How To Find Out If Your Old Vintage Or Rare Pokemon Card Is Valuable And How Much Its Worth
The easiest way to tell if your pokemon card is rare and therefore potentially valuable is to look at the back of the card , in particular, at the bottom of the picture. Most valuable pokemon cards will have the 1st Edition marking.
This means that this specific card is one of the first batch made by Nintendo to be mass-produced. If you still want to make sure, look at all sides on your pokemon card .
If any side says Unlimited Edition, then your pokemon card is not very rare. Unlimited edition is similar to 1st Edition except that two different print runs of the card are sold separately, with unlimited being the common version.
Most Old Pokemon Card Collections Arent Worth Anything
The only rare Pokemon card I can distinctly remember having was a holographic Blastoise, which I destroyed in the YMCA pool.
I cringed when that memory resurfaced. Surely that card is worth more than a used car today
Turns out, you can actually buy a collector-condition Blastoise on Amazon for about $100.
In fact, holographic Charizards arent selling for much more than that:
So what gives? Why are some Charizards worth $100 and others worth $200,000?
Well, unlike the $110 eBay Charizard, Logics prized Charizard is a:
- First Edition.
- Shadowless.
- PSA Gem Mint 10.
Any card falling short of those high standards wont be worth even 5% as much. So whether youre looking to start investing in Pokemon cards or simply selling your old collection, lets cover how to spot and appraise valuable Pokemon cards!
The 10 Most Valuable Expensive Pokmon Cards
Pokémon cards’ popularity shows no signs of slowing, with collectors prepared to spend thousands on unopened boxes and the rarest of cards.
Interest in Pokémon and the card game, described by Nintendo as “one of the most popular children’s entertainment properties in the world,” has only increased in recent years, with multiple card sales at auction hitting new highs in recent years.
But which are the most expensive Pokémon cards of them all?
We asked PWCC, a major marketplace for card trading, to round up those that have been sold for the most money, all between 2020 and 2021.
Take a look…
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How To Research Pokmon Card Prices
If youre looking to maximize your return on selling your Pokémon cards, you will need to do your research. Blindly selling individual cards without doing the legwork on Pokémon card value could end up selling yourself short and giving a collector a great deal.
The best way to research Pokémon card prices is to look at real life selling history. After all, Pokémon cards are only worth what someone is willing to pay. Check out these three resources to see what your Pokémon cards are worth:
- eBay has the largest collection of Pokémon cards for sale online
- com is regularly updated with eBay and Amazon card selling data to reflect the average price of specific cards
- TCGPlayer is an online store for buying and selling trading cards, with card prices that reflect the average sale price of said cards within the TCGPlayer store
If you have a lot of Pokémon cards but dont want to go through the hassle of selling individual items, there are places where you can sell Pokémon cards in bulk. Just know that youll be leaving money on the table if you choose to go this route.
Pokmon Card Storage Box
Once youve put your Pokémon cards in their sleeves, youll need to put them in a box for easy safekeeping. One option is clear plastic boxes, which provide great protection and make it easy to see what kind of card you have inside. Another option is the classic 9-pocket page for three ring binders.
Looking for something a little less fancy? There are a wide variety of other options available on online storefronts, and theres always cardboard boxes. Whichever Pokémon card storage box you decide on, make sure that it is elevatedeither on a pallet or on a shelfto guard against spills or other types of moisture on the ground.
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Pokemon World Championship Master Key Trophy Card
Sold in August, 2020 for $26,900
The Pokémon World Championships are where the best of the best meet each year to battle it out for money, prizes, and the title of Pokémon World Champion.
Players who earn enough points in qualifiers and smaller tournaments receive a special invitation to compete in the three-day event held in rotating locations.
The first tournament kicked off in 2004 in Orlando, Florida, but in 2010 the competition made its way to the Hilton in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii.
Just thirty-six contestants participated in the 2010 event and each received a copy of this beautiful foil card in a special case.
With so few of them ever produced, they are among the rarest Pokemon cards, and command huge prices if and when they do surface for sale or auction.
St Edition Shadowless Blastoise
It might not be quite as popular as Charizard, but Blastoise comfortably beats out the likes of Venasaur and Chansey for the second spot when it comes to valuable base set cards. A mint condition copy of the card was sold for a little over $45,000 just last November, once again through a PWCC eBay auction.
It’s one of 100 copies of the card to have been given the GEM-MT 10 rating by the PSA making it one of the more common base set holographic cards in perfect condition. As with Charizard though, the relatively high population doesn’t seem to have impacted its value all too much most probably because so many of them are already in the hands of collectors.
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Pokemon Play Third Season Promo 70000 Points Holo Umbreon Gold Star
Sold in June, 2021 for $70,000
From 2003 to 2006, PLAY Promotional Cards allowed Pokemon Players Club members to obtain exclusive cards by earning experience points when completing various tasks.
