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Active giveaway

Giveaway 1: win one of 2 Ascended Heroes Booster Bundles

  1. The only step

    Put a card on the marketplace

    Put a card worth €10 or more on the GoSwapCards marketplace, for sale or for trade, and keep it there until the draw on 6 November 2026. You do not need to follow or tag anyone. Everything worth €10 or more on the marketplace counts, whenever you put it there. If it is sold or traded through GoSwapCards before then, it still counts. A card that is only in your collection does not count. A sealed product counts too. Listing is free.

6 Nov
Last day to enter, until 19:00
8 Nov
Winners announced
Post a cardFollow us on Instagram
Sealed Ascended Heroes Booster Bundles for the GoSwapCards giveaway

More giveaways are coming

  • 10 Ascended Heroes Booster Bundles

    Sealed, with 6 booster packs each. We give away 2 in every giveaway.

  • 10 Delta Reign Elite Trainer Boxes

    A full case is on its way to us. We will give these away 2 per giveaway too.

Giveaway 1 rules: Ascended Heroes

How the draw works

  1. 1After 6 November 2026 at 19:00 we list every GoSwapCards account that has something worth €10 or more on the marketplace at that moment, or that sold or traded something worth €10 or more there during the giveaway. Each account is on the list once.
  2. 2We draw 2 accounts from that list at random and announce the winners on 8 November 2026. The draw is recorded and participants cannot influence it.
  3. 3We email each winner at the address of their GoSwapCards account. A winner replies within 14 days with a delivery address in the European Union and a photo of the card or product next to a note with their GoSwapCards username and the date (not needed if it has been sold or traded).
  4. 4If a winner does not reply in time or is not eligible, the next drawn account takes their place.
  5. 5Each winner receives one sealed Ascended Heroes Booster Bundle, shipped free of charge within the European Union.

One chance per person

Everyone has one chance, however many cards you have on the marketplace. Fake accounts or someone else's GoSwapCards account do not count.

We only contact winners from @goswapcards or goswapcards@outlook.com. We never ask for a payment, a password or card details.

  • Prize: 2 sealed Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes Booster Bundles, each with 6 booster packs. Each bundle is worth about €100; the total prize value is about €200.
  • Giveaway 1 runs from 9 October 2026 until 6 November 2026 at 19:00 (Amsterdam time). We announce the winners on 8 November 2026. We extended the giveaway by two weeks; everyone who was already in still takes part.
  • To enter, have a card worth €10 or more on the GoSwapCards marketplace at the draw. That is all: you do not need to follow or tag anyone. Something worth €10 or more that you sold or traded through GoSwapCards during the giveaway counts too.
  • Cards and sealed products worth €10 or more both count, for sale or for trade, as long as they are on the marketplace. It does not matter when you put them there. A card that is only in your collection does not count. Something worth €10 or more that you sold or traded through GoSwapCards during the giveaway counts too.
  • Each person has one chance, however many cards or accounts they have, and can win at most one bundle.
  • The 2 winners are drawn at random from every GoSwapCards account that has something worth €10 or more on the marketplace at the draw, or that sold or traded something worth €10 or more through GoSwapCards during the giveaway. We email them at their account address; they reply within 14 days with a delivery address in the European Union. If a winner does not reply in time or is not eligible, the next drawn account wins.
  • Participation is open to people aged 18 or over who live in a member state of the European Union. GoSwapCards staff and members of their households cannot take part.
  • Participation is free. You need a free GoSwapCards account with a confirmed email address. Putting a card up costs nothing and you do not need to buy anything.
  • Prizes are personal, cannot be exchanged for cash and are shipped free of charge within the European Union.
  • Winners may be announced on GoSwapCards channels by Instagram username, only with their consent. Personal data is used only to run this giveaway, in line with the GoSwapCards privacy policy.
  • The prizes fall below the Dutch gambling tax exemption threshold; should gambling tax nevertheless apply, GoSwapCards bears it. Complaints can be sent to goswapcards@outlook.com and receive a response within 14 days.
  • The giveaway is organised by GoSwapCards B.V. (Chamber of Commerce number 99453355, the Netherlands) in accordance with the Dutch Code of Conduct for Promotional Games of Chance. It is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram, Meta, The Pokémon Company International, Nintendo, Creatures or GAME FREAK.
General promotion rules
  • Only genuine entries that follow the published rules of a promotion count.
  • Fake, duplicate, bought or automated accounts and entries do not count.
  • A promotion never changes the price of a GoSwapCards service, and there is never an entry fee.
  • Winners are drawn at random from the valid entries, and GoSwapCards records the draw for audit and support purposes.
  • The rules of a promotion published on this page apply to that promotion. The normal Terms of Service continue to apply to the use of GoSwapCards.
  • GoSwapCards may pause or end a promotion early because of fraud, a serious technical problem or a legal requirement. Winners who have already been drawn keep their prize.

