![Pokemon 151 vs Shiny Treasure ex: Which Box to Buy [2026]](https://samuraiswordtokyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/featured-pokemon-151-vs-shiny-treasure-ex-box-guide-1-1024x538.webp)
Two of the most requested Japanese booster boxes on our site are Pokemon 151 and Shiny Treasure ex — and picking between them is a common question. Both come from the Scarlet & Violet era and both carry a reputation as chase-card sets. But they are built around completely different ideas, priced differently, and reward different kinds of buyers.
This guide compares them on the four things that actually matter before you spend real money: what’s printed inside, what the box costs right now, which cards people are chasing, and who each set genuinely suits. No hype, no invented pull rates — just the verified set data and our own live pricing.
Pokemon 151 (SV2a) is currently listed at ¥55,500 per sealed box. Shiny Treasure ex (SV4a) is currently listed at ¥20,176 sealed. 151 is a smaller, tighter, more expensive set built around 165 core Pokemon; Shiny Treasure ex is a much larger high-class pack with 190 base cards and a huge shiny secret-rare tail, priced at roughly a third of 151’s cost.
Prices below are current listings on samuraiswordtokyo.com as of August 2026 and change with live inventory — check the linked product page for the price and availability at the moment you order.
What’s Actually in Each Box
Start with the sets themselves, because the two are built on opposite design philosophies.
| Set | Japanese name | Release date | Total cards | Base set | Secret rares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokemon 151 (SV2a) | ポケモンカード151 | June 16, 2023 | 210 | 165 | 45 (166–210) |
| Shiny Treasure ex (SV4a) | シャイニートレジャーex | December 1, 2023 | 360 | 190 | 170 (191–360) |
Pokemon 151 is exactly what the name promises: a complete run through the original 151 Pokemon, capped off with Master Ball and Poke Ball mirror-holo inserts. The set is compact by modern standards — 165 cards in the base run, with a 45-card secret-rare tail on top. That tightness is part of the appeal: fewer total slots means each hit is a slightly bigger share of the print run.
Shiny Treasure ex takes the opposite approach. It’s a “high-class pack,” a category built specifically to load a box with rare-slot cards, and it shows in the numbers — a 190-card base set backed by a 170-card secret-rare tail, for 360 cards total. The headline mechanic is shiny Pokemon: the set’s SSR tier is built almost entirely from shiny-colored ex cards, which is a different collecting hook than 151’s nostalgia angle.
A bigger secret-rare tail doesn’t mean bigger odds of pulling one specific card — it means more distinct rare slots to spread across. 151’s smaller tail concentrates value on fewer cards; Shiny Treasure ex’s larger tail spreads it across more.
Box Price Comparison
The price gap between these two boxes is the single biggest factor in this comparison — 151 currently costs roughly 2.75x what Shiny Treasure ex does.
| Product | Condition | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pokemon 151 Booster Box — Sealed | Factory sealed | ¥55,500 |
| Shiny Treasure ex Booster Box — Sealed | Factory sealed | ¥20,176 |
| Shiny Treasure ex Booster Box — No Shrink | Opened outer shrink, sealed packs | ¥17,340 |
151 is built entirely around the original Gen 1 lineup, while Shiny Treasure ex, released less than six months later, is currently listed at a fraction of 151’s price.
If budget matters more than which Pokemon are on the cards, the no-shrink Shiny Treasure ex listing at ¥17,340 is the cheapest entry point on this page — same sealed packs inside, just without the factory outer wrap.
The Chase Cards in Each Set
Here’s where the two sets diverge in personality. 151’s chase cards are the starters and Mew; Shiny Treasure ex’s chase cards are the Trainer SARs and the shiny ex lineup.
Charizard ex 201/165 and Blastoise ex 202/165 sit at the top of 151’s want list as SAR-tier art cards, backed by Mew ex 195/165 and a matching Charizard ex 185/165 in the SR tier. All four lean on the same appeal: the original three starters and the franchise mascot, rendered in the set’s signature full-art treatment. It’s a short, easily explained list, which is exactly why it’s stayed popular with buyers who don’t follow the game closely — you don’t need to know the set to know what you’re chasing.
Shiny Treasure ex’s top targets are the Trainer SARs — Nanjamo 350/190 and Button 354/190 — both drawn in the same oversized character-art style that made the set’s Trainer cards its most talked-about pulls. Underneath that sits the set’s real identity: a deep run of shiny-colored ex Pokemon at SSR, with Alakazam ex 326/190 as a representative example of the tier. Where 151 gives you four cards to hope for, Shiny Treasure ex gives you a wide field of shiny SSRs plus two headline Trainer SARs, which spreads the excitement across a lot more of the box.
