Top 5 Rarest 1st Edition Pokemon Cards
Some of the most valuable Pokemon trading cards are 1st editions from the original Base set.
Collecting Pokemon cards has become exceedingly popular once again, and some cards’ values are higher than they’ve ever been before. One can see this with the prices that rare Base set cards are going for on today’s market. The 1st edition Base set Pokemon card is one that was released in the first-ever United States set, back in 1999.
An important term to know when dealing with Pokemon card valuation is shadowless. A shadowless card is simply one where the featured Pokemon artwork does not have a shadow included behind it. Shadowless 1st editions are the rarest of Base set cards.
Here are five of the most sought after 1st edition Pokemon cards from the Base set.
How Much Do Pokmon Cards Sell For
The amount you can sell cards for all depends on the type of card youre selling. Rare cards in fantastic condition will sell for much higher prices. Ungraded cards have a lower selling price from as low as $1 to $100. The rarest, holographic cards can sell up to $100,000 or more if they are graded. However, nowadays common cards are sold at very low prices.
Pokemon Japanese Tropical Mega Battle Number 2 Trainer
Sold in October, 2020 for $50,300
Held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village from 1999 to 2001, the Pokemon Tropical Mega Battle gave the best players from the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe the chance to test their skills against each other.
To be invited, players had to first win a local tournament in their respective regions.
During the final match of the Tropical Mega Battle, each player received the same 90 cards that they would use to make their own 40-card deck to battle for the championship.
If a player were fortunate enough to make it far enough through the competition to finish in second place overall, he or she would receive this number two trainer card.
Sticking with the tropical theme for the cover art, an image of Exeggutor, a dual-type grass/psychic Pokemon that resembles a palm tree, sits in the middle of the card with text below it that reads:
“The Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament’s runner-up winner is recognized here, and this honor is praised.”
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Are Your Pokmon Cards Holo
Holographic cards do not only look more special than regular cards, they are also usually worth more money!
The number of cards that come out of a set holographic are far fewer in supply, and what looked special to you as a child due to its simple shiny surface, now potentially has a lot of value.
You only have to look at cards like the infamous holographic Charizard.
Often a lot of attention gets drawn to this rare card and sometimes it acts as the poster child for Pokémon cards in general.
This is especially true when you see celebrities threw out wild amounts of money for it.
Example: Rapper Logic spent $183,000 USD on a mint condition first-edition shadowless holographic Charizard.That may sound like a lot of money, but a Gem Mint1st Edition Charizard has now sold for twice that amount!
The one risk that comes with holographic Pokémon cards is they may suffer from some curling.
Curling is when the side of the Pokémon card doesnt lay flat when placed on a surface. Something to do with the manufacturing process of holographic cards makes it more likely that curling will occur compared to normal cards.
This can impact the monetary value of your card, so it is a good idea to keep your holographic cards in sleeves that can help to keep your cards straight and stop them from curling.
Do You Have Any First Editions Pokmon Cards
First edition cards tend to be worth more than other cards, so if you have some of those in your collection you might just be in luck.
For the most part, first edition cards are easy to spot as you will often see Edition 1 printed next to the bottom left corner of the cards art frame.
For example, take a look at a first-edition holographic Charizard that can get you, depending on the condition, anything from $2,000 USD to several hundreds of thousands of dollars.
While other editions still may get you around $100 USD on average, having a good condition 1st Edition card is always a good place to start if you are looking to sell cards from your collection.
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Pokemon Neo Destiny 1st Edition Shining Charizard
Sold in January, 2021 for $20,250
The fourth main expansion of the Neo Series, Neo Destiny, is notable for featuring both “light” and “dark” Pokémon whose characteristics and “destiny” are reflective of how a Trainer trains them.
Light Pokémon are caring and bright-spirited, while dark Pokémon are the exact opposite.
Dark Pokémon have appeared in several different series, but the Neo Destiny set is the only one in which you will find the light Pokémon.
Charizard appears as neither light nor dark in Neo Destiny but instead as a special Shining Charizard that gets its name from the unique foil design that glimmers and shines in the light.
The Shining Pokémon in this series also feature a unique rarity symbol in the lower right in the form of three stars.
Pokmon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind
An ultra-rare promo card – one of only a dozen ever made
Sold for $65,100 in October 2020
Only 12 Tropical Wind cards were produced as promo cards for the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle, a precursor to the Pokémon World Championships, making it one of the most valuable Pokémon sets around.
