Champion's Path Special Pin Collection (2020): Contents and MSRP
By Dexhaul Team · October 19, 2026 · 6 min read
Two pins. Five packs. And a pair of foil promo cards you cannot pull from any standard Champion's Path booster.
The Champion's Path Special Pin Collection launched October 2, 2020, at an MSRP of $19.99 USD per version, as listed on the official Pokémon product gallery. It came in two versions, Stow-on-Side and Circhester, each containing pins and foil promos for a pair of Gym Leaders you could only face in one game version.
This is the quick breakdown: Stow-on-Side gives you Machamp and Gengar pins (Bea's Sword gym and Allister's Shield gym). Circhester gives you Coalossal and Lapras pins (Gordie's Sword gym and Melony's Shield gym). Every card in both collections is also available via the full Champion's Path set guide on DexHaul.
What's Inside Both Versions
| Item | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Champion's Path booster packs | 5 | From the Champion's Path mini-set (73 cards) |
| Collector pins | 2 | Version-specific; one per Gym Leader |
| Foil promo cards | 2 | Version-specific; exclusive to this product |
The structure is identical across both versions. Five packs give you meaningful coverage of the 73-card Champion's Path set, which includes the chase Charizard V and VMAX cards as well as the full gallery of Galar Gym Leader partner Pokémon.
The foil promos are the most collectible element. They carry a dedicated promo number separate from the standard set and cannot be obtained by opening regular Champion's Path packs. Collectors aiming for a complete Champion's Path promo run need at least one copy of each version.
On this page 7 sections
Stow-on-Side or Circhester: The Version Split Explained
This is the one detail most buyers miss about the Special Pin Collections.
Stow-on-Side and Circhester are the only two towns in Galar where Sword and Shield players faced completely different Gym Leaders. In Pokémon Sword, Bea runs a Fighting-type gym at Stow-on-Side; in Shield, Allister runs a Ghost-type gym in that same building.
The same split applies at Circhester. Gordie leads a Rock-type gym in Sword; Melony leads an Ice-type gym in Shield.
The Special Pin Collection is the only TCG product that packages both version-exclusive leaders from the same town into a single box. If you played Sword, you never battled Allister. Buying the Stow-on-Side collection gives you his Gengar pin and promo regardless of which version you owned.
| Version | Pins | Foil Promos | Gym Leaders | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stow-on-Side | Machamp + Gengar | Machamp + Gengar foils | Bea (Sword) + Allister (Shield) | Fighting + Ghost |
| Circhester | Coalossal + Lapras | Coalossal + Lapras foils | Gordie (Sword) + Melony (Shield) | Rock + Ice |
Collectors who want to own all four Gym Leader promos from the split towns need both versions. Neither contains promos from the other town's leaders.
MSRP and Price Per Pack
At launch in October 2020, each Special Pin Collection carried a $19.99 USD MSRP. That works out to $4.00 per pack before the pins and promos are factored in, which was competitive with contemporary ETBs at the time.
| Product | MSRP (USD) | Packs | Cost per pack | Pins | Foil promos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Pin Collection (either version) | $19.99 | 5 | ~$4.00 | 2 | 2 |
| Regular Gym Pin Collection | $9.99 | 3 | ~$3.33 | 1 | 1 |
Secondary market prices as of October 2026 vary widely by seller and condition. Sealed Stow-on-Side copies are observed between $104 and $544 USD from independent merchants; Circhester copies range from around $89 CAD to $184 USD.
Both are well above the original $19.99 MSRP, reflecting the set's discontinued status and the exclusivity of the promo cards.
How It Compares to the Regular Gym Pin Collections
Champion's Path had two tiers of pin products. The regular Gym Pin Collections covered individual Gym Leaders from the non-split towns: Milo (Turffield), Nessa (Hulbury), Kabu (Motostoke), Raihan (Hammerlocke), Piers (Spikemuth), and Leon (Wyndon). Each regular collection held 1 pin, 3 packs, and 1 foil promo at $9.99 MSRP.
The Special Pin Collections stepped up to cover the gyms where the town's leader depended on your game version. Double the pins, double the promos, five packs instead of three. The "Special" label is accurate: no other Champion's Path product packs Sword-version and Shield-version content into one box.
For a fuller look at the Champion's Path lineup including the Champion's Path ETB and the Marnie Premium Collection, both DexHaul fact-sheets cover contents, MSRP, and what you get per dollar at each tier.
Release Timeline
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| September 25, 2020 | Champion's Path mini-set launches (73 cards, Sword & Shield era) | tcg.pokemon.com |
| October 2, 2020 | Special Pin Collections launch: Stow-on-Side and Circhester | Pokémon product gallery |
| 2020 (discontinued) | Initial print run sells through; no reprint announced | Secondary market pricing, October 2026 |
Champion's Path was a limited mini-set tied to the Sword and Shield era. Like the full set of 73 cards on Limitless TCG, its associated products were printed once and not reprinted. The Special Pin Collections are now secondary-market only.
Who Should Buy It, and Who Should Skip It
Buy the Special Pin Collection if you are completing a Champion's Path promo set and need the exclusive foil cards, or if you want the pins for both version-exclusive Gym Leaders from one of the split towns. It is the only route to the Machamp and Gengar promos (Stow-on-Side) or the Coalossal and Lapras promos (Circhester) outside the secondary market for loose singles.
Skip it if you are only after Champion's Path booster pack pulls. Five packs at current secondary-market prices means you are paying a significant premium per pack compared to buying packs from a bulk lot. The sealed-product collector and the promo completionist are the natural buyers here.
As a Q4 gift for a Sword and Shield collector, both versions make a strong pairing. The version-split angle gives a genuine story: if the recipient played Sword, Stow-on-Side gets them Allister's Gengar items they never earned in-game.
If they played Shield, the Stow-on-Side set delivers the Machamp content they missed. See the full guide to Pokémon pins and enamel badges for more pin-collection options across multiple sets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many packs are in the Champion's Path Special Pin Collection?
Each Special Pin Collection, whether Stow-on-Side or Circhester, contains 5 Champion's Path booster packs. The regular Gym Pin Collections from the same set contain 3 packs.
What is the difference between the Special Pin Collection and the regular Gym Pin Collection?
The regular Gym Pin Collections each cover one Gym Leader: 1 pin, 3 packs, 1 foil promo at $9.99 MSRP. The Special Pin Collections cover two version-exclusive Gym Leaders from the same town: 2 pins, 5 packs, 2 foil promos at $19.99 MSRP.
Are the promo cards in the Special Pin Collection exclusive to this product?
Yes. The foil promo cards, including Machamp and Gengar (Stow-on-Side) and Coalossal and Lapras (Circhester), carry promo numbers separate from the main Champion's Path set and cannot be pulled from standard booster packs.
Which Special Pin Collection version has rarer cards?
Both versions contain the same rarity structure: two foil promos exclusive to that version. Neither version contains Charizard V or VMAX, which are only in standard Champion's Path packs and the Elite Trainer Box promo.
Is the Champion's Path Special Pin Collection a good gift in 2026?
It works well for a Champion's Path or Sword and Shield set collector who wants the exclusive promos and version-exclusive gym pins. Check current observed prices from independent merchants before buying, as secondary-market pricing is well above the 2020 MSRP.
Browse current listings for Champion's Path collection products, including sealed Special Pin Collections from independent merchants, at DexHaul's TCG Collection Boxes. DexHaul is independent and unofficial, not affiliated with The Pokémon Company.
Catch 'em all
More Champion's Path sealed products and collection boxes from independent shops.