Not every Pokemon Funko Pop holds onto its retail price once it leaves the shelf — some quietly climb in value for years after release, driven by factors like vaulting, exclusivity, and simple long-term demand from a franchise that never really loses popularity. Kollect Korner, an online store carrying Pokémon, Funko Pop, and other collectibles, sees firsthand how much this segment of the market fluctuates, and looking at which figures have actually appreciated the most tells a useful story about what drives value in this hobby.
1. Charizard: The Line's Most Valuable Standard Figure
Charizard consistently sits at the top of Pokémon Funko Pop valuations, with an average resale price around $650 and top verified sales reaching as high as $1,000. As the final evolution of one of the franchise's most iconic starters, Charizard benefits from a level of enduring popularity that keeps demand — and price — elevated well above most other figures in the line.
2. Mewtwo: A Steady Climber
Mewtwo has proven to be one of the more reliably valuable figures in the lineup, with average prices around $175 and standout sales climbing as high as $676. Mewtwo's status as one of the franchise's most feared and iconic characters has translated directly into sustained collector demand across multiple variants of the figure.
3. Flocked Mewtwo (Virtual SDCC Exclusive): Driven Up by Scarcity and Sentiment
The flocked Mewtwo released exclusively through the 2020 virtual San Diego Comic-Con stands out for a slightly different reason than pure investment demand. Many collectors who picked it up did so purely out of love for the character rather than resale intent, which paradoxically pushed secondary market prices even higher — fewer units circulate for sale when owners never intended to part with them in the first place.
4. Jolteon: A Surprise Spike
Jolteon isn't always the first figure that comes to mind in Pokémon collecting circles, but it has quietly become one of the more valuable Eeveelutions, with resale values reaching up to $350. Tracked price history shows a notable spike in late 2022, a reminder that value increases in this space don't always follow the most obviously popular characters.
5. Metallic Charizard (#843): A Cancelled Release Commands a Premium
Originally intended for release at WonderCon 2022 before being cancelled, the Metallic Charizard has become one of the most sought-after figures in the entire line specifically because so few units exist. Checklist valuations place it as the single most expensive standard entry in the Pokémon Funko Pop catalog, reflecting just how much a cancelled or extremely limited run can influence long-term price.
6. The 25th Anniversary Silver Metallic Series: Officially Vaulted
Bulbasaur, Charmander, Pikachu, and Squirtle, released as part of the 25th Anniversary Silver Metallic line, hold a distinction few other Pokémon figures share — they are among the only entries in the entire Pokémon Funko Pop line to be officially vaulted, meaning Funko has permanently ended production. Vaulting is one of the clearest triggers for a price increase in the wider Funko Pop market, since retailers can no longer reorder stock once a figure reaches vault status, and secondary market prices typically climb in response.
7. Jumbo Eevee (Target Exclusive): Popularity Outpacing Supply
The 10-inch Target-exclusive Eevee has become difficult to source through official retailers, with typical resale values around $80 to $92. Eevee's massive popularity as one of the franchise's most recognizable mascots, combined with the exclusivity of the jumbo Target release, has kept demand consistently ahead of available supply.
8. Jumbo Charmander (San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive): Exclusivity Over Size Alone
While a more widely available Target-exclusive version of the jumbo Charmander exists, the version released specifically at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019 — identifiable by a special sticker on the box — has sold for well over $100 on auction sites. The price gap between the two versions comes down entirely to the added exclusivity of the convention-only release.
9. Jumbo Mewtwo (Target Exclusive, Vaulted): A Rare Combination of Size and Scarcity
A 10-inch Target-exclusive Mewtwo has also reached vaulted status, combining two of the strongest value drivers in the hobby — oversized jumbo format and official retirement from production. Vaulted jumbo exclusives like this one tend to hold their value particularly well compared to standard-sized figures still in active production.
10. Pearlescent Mewtwo (Pokémon Center Exclusive): A Steady Niche Favorite
The Pearlescent Mewtwo, released as a Pokémon Center exclusive, has carved out its own steady demand among collectors specifically chasing finish variants. While it hasn't reached the same price peaks as some jumbo or vaulted releases, its consistent resale activity reflects how finish-specific exclusives — flocked, pearlescent, metallic — can carve out lasting value even without an outright rarity crisis behind them.
What Ties These Figures Together
Across all ten entries, a few patterns show up repeatedly: vaulting removes a figure from production entirely, convention exclusivity limits initial availability, and jumbo or specialty finishes add a layer of desirability beyond the standard release. Character popularity still matters — Charizard, Mewtwo, and Eevee dominate this list for good reason — but it's rarely popularity alone that drives serious appreciation. It's popularity combined with genuine scarcity.
What This Means for Collectors and Traders
For collectors paying attention to value rather than just aesthetics, this pattern is worth remembering when it comes to broader Trading Cards and Collectibles as well — items tied to popular characters, released in genuinely limited numbers, tend to hold and grow in value far more reliably than mass-produced standard releases, whether that's a Funko Pop or a chase pull from a Pokemon TCG booster box.
Final Thoughts
The Pokémon Funko Pop figures that have climbed the most in value share a common thread of scarcity layered on top of already-strong character popularity — whether through vaulting, convention exclusivity, or simply limited retail availability. For collectors watching this space, tracking which figures move toward vault status or convention-only distribution is often a better predictor of future value than character popularity alone.
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