For the full breakdown of every rarity slot in each set, see our Pokemon 151 pull rates guide and our Shiny Treasure ex pull rates guide.
Neither set has official published pull rates. Any specific odds you see floating around are community-reported estimates, not manufacturer data — treat them as a rough guide, not a guarantee.
Which Box Fits Your Collection
Set data and price only tell half the story. The more useful question is which box matches how you actually collect.
Pokemon 151 fits you if you want the smallest, most recognizable set on this list — Gen 1 completionists, buyers who want the starters and Mew specifically, and anyone building a display around the “original 151” concept rather than the wider Scarlet & Violet story. It also fits buyers who prioritize a tighter, more concentrated chase over a larger spread of possible hits, and who are comfortable paying a premium for that.
Shiny Treasure ex fits you if budget-per-box matters, you like the shiny-Pokemon collecting angle specifically, or you want more total cards and more distinct SSR targets to open toward for the same money. It’s also the more approachable entry point for buyers who are newer to Japanese sealed product and want to test the format before committing to a pricier box like 151.
Neither set requires deep familiarity with the Scarlet & Violet storyline to enjoy — 151 leans on nostalgia everyone already has, and Shiny Treasure ex leans on a visual gimmick (shiny colors) that needs no context at all.
The Verdict: Pick by Use Case
- Want the cheapest way into either set — Shiny Treasure ex, no-shrink, at ¥17,340. Same packs, lower price.
- Want a specific, well-known chase list — Pokemon 151, sealed, at ¥55,500. Four cards define the set and everyone recognizes them.
- Want the shiny-collecting angle — Shiny Treasure ex is built specifically around it; 151 doesn’t have a shiny mechanic at all.
- Want a single graded card instead of a box — our PSA10 Nanjamo SAR 350/190 is currently listed at ¥30,282 (update: currently sold out — restock requests via Quick Order), a way to own Shiny Treasure ex’s headline Trainer card already graded, without opening a box.
- Undecided and want to compare full checklists first — browse the Pokemon 151 pull rates guide and the Shiny Treasure ex pull rates guide before choosing.
Where to Buy Both Boxes
We ship both sets sealed from Tokyo with tracked delivery. If you already know which set you want, go straight to the product page below; if you’re still weighing options, our full shop and quick-order tool make it easy to compare or build a mixed order.
For everything else — other Japanese sets, singles, and PSA-graded cards — browse our full shop or use our Quick Order page to build a mixed order in one pass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is more expensive, Pokemon 151 or Shiny Treasure ex?
Pokemon 151 is currently listed at ¥55,500 sealed, compared to ¥20,176 for Shiny Treasure ex sealed — roughly 2.75x the price for 151.
What’s the difference in card count between the two sets?
Pokemon 151 has 210 total cards (165 base plus 45 secret rares). Shiny Treasure ex has 360 total cards (190 base plus 170 secret rares) — nearly double the size.
Which set has the bigger chase cards?
151’s chase cards are the Charizard ex and Blastoise ex SARs plus the Mew ex SR — a short, well-known list. Shiny Treasure ex’s headline pulls are the Nanjamo and Button Trainer SARs, backed by a large field of shiny ex SSRs, spreading the chase across more distinct cards.
Can I buy graded singles instead of a box?
Yes for Shiny Treasure ex — our PSA10 Nanjamo SAR 350/190 is currently listed at ¥30,282. 151’s individual PSA10 chase cards are not currently in stock, so the sealed box is the available route into that set right now.
Which box should a first-time Japanese sealed buyer choose?
Shiny Treasure ex is the more approachable entry point on price alone, at roughly a third of 151’s cost, with a no-shrink option available at ¥17,340 for an even lower entry. 151 suits buyers who specifically want the original Gen 1 chase list and are comfortable paying its premium.
500 Points Free on Sign-Up
CREATE FREE ACCOUNT1 pt = ¥1 at checkout · Points expire 30 days after they are earned · Import duties, taxes and customs charges are not included in the price and are collected on delivery, except for destinations we ship duty-paid.
Picked for this article
📩 Get member-only sale alerts & coupons
Sale alerts, coupons and restock notices by email — straight from Tokyo.