Questions or complaints about a promotion can be sent to goswapcards@outlook.com.

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Articles

Article

Gold cards getting spots? What collectors see, and how to protect yours

Collectors are posting photos of the new gold Mega cards with dull spots spreading over the gold surface. Here is what they report, what might cause it, and what you can do today.

Which cards are we talking about? The gold cards from the Mega Evolution sets. The original name is MUR (Mega Ultra Rare), which is what the Japanese cards say. In English they are called Mega Hyper Rare (MHR).

What collectors are reporting

On Reddit, the topic keeps coming back in r/PokemonTCG:

  • “The Mega Hyper Rare gold card degradation is real”

    About a month ago · 570+ upvotes · 180+ comments

    A collector shows small spots spreading over the smooth gold areas of a card they took good care of. Others reply with the same thing on gold Charizard, Zygarde and Dragonite cards. One collector says their card came out of the pack with dots already.

  • “Gold cards deteriorating”

    11 days ago · almost 1,000 upvotes · 120+ comments

    A graded Mega Dragonite ex (PSA 6) with a gold surface that looks like something is growing on it. Several people say they have seen the same on other new gold cards. One collector says their card looked perfect when they sent it in for grading, but had tarnish when it came back. Another says their PSA 10 Lucario has become mottled since.

  • “Gold card degrading”

    r/PokemonTCG

    Another thread about the same problem.

  • Mega Lucario ex, an English gold card with spots on the gold surface

    Mega Lucario ex

  • Mega Gardevoir ex, an English gold card with spots on the gold surface

    Mega Gardevoir ex

  • Mega Dragonite ex (PSA 6), an English gold card with spots on the gold surface

    Mega Dragonite ex (PSA 6)

  • Mega Charizard Y ex, an English gold card with spots on the gold surface

    Mega Charizard Y ex

English gold cards (MHR) with spots on the gold surface.

Not everyone has it. Several collectors say their gold cards still look like the day they pulled them. They keep them in a sleeve and toploader, in a binder or box, often with silica gel. Some think a few of the damaged cards were already damaged before grading.

Good to know: the small shiny dots in the gold pattern are normal. They are part of the design. The problem is dull, light-colored spots that grow over the smooth gold areas.

It is also not completely new. In 2017, collectors on Elite Fourum already noticed speckling on gold Hyper Rares from Sun & Moon (the older gold cards, before MUR and MHR).

What could cause it

Nobody knows for sure yet, and we have not seen an official statement from The Pokémon Company. These are the possible causes collectors mention:

  1. 1Production. Many collectors think the gold layer itself is the problem. One theory: the ink and the gold foil do not bond well, so the smooth areas slowly lift.
  2. 2Humidity. The cause mentioned most. Collectors who live in a dry place report fewer problems. And a slab is not moisture-proof.
  3. 3Grading and slabs. Some cards changed while they were at the grader or inside the slab. The pressure when the slab is sealed might also play a part.
  4. 4Cleaning products. One collector saw more damage on cards they had treated with card spray or polish.
  5. 5Oil from your fingers. Skin oil sticks to the card surface and shows up as marks. It might play a part too. That is not proven.

What about Japanese MUR cards?

Collectors are asking, but so far we have not seen reports about Japanese MUR cards. We would still be careful with those too.

  • Mega Zygarde ex, a Japanese MUR card

    Mega Zygarde ex

  • Mega Dragonite ex, a Japanese MUR card

    Mega Dragonite ex

Japanese gold cards (MUR).

How to protect your gold cards

  • Put them in a sleeve and a toploader right after opening.
  • Hold them by the edges. Don't touch the gold surface.
  • Keep them dry: a closed box with a few silica gel packs. A cheap hygrometer tells you how humid your storage spot is.
  • Don't use cleaning sprays or polish on gold cards.
  • Keep them out of the sun and away from heat.

Wait with grading

  • Wait a few months and check if your card stays clean.
  • Several collectors advise not to grade these cards at the moment.
  • Want to grade one anyway? Some collectors choose Beckett, because they put the card in a sleeve inside the slab. But there are also reports of gold cards that got damaged when Beckett sealed the slab. No grading company is proven safe for these cards yet.

Buying a gold card?

  • Zoom in on the photos of the gold surface first. That is where the spots show.
  • Ask the seller for an extra photo at an angle, in good light.
  • On GoSwapCards every listing has photos, so you can check the card before you buy.
Browse the marketplace

Seen it on your own cards?

Let us know in the comments under our Instagram video, or mail us at goswapcards@outlook.com. We will update this article when we know more.

Sources