Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese)
S12a: VSTAR Universe · 239/172 · Special Art Rare
Current Prices
Number
239/172
Rarity
Special Art Rare
Variant
Holofoil
Market
US (TCGplayer)
Last Updated
Aug 1, 2026
Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese): Rarity & Collectibility
Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese) in its sought-after Holofoil variant is an Ultra Rare chase card, one of the headline pulls that most boosters never produce. Cataloged as Ultra Rare #239/172 of the S12a: VSTAR Universe set, it is the kind of card RarePokemonCard tracks for scarcity and collector demand rather than raw price alone. The harder a card is to pull in top condition, the more weight serious collectors place on it.
How Rare & Valuable Is Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese)?
In 2026, a Near Mint Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese) (Ultra Rare, S12a: VSTAR Universe #239/172) changes hands at roughly $29.00, and its scarcity does most of the heavy lifting on that figure. Because demand concentrates on clean copies, surface wear is punished hard: a Near Mint example commands about $29.00, whereas a Lightly Played one slides to around $25.00. At the very top, a gem-mint PSA 10 Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese) is valued near $83.99 — about 2.9x the raw copy, the clearest sign of how much collectors pay for flawless scarcity.
Graded Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese): Gem Mint & Population
For a chase card like Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese), the high-grade market is where the real money lives. A PSA 10 (or CGC 10 / BGS Black Label equivalent) Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese) sits around $83.99 — roughly 2.9x a raw copy. That gap exists because relatively few examples ever earn a perfect grade, so gem-mint population is the real scarcity collectors chase. Step down a notch and demand spreads across PSA 9 $47.26, BGS 9.5 $61.50 — each tier a smaller, scarcer pool than the one below it. The rule of thumb for collectors: the rarer the card, the more a certified high grade matters to its standing.
Detailed Price Breakdown
| Source | Condition / Grade | Average | Low | High | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ebay | NEAR MINT | $46.94 | $46.94 | $46.94 | 8 |
| ebay | BGS 9 5 | $61.50 | $61.50 | $61.50 | 1 |
| ebay | PSA 10 | $83.99 | $83.99 | $83.99 | 7 |
| ebay | PSA 9 | $47.26 | $47.26 | $47.26 | 3 |
| tcgplayer | LIGHTLY PLAYED | $25.00 | $25.00 | $25.00 | 2 |
| tcgplayer | NEAR MINT | $29.00 | $28.01 | $28.01 | 137 |
Collector Outlook for Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese)
As an Ultra Rare, Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese) carries genuine chase status — exactly the card whose pull keeps a set desirable for years. Cards in this band from beloved sets tend to keep a loyal collector base over time. Whether you are chasing it for a set or as a centerpiece, revisit Cynthia's Ambition (Japanese) on RarePokemonCard — rarity demand in 2026 shifts with reprints, set nostalgia, and how few high-grade copies surface.
