currently 19 PSA graded cards of the Masked Royal Full art, of which copies 17 have obtained the maximum grade of 10, and 2 copies are 9’s. Now that PSA grading has become more accessible in Japan, do you think more copies are going to be graded in the future?
Ryan: Oh yes, of course. PSA grading is getting so popular nowadays that it only seems natural, even if it’s just to preserve the card. I’ve seen people grade the 1998 Parent/Child Kangaskhan Tournament promo purely for authentication purposes, and I believe in 20 years or so the Masked Royal will be of the same caliber. Even if this card grades as a PSA 9, it gives you that peace of mind that its properly protected, and with the new PSA hub in Japan, I can see a few more copies being graded yet.
Did you ever consider the Korean version of The Masked Royal full art as an alternative option?
Ryan: Having never pursued Korean cards, it didn’t appeal to me. I have nothing against Korean cards, but I guess I wanted the Japanese version for the same reasons I collect Japanese cards over English. It’s where the TCG was born and for that reason they will always feel more authentic to me.
It’s been 2 years now since its release, do you think an English version of the full art will come of this card? And what if it does (which is very unlikely)? Do you think any of these super limited promo’s will come to the west?
Ryan: It’s getting a bit late in the day for that to happen now, but as you know, we’re still due the likes of Lady, Giovanni and a lot of the Ultra Shiny full art Trainers in English, so I wouldn’t be overly shocked if they all appeared in some sort of set together. Regardless, it wouldn’t affect the exclusivity of the Japanese variant, though It would be great if we had our own competition with 1 of 100 cards to be won, exclusive to Europe perhaps!
If you ever get the chance to get this card signed by the illustrator Naoki Saito, would you crack the PSA case open for that to get it signed by him and regrade it?
Ryan: That’s a very tough question! I would consider it if it was something I could do myself, rather than relying on someone to get the signature for me as I have done in the past. Naoki Saito is a very difficult signature to obtain on its own, so it may be an opportunity too good to pass up! I would also maybe consider just getting the PSA case signed on the outside – I’ve seen that done before.
A new HR Mewtwo GX promo has been recently announced, which has a limited number of 300 copies. Will you be trying to acquire one? And what do you think of Zekrom HR?
Ryan: I’ll have my eye on it. I have my long-running Masaki Promo goal to complete first! I think collecting unique cards rather than unlimited sets is my goal now, so I’ll be able to tell within the first few weeks if it’s going to be possible or not.
With there being 300 copies printed instead of 100, you expect the price to go down, but of course it’s Mewtwo! I think there will definitely be some sort of “Mewtwo-tax” to pay on this card in terms of purchasing one! I have to say it's great to see them going with such a popular Pokémon this time though, as I felt the Zekrom GX from 2018 was a bit of an odd character choice and it never really appealed to me.
Ryan, I want to thank you for your time. It was nice to share your experience on discussing the Masked Royal full art, and the other HR competition promo prize awards. I hope you will enjoy this card for a very long time!
Ryan: Thank you very much!
Ryan runs a Youtube channel, Braysh Gaming with content including Japanese Pokemon TCG videos and vlogs in Japan. You can find him on Twitter & Instagram: @brayshgaming.
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