The Tropical Mega Battle saw 50 players from around the globe take part in a tournament for the trading card game in Honolulu, Hawaii. The only way to participate was to win a battle in your local region and earn an invite, making it an exclusive event for the best Pokémon trainers in the world – and the cards offered as prizes some of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence.
This particular Tropical Mega Battle promo card, the 1999 Japanese-language copy of Tropical Wind, has sold at auction for as much as $65,100 in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition, with the most recent record-breaking sale taking place in October 2020. PSA estimates its value to be as high as $148,482, making the ultra-rare card a contender for one of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever made.
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The Value Of Old Pokmon Cards Graded Psa Mint 10 And 9
Pokémon Cards Prices/PSA Grading
- Blastoise Holo 1st Edition PSA 10 $38,609 PSA 9 $9367
- Venusaur Holo 1st Edition PSA 10 $28,961 PSA 9 $9000
- Pikachu Red Cheeks PSA 10 $10,100 PSA 9 $3000
- Mewtwo Holo 1st Edition PSA 10 $10,000 PSA 9 $4450
- Bulbasaur 1st Edition PSA 10 $5,500 PSA 9 $1200
- Pikachu Yellow Cheeks PSA 10 $4,000 PSA 9 $1600
- Charmander 1st Edition PSA 10 $3,000 PSA 9 $1500
- Squirtle 1st Edition PSA 10 $3,000 PSA 9 $1500
Most Valuable First Edition Pokemon Cards
Originally released in Japan as a video game, Pokémon later transformed into a trading card game that began hitting store shelves in the U.S. in 1999.
Today, these trading cards are some of the hottest non-sports cards in the hobby.
And with a catchphrase like Gotta Catch Em All., it’s easy to understand why.
On top of common and rare cards in the base set, there are variations such as Shadowless and First Edition Pokémon cards needed to complete an entire run.
Those First Edition cards are especially some of the rarest and some are even considered to be among the most expensive Pokémon cards in general.
And in this guide, we take a look at the 25 most valuable.
Let’s jump right in!
More…
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Why Are Pokmon Cards Worth Collecting
- Pokémon cards are regarded as the safest cards because they can stay for decades without reducing in value once they are in perfect shape.
- There has been a surge in the value of Pokémon cards in recent times.
- As of March 2020, the Pokémon Trading Card Game has recorded sales of over 30.4 billion cards.
- There has been astronomical demand for the First Edition Base set due to the limited supply of the graded ones.
- Owning an original sealed box can be considered a great achievement, as 1999 Base English First Edition was sold for over $370,000 at auction in October 2020.
Pokemon Japanese Bandai Carddass Vending Prism Red Charizard
Sold in January, 2021 for $30,100
Founded in 1950, Bandai is a Japanese toy maker that produced a series of Pokemon cards in September 1996 that pre-dated the official launch of the Pokemon Trading Card Game that followed in October 1996.
To distribute the cards, Bandai utilized a network of vending machines, or carddass, as they called them.
There are hundreds of Bandai carddass Pokemon cards to collect, but the most desirable of them all is the prism Charizard.
In one of the earliest appearances of the iconic character, Charizard roars and breathes fire, creating an image that really pops.
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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.
Find The Set The Card Belongs To
If there is no logo on the right side, its Base. Every other set has an indicator.
When looking into what set a card belongs to, make sure to see if there is any logo on the right side, just underneath and to the right of the illustration. If there is no symbol, the likelihood is that its a Base set card.
There have been error cards that do not have a symbol, so make sure the year matches with the set.
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Why Should You Get Your Cards Graded
Out of all the trading cards of our generation, there is only a handful that became collectors items that can be resold for a good amount. If you kept your NBA trading cards, Magic the Gathering Cards, or Pokemon Cards in good condition, then theres a high chance that you can sell those for a good amount.
However, not every old trading card can be sold at a good price because there are a lot of factors that come in when pricing these goodies. One of which is the condition of the card. Old cards that look like they just came out of the box sell way more than cards that look aged.
Although you can check the condition yourself, you still wont be able to sell it at a good price unless its been verified by an authority. So, if youve kept your Pokemon cards in good condition, its time to get them out of your cabinet and have them graded!
What Makes First Edition Shining Charizard So Valuable
Lets dive back into the Neo Era and into Neo Destiny one of the best sets EVER from Wizards of the Coast.
What makes this set so special is that it contains eight secret rare Shining cards. The holofoil was on the character themselves, instead of the background, which is something unique collectors hadnt seen before.