For example, if a player started a battle, won a battle, placed in a tournament, he or she would accumulate points that could earn certain prize cards.
The five Gold Star cards are the most difficult to obtain because of their high EXP thresholds, with the Umbreon being the hardest with its 70,000 point requirement.
How Do You Take Proper Care Of Pokmon Cards
Pokémon trading cards first came on the scene in the late 90s. Ever since their release, the game and franchise have only grown in popularity.
Just like any other collecting hobby, you want to make sure that your collection stays protected. For some, they like to collect Funko Pops and keep them sealed in their boxes. Other people collect coins from different eras and have a special place dedicated to their coin collection.
The same can be true of your Pokémon card collection. You want your cards to stay in mint condition. However, to know the cards that are in the pack, you have to take them out of the original packaging.
Is there a way to take care of your Pokémon cards so they can stay in mint condition?
Here are a few tips to keep your Pokémon cards in mint condition.
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Other Places To Sell Your Pokemon Cards
- Cardmarket: a German-based online marketplace that caters to trading-card-game hobbyists.
- Troll and Toad: a hub for all things gaming-related, including video games, table-top games and trading-card games.
- TCGplayer: an e-commerce marketplace that allows stores and hobbyists alike to buy and sell trading cards.
- : a free tool connected to your Facebook profile that allows you to buy or sell almost any physical item locally.
- Local comic book or hobby shops: a great alternative to Facebook Marketplace if you want to buy or sell Pokemon cards without the hassle of shipping.
Pokemon Japanese Promo Wonder Platinum Trophy Card
Sold in November, 2020 for $25,100
Held at the Prince Park Tower Tokyo on May 4, 2009, the final round of the 2009 Japan World Championship pitted finalists against each other in fierce competition.
Each of the twenty finalists across three different age divisions received one of these Wonder Platinum cards, so one can assume that only twenty of these cards made their way into collectors’ hands.
How many still exist today is unknown, but finding one graded in a BGS 9.5 holder is incredibly rare.
What is known is that this trainer card is one of the most highly coveted DPt-P promotional cards, and its imagery makes for an incredibly well-designed card.
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Umbreon Gold Star Holo
- Release Date: 2005
- Grading: BGS 9.5
- Pokemon card value at auction: $70,000
Eevee and its evolutions are some of the most popular characters in the Pokemon franchise. It makes sense then that a Gold Star Umbreon would quickly become one of the most coveted Pokemon cards in the TCG.
The story behind this Pokemon card also makes it unique as players had to accumulate over 70,000 XP points by the end of the Pokemon Players Clubs fourth season to obtain it. Trainers not only had to physically go to events, but they had to win a lot of matches.
Due to its low population, not a lot of these Pokemon cards have actually gone up for sale. All of that changed in June 2021 when the Gold Star Umbreon sold for $70,000 at auction. Its BGS grade of 9.5 makes it all the rarer, as only two in the whole world have received a grade this high.
Pokmon Trading Card Game Competitive Play
If one of the main reasons that you are cracking booster packs is because you are looking for cards to complete your newest standard deck, buying Japanese Pokémon cards may not be for you.
There are a handful of issues and rules when it comes to using Japanese cards in competitive play outside of Japan and its honestly best to avoid them if you are serious about playing in sanctioned tournaments.
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Whats The Most Valuable Pokemon Card
The Pikachu Illustrator cards have sold for the highest amount, publicly at least. These cards were awarded to winners of a Pokemon contest held in Japan circa 1998. Less than 40 of these cards are known to exist. In recent years, a few have sold for between $100,000 and $375,000.
Gem mint 10 first edition holographic Charizards from the 1999 base set are nearly as valuable. They have sold for as much as $369,000 at auction.
Pokemon Pop Series 5 Gold Star Espeon
Sold in February, 2021 for $22,100
Like its Umbreon counterpart that we covered a little bit ago, the 2007 POP Series 5 Gold Star Espeon is one of the two most-desired cards in the 17-card promotional set.
The Gold Star symbol next to the character’s name in the upper-left side of the card denotes the increased rarity of the card.
Masakazu Fukuda mixed an intense color scheme with a striking outline of Espeon to deliver a fantastic card with tremendous eye appeal.
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Pokmon Ex Deoxys Gold Star Rayquaza #107
$60,065
This is the first of two Pokémon Charizard variations, originating from the 2005 Ex Deoxys Trading Card Game expansion.
This specific variant deviates from the highly collectable original cards released, with a more active fire-breathing dragon, supposedly shaded slightly darker than other variants.
These Gold Star cards are considered so powerful in the game that only one can be held in a deck during battles.
