These "Special Goods Sets" — specifically the Ace/Sabo/Luffy set and the Former Four Emperors set — offer a unique product structure that many collectors initially dismissed. On the surface, they appear to be simple accessory bundles, each containing a playmat and a storage box. However, the real treasure lies inside the single promo card included in each box. Released with an MSRP of around $42.00, these sets were largely skipped by those hunting for bulk hits, leaving the specific singles inside to become surprisingly scarce and valuable assets in the secondary market.
Why have these gone so far under the radar? The answer lies in the product fatigue of 2024. With Bandai pumping out main sets, extra boosters, and starter decks at a breakneck pace, accessory-heavy products often get pushed to the side. Most collectors saw a box with a playmat and assumed it was "merch" rather than a serious collectible. This oversight has created a supply gap . While everyone has the standard leader cards, very few went out of their way to secure these specific alternate art versions, creating a bottleneck that is only now starting to pinch the market.
A major point of contention — and opportunity — is the card quality itself. It is important to note that these cards do not feature the textured foil found in high-rarity booster pulls. For some, this was a dealbreaker. However, the art style alone hits these cards out of the park. The vibrant, distinct visuals separate them from the standard card pool, making them pop in a binder or a graded slab. As time passes, the aesthetic appeal is overriding the lack of texture, proving that strong artwork is king in the One Piece market.
Let's look at the data for the Portgas.D.Ace (OP03-001) from the Ace/Sabo/Luffy set. This card is quietly gaining serious traction. Currently, the market price on TCGPlayer is hovering around the $28-$35 range , which is impressive for a "guaranteed" promo. But the real story is in the population report. The PSA 10 population count for this Ace is currently under 300 . For a character of this magnitude, that number is shockingly low. As collectors circle back to fill holes in their leader collections, this low supply is a ticking time bomb for price appreciation.
The numbers for Edward Newgate (OP02-001) from the Former Four Emperors set are even more staggering. Released later in the cycle during April 2024, this card has seen even less submission activity. The PSA 10 population count is currently sitting under 100 . Let that sink in. In a game with millions of players and collectors, fewer than 100 gem mint copies of this specific Whitebeard leader exist. With raw copies trading steadily between $30 and $40 , the ceiling for high-grade examples is virtually uncapped due to this extreme scarcity.
Beyond the financials, we cannot ignore the emotional weight these characters carry. Without giving away spoilers for new fans, Ace and Whitebeard represent the absolute peak of emotional storytelling in One Piece. They are not just characters; they are icons of brotherhood and fatherhood that define entire eras of the series. Collectors collect what they love, and the deep sentimental value attached to the "Fire Fist" and the "Strongest Man in the World" ensures that demand will never truly dry up.
These cards will only go unnoticed for so long. The combination of extremely low population counts , beloved characters, and a unique art style makes them a prime target for a market correction. While the storage boxes and playmats may not present much long-term value, the single cards are picking up traction fast. Promos are performing exceptionally well in the One Piece ecosystem right now, and these two are leading the charge. If you want to add a strong, upward-trending asset to your portfolio, now is the time to look at the Special Goods Sets before the rest of the market catches on.