Pokémon Southern Islands Promo Set: The Perfect Island Getaway for Every Collector
With the Promo set, Southern Islands, released in 2001 in English and 1998 in Japanese, collectors find a perfect balance of classic Pokémon cards to collect, Mew being the jewel of the set, but also classic artwork by artists Naoyo Kimura and Keiko Fukuyama.
Kimura would be the standout artist; fans might recognize her recent contribution to the fine art collaboration with Van Gogh, the Felt Hat Pikachu card, but it is Fukuyama who holds more of the standout cards of the Southern Islands set, as she is the artist for Mew.
The History of the Set
The set was original released in Japan as part of promotional material for the release of the second movie, Pokémon the Movie 2000, and was released as two sets featuring 9 cards each inside a themed binder with additional postcards. One binder, the Tropical Island set designed by Naoyo Kimura, featured the Pokémon Lickitung, Vileplume, Primeape, Exeggutor, Slowking, Wartortle, Tentacruel, Marrill and Lapras.
The other binder, the Rainbow Island set designed by Keiko Fukuyama, featured the Pokémon Mew, Pidgeot, Onix, Togepi, Ivysaur, Raticate, Ledyba, Jigglypuff, and Butterfree. When the English set released July 31st of 2001, it combined the two Islands’ sets into one Southern Islands Promo with the original postcards from the Japanese set as well as three booster packs which based on release dates would probably have been from sets like Neo Genesis or Neo Discovery as those sets both came out within six months of Southern Islands.
Despite being a promo set and thus having a smaller checklist, set collectors today shouldn’t scoff at the smaller list, as there are quite a few heavy hitters in the bunch that any collection would benefit from having. The set itself still shows up sealed on eBay and other collecting sites with sales upwards of $7,000 in November of 2025 for a complete English set still sealed. Here are the heavy hitters from the set for singles hunters:
1. Mew
The Southern Islands Mew is gorgeous, and investors agree: a PSA 9 consistently sells over $3,000, with some recent sales reaching $3,750. There are only 20 PSA 10s that exist of the Mew, so it still holds the rarity factor for a bigger-name Pokémon. Fukuyama’s Mew also features the top of Charizard from the Sky postcard image, so it really does feel like it gets the added Charizard tax. Raw, this card, based on condition, can be bought for under $300, so for anyone trying to add a vintage Mew that looks stunning, this might be the play.
2. Slowking
For me, this is the card that got away. When I was getting back into collecting, I picked up a copy for $10 and sold it last January for $160. By no means did I lose money on this card, but this Slowking has to be one of my favorite cards. A cameo by Psyduck and Bellsprout, the PSA 9 version of this card sells for over $1,000, with sales in June around $1,200. However, raw, this card can be yours for just around $150, depending on condition. The Slowking also shows among the highest returns for collectors, with TCG Player showing near-mint copies of the card selling over 250% higher than they were a year ago.
3. Togepi
Togepi is such an iconic early Pokémon, especially once Misty hatched hers in the anime, and this card regularly dips below $100 for a collector to get a fantastic-looking card of a Pokémon that’s going to move. With only 18 PSA 10s on the pop report, this is also one of those vintage cards that has a low pop report because it comes from a promo set, and it sells well because of it, with PSA 9 sales over $800 in June.
The Honorable Mentions: Marill, Wartortle, and Lapras all have fantastic cards in this set, with TCG Player showing that near mint copies of the cards sales are up 157%, 111%, and 75% respectively across the last year. Butterfree also has wonderful artwork in this set, and overall, as a vintage set, Southern Islands offers stunning images of iconic Pokémon that, whether you’re a collector looking to spice up their PC with some vintage cards, or someone looking to put in their display case at the next card show, Southern Islands offers a little bit of everything for collectors looking to take an island getaway.
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Jonathan Klinger is a collector and baseball historian based in Texas. Jonathan has been a lifelong Yankee fan and his love of collecting goes back over two decades. His collection is focused primarily on Yankees team sets, vintage memorabilia, and other unique pieces. He is a member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research). When he’s not writing or collecting, Jonathan spends his time with his family, coaching his son’s Tee-ball team.
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