- Sheets
- ¥1003 peel-off cards each
- Series
- 3Blue, Red, Green · 1998
- Gengars
- 36,000mailed out 1998–99
- Gengar PSA 10
- $240,000Fanatics Collect · Sep 2026
The Vending series is the collectors' name for Media Factory's 1998 Expansion Sheets (拡張シート): sheets of three peel-off Pokémon cards sold for ¥100 from Jumbo Carddass vending machines, in three series called Blue, Red and Green. Players could mail in two cards to get a holo "Masaki" promo back. A PSA 10 Masaki Gengar sold for $240,000 in September 2026, up from about $14,000 a year earlier.
Last updated . Prices include buyer's premium unless noted.
Cards from a vending machine
In 1998, Media Factory sold Pokémon cards a new way: Expansion Sheets (拡張シート) from Bandai's Jumbo Carddass vending machines, at ¥100 a sheet. Each sheet held three glossy cards you peeled off a backing. Collectors call them the "Vending series", but that's a nickname, not the official name.[1][3]
| Series | Released | Cards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 00 (preview sheet) | Dec 1997 | 3 | Pikachu, Mewtwo and Mew, handed out at the 7th World Hobby Fair [2] |
| Series 1: Blue (青版) | 23 Mar 1998 | 36 | [1] |
| Series 2: Red (赤版) | 17 Jun 1998 | 36 | [1] |
| Series 3: Green (緑版) | 24 Nov 1998 | 53 | Includes "Bill's PC", the card behind the Masaki campaign [1] |
Each series came as 18 sheets. Every sheet held three glossy peel-off cards plus damage counters or coins, for ¥100 including tax.[3]
Mail in two cards, get a holo back
The Green series included a card called Bill's PC (マサキのパソコン; Bill is called Masaki in Japan). From 24 November 1998 to 30 April 1999, the "Communication Evolution" campaign let players mail in Bill's PC with one of five Pokémon and get its evolution back as a holo promo.[4]
| Mailed in with Bill's PC | Holo sent back | Copies |
|---|---|---|
| Kadabra | Alakazam | 39,000 |
| Haunter | Gengar | 36,000 |
| Machoke | Machamp | 29,000 |
| Graveler | Golem | 22,000 |
| Omanyte | Omastar | 21,000 |
Issue numbers as reported by Trainer's Magazine, via Pokumon. More than 140,000 people took part.[4]
Those copy counts make the Masaki promos rare but not tiny. What makes high grades scarce is how they were sent: in envelopes with corner locks, so many arrived with dented corners.[5]
The Masaki Gengar boom
The Gengar is the star. A PSA 10 sold for about $14,000 as recently as early 2025; in 2026 it became a six-figure card.
| Date | Grade | Price | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Sep 2026 | PSA 10 | $240,000 | Fanatics Collect | Masaki Gengar, Buy Now. [6] |
| Aug 2026 | PSA 10 | $207,400$170,000 hammer | Goldin | Masaki Gengar, 14 bids. [6] |
| 19 Jun 2026 | PSA 10 | $198,000 | Fanatics Collect | Masaki Gengar, 53 bids. [5] |
Graded copies should read "MASAKI PROMO" on the slab label; check for it. Most other Vending cards remain affordable, and high-grade examples are thin mainly because few copies have been sent for grading.[8]
The other 1997 channel: chocolate boxes
At the same time, Meiji put Pokémon cards in its ¥100 Choco Snack boxes, one card per box. The 1997 Get Cards set has 170 foil cards, each with a rock-paper-scissors hand on the front, including gold Pikachu, Mewtwo and Mew (152–154), years before Gold Star cards existed.[9][10] Don't confuse them with the 2004–08 Meiji promos, which carry a red Meiji logo.[9]
What to search for in Japan
Finding sheets and Masaki promos
Unpeeled sheets, complete series and sharp-cornered Masaki promos mostly surface in Japan. Tell us which card or sheet you want, and the grade.