When Did The Pokemon Xy Promo Set Come Out
Complete list of cards in the Pokemon XY Promo Set. The XY Promo expansion set, also known as the XY Black Star Promos, was released in October 2013. It includes a whopping 216 cards, including 5 alternate art a numbered cards. XY Promo cards were sold in boxes that included a Promo card, a pin, and 3 packs of cards.
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Should I Sell My Pokemon Cards Individually Or As A Complete Collection
If you have a lot of Pokemon cards, its probably not worth selling them individually, unless theyre all rare cards.
As a general rule, you will get more if you sell the cards individually, but it will take longer to list and sell them. If you dont have a lot of time on your hands, its fine to list your whole Pokemon card collection as a bulk lot. Alternatively, you can pull out the rarest cards and sell them separately to make a bit of extra money.
If selling your Pokemon collection as a bulk lot of cards, its very important to get good pictures of the rarest cards, so that people can see what you have.
Are Pokmon Cards A Good Investment
The short answer is yes but you do need to be vigilant and consider several factors. When wealthy people shell out money for art and collectible items, they are not just doing this to show off their wealth but also utilize it as a means of investing as this can be more reliable than the unpredictable stock market. This is the same case with Pokémon cards.
They will most often go up in value but one needs to consider several factors. They include whether the card is in good condition and whether it is a 1st edition, rare, shadowless, and old. These categories of cards will almost always fetch a good price. One should also know when to buy and sell. For instance, the Keldeo Ex Card released in 2012 previously fetched $40-$50 but today goes for as low as $10. So, those who offloaded theirs in 2012 would be luckier than those who hung on to theirs to date.
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Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind Trainer Card
Sold in October, 2020 for $65,100
Just a bit ago, we saw how expensive the number two trainer card from the 1999 Pokemon Tropical Mega Battle could be even without a numerical PSA grade assigned to it.
And now we get a look at how expensive the trainer card given to all players who participated at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in 1999 can be if it’s graded to be in PSA 10 Gem Mint condition.
This card, featuring Psyduck and Jigglypuff laying sleepily in a hammock in a tropical setting, has become a hobby icon and one of the most sought-after trainer cards.
The “TRAINER” text across the top denotes the card type while the text below reads:
“Flip a coin. If heads, remove 2 damage counters from each active Pokemon . If tails, each active Pokemon is now asleep.”
How Much Does A Platinum Gold Card Cost
Pricing for our thicker 0.8mm gold cards is provided on application. Please contact us for further information. We can also provide platinum and palladium precious metal cards. Due to fluctuations in the price of gold, our gold card prices may change based on the current market price.
Are gold Pokemon cards worth anything? The Gold Star Pokémon cards are one of the most valuable Pokémon sets ever produced, with Espeon and Umbreon two of the rarest cards in the set. Gold Star Pokémon cards are among the most valuable sets of Pokémon cards in existence and command an incredibly high value as
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How To Tell If Pokmon Cards Are Worth Money
Identifying if your Pokemon cards are worth money is quite important. It will help you determine the value when trading or selling to others to get the most out of it.
The more rare the card is, the higher value it holds. In general, if the year in which the Pokémon cards was made is between 1999 and 2000, as indicated at the bottom of the card, then chances are the card has significantly increased value.
To find out if the Pokemon cards are worth money or not is by simply looking at the bottom right corner of the card, the rarity symbol is next to the card number.
A black circle represents the card is common, while a diamond shape means the card is uncommon, and a black star symbol indicates that the card is rare.
As time passes by, the first edition of Pokemon cards are still extremely valuable in the present day. These cards will be marked with the same stamp that you will see near the bottom left corner of the card.
If there is no stamp there, double check the copyright dates because it may be rarer than you think.
Pokemon World Championships Number 2 Trainer
Sold in February, 2021 for $110,000
From Friday, August 18 to Sunday, August 20, 2006, the best of the best battled at the World Championships held at the Hilton Anaheim hotel in Anaheim, California.
Contestants across three divisions competed feverishly to be one of the top 32 players from each division to advance to the finals on Sunday to crown a champion.
Those who finished in second place received this number 2 trainer card which features a fantastic image of Pikachu holding a silver cup trophy.
The official 2006 Pokemon World Championships logo rests in the bottom-right corner, adding a nice touch to an already impressive-looking card.
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What Condition Is Your Pokemon Card
At first, take a look at the condition of the card youre considering selling.
Even when it comes to the rarest of Pokémons cards, the condition is everything.
Collectors are much less willing to spend money on a card that has creases, stains, or even rips. While a card in Gem Mint is always the sought-after ideal, lightly played cards still have value and can be sold for a respectable amount of money.
This means that if you were a tidy child that took diligent care of their collection, you may be in luck!
If your cards do show traces of gameplay and handling, you may not have to despair immediately.
Generally speaking, the rarer the card your selling, the more obliging potential buyers will be with regards to its condition, but dont expect life-changing offers of cash for cards in poor condition.