Charizard was always going to lead the pack in terms of value, and that tiny little first edition stamp adds that extra level of rarity too.
In terms of the PSA population, its certainly not as low as some of the others on this list. In fact 229 PSA 10 1st Edition Shining Charizards exist. But with a smaller holofoil area, grading is relatively easier, therefore this is to be expected.
So is it worth it? For so many reasons , YES. This is an awesome first edition, WOTC era, secret rare Charizard. It ticks so many boxes.
1999 1st Edition Shining Charizard PSA Population Report
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Most Expensive 1st Edition Pokemon Cards: Are They Still Worth Anything
What are the most expensive 1st edition Pokemon cards? 1st edition Pokemon cards mean a collection printed for the first time for a limited period, like a year or two. They get rare as years go by because they circulate among gamers worldwide. Are 1st edition Pokemon cards still made? Since another Wizards’ version will come out in late 2021, expect more versions in the future.
Are 1st edition Pokemon cards worth anything? Collections made between 1999 to 2000 are the most valuable ones this year. For instance, a Pikachu Illustrator costs $100,00. eBay Pokemon 1st editions are very affordable. Therefore, buy enough packs and wait for prices to hike.
Are Your Pokmon Cards Centered
Usually, the artwork of the Pokémon on your card is centered right inside the borders of the card.
Pokémon cards pulled straight from a booster pack will look like they have their artwork perfectly centered, but its actually not that uncommon for the art of a Pokémon card to be slightly misaligned.
Sometimes these cards are classified as Misprints and there are Pokémon card collectors that are willing to pay for cards with printing errors from the factory.
However, if you are looking to get your Pokémon cards professionally graded and valued, then artwork being off-centered will deduct points from the final evaluation score of your cards decreasing its general market value.
Off-centered printings can also occur on the back art of a card as well as the front. The Poke Ball art and logo that are present on the back of the card can also sometimes sit too far left or right of the cards center.
So its best to double-check these factors if you do happen to find a card that you might think is worth some cash!
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First Edition Holographic Nidoking
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $1,500
Nidoking is a dual-type poison and ground Pokémon that is the final evolved form of Nidoran.
With its sharp teeth, pointy ears, plated underside, claws and venomous horn that protrudes from its forehead, Nidoking is obviously a very intimidating reptilian creature.
However, its powerful tail is the primary weapon of choice to smash its enemies or create the spacing Nidoking needs to execute one of its devastating charges.
High grade specimens of this card can sell for around $1,500 or more.
Selling Pokemon Cards: Expert Tips And Takeaways
- Look for rarity indicators such as the type of Pokemon, set symbol and shadow box and, of course, the holographic reflection.
- Pratte recommends getting your cards authenticated and graded if you know theyre worth at least $100 eachand especially if you plan to see them. For cards of lesser value, the cost of getting it graded could exceed the potential selling price of the card.
- Dont fret if you dont have ultra-rare cards. Even some of the lesser-known cards in the base set are worth about $20 each as long as theyre in good condition.
- Be prepared to haggle. Getting them graded can definitely help prove your cards are legitimate, but youll still need to back up their worth with quotes from other buyers, PSAs price guide and other sources when negotiating to get the best deal.
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Your Old Pokmon Cards Are Now Worth Hundreds Of Dollars
- 22 Dec 2021
Ah, Pokémon, the card-collecting phenomenon of the 90s. If you were a kid in the early 90s then its likely you watched the Pokémon TV show, had Pokémon toys and begged your parents to buy you Pokémon cards to collect and swap with your friends.
Once upon a time you could pick up Pokémon cards from your local novelty store or newsagency for a few bucks. But these days those very cards could be worth a whole lot of money, especially if you had rare, limited edition or shiny cards in your collection.
There’s been a resurgence of Pokémon card collecting, and Pokémon fans that have long since grown-up into working, money-earning adults are now more than happy to pay a pretty penny to round out their extensive Pokémon card collections.
Of course, just how much your cards are worth depends on what youve got.
In 2016 the Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card sold at a Heritage Auctions sale for more than $54,000, due to its rarity. Only 20 to 39 copies of the card were produced so if youre sitting on one now is the time to sell.
But that isnt to say some of the more common cards arent worth anything.
In an article for The Sun in the UK, collectables expert Tracey Martin said that holographic cards are the most valuable, and cards released between 1999 and 2000 known as shadowless Pokémon cards are now highly sought-after.