Pokemon Japanese Promo Tamamushi University Magikarp Trophy Car
Sold in February, 2021 for $66,100
The Tamamushi University Hyper Test was a two-day event held in June 1998 in Osaka, Japan.
To be invited, children needed to pass a series of test questions that were to be completed and mailed by a specific deadline.
The contestants competed against each other within different age groups with the winners receiving a copy of this card as their prize.
While 1,000 copies were slated for distribution, nobody knows for sure how many actually were.
What is known, though, is that this card is the most expensive Magikarp card in the entire Pokémon series, and one of the most valuable Pokémon cards in general.
Pokemon Snap Trainer Magazine Pikachu: $900
If you were a Pokemon fan back in the days of the Nintendo 64 console, you might just remember the classic spin-off game Pokemon Snap. The object of this Pokemon spin-off was to snap creative in-game photos of various creatures, and there were several tie-in cards in Japans Pokemon Trainer Magazine to help increase the hype among fans to try this new game.
This card was a Pikachu card with the model from Pokemon Snap as the art, making for a relatively hilarious-looking card that only could be found within this magazine in 1999. Miyabihobby has a record of an unopened magazine being sold for 100,000, or about $900 USD, but PSA Card has records of auctions ranging between $300 and $1000 for perfect condition grades.
What Makes First Edition Shadowless Base Set Hitmonchan So Valuable
In the red corner, with the purple trunks, weight in at 50kg , representing the Kanto region HITMONCHAN .
Perhaps a surprise entrant at number 6, and despite my pumped up intro, Hitmonchan isnt often everyones cup of tea!
Lets just say if you were opening a 1st Edition Base Set Booster Pack, there are plenty of other cards youd want to pull first. So why is it so high up?
Again, like Chansey, the holofoil area is vast and clear meaning its hard to grade. In fact only 56 copies exist in a PSA 10.
Now if you were going to drop this kind of money on a card, would you do it on this one? Perhaps not. But remember there are plenty of collectors out there would love low pop vintage cards, and are on a mission to complete sets. So although I wouldnt do it myself, I cant say Im overly surprised by the kind of acquisition.
1999 1st Edition Base Set Hitmonchan PSA Population Report
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Pokmon Game 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Alakazam #1
The psychic-type Alakazam is next up, thanks to a great card found in the original 1999 release.
As you might expect, its another holo shadowless 1st edition card, ticking all of the boxes for serious collectors.
Alakazam might seem weak by modern standards, but he was a fearsome prospect in the original TGC. The evolution of evolution, you would start with Abra, followed by Kadabra.
Once again, there are fewer than 100 PSA 10 copies on the registry, with 88 graded at the last count.
First Edition Shadowless Charizard
Just as we saw in the previous article here, 2020 was the year Charizards value spiked through the roof with two record sales. The second sale defeated rapper Logics purchase in an auction in November of 2020. The sale ended at $295,300 in a PSA 10, gem mint condition. Charizards in even lower conditions saw major spikes in value. In late December of 2020, a PSA 9 sold for approximately $47,000.
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Th Anniversary 24k Gold Ginza Tanaka Japanese Pikachu Card
Sold in November, 2020 for $28,100
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the storied franchise, the Pokemon Company partnered with Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka to produce this stunning card made from 11g of 24k gold.
Technically not a playing card, the imagery features none other than one of the most lovable Pokémon of them all: Pikachu.
Available for order for just twenty days, the cards were housed in impressive acrylic stands and shipped in beautiful boxes.
Given that 11g of 24k gold is worth around $600 or so by today’s standards, there’s no risk of anyone buying one of these to try and turn around and melt it.
Holo Gold Star Rayquaza: $4500
Rather than many cards on this list, this Shiny Rayquaza from the EX Deoxys set is a rare Pokemon card thats mostly just mythical pull from a standard set. During this expansion, Pokemon with a Gold Star in your deck, making them just as powerful as they are gorgeous with unique colors and art exiting the frame.
Costs can vary massively, but spaces like Troll and Toad price the card at just under $4500. It simply combines all the great aspects of a standard card in the perfect combination, and the rarity of it in packs of this small expansion set make it one of the most valuable original Gen 3 cards, and one of the first major shiny cards to hit record prices before other shinies would catch up.
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Important Questions To Ask Yourself To Determine How Much Your Pokemon Cards Are Worth
- How many cards do you have?
- How old are your cards?
- What set/s are they from?
- Do you have a completed set/s?
- Are any of your cards 1st edition?
- How many holographic cards do you have?
- What condition are your cards in?
- Are they all English or do you have cards from other languages?
- Could you add value by getting them graded?
- Do you have any products that are sealed, such as booster boxes or packs?
- Does their sentimental value outweigh any money you could get for them?
Now lets get into some more specifics
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Ex Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Holo Charizard #100
Sold: in Oct 2020 Price: $60,065
The EX Dragon Frontiers is the first of two Charizard variations that appear on this ranking. It appears in the 2005 Ex Deoxys TCG expansion. There are a few key differences between this variant and the more sought-after base Charizards, the most noticeable being its artwork. This variant features a more active fire-breathing dragon thats a little darker than other versions. Even these Gold Star cards are pretty powerful, which means that you can only have one in your hand during battles.
EX Dragon Frontiers GOLD STAR HOLO Charizard #100
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Pokemon Ex Deoxys Gold Star Holo Latias
Sold in December, 2020 for $20,100
The eighth expansion of the EX Series, the EX Deoxys checklist contained 108 cards in total, with cards #105 , #106 , and #107 receiving the desirable gold star distinction.
Designed by Masakuza Fukuda, the artwork on the Latias card features eye-catching imagery of the dual-type Dragon/Psychic creature that belongs to a group of incredibly rare Pokemon known as Legendary Pokemon.
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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Investment Outlook Of Top First Edition Pokemon Cards
Although we cannot provide a blanket statement for every First Edition Pokemon card, we can say that we are confident that they will increase in value in the coming years.
Old cards are always going to be valuable, and we do not expect the value of the 10 cards listed above to decrease any time soon.
As a result, if you have some extra money, do not hesitate to try to get your hands on one of these 10 cards.
Pokemon Japanese Summer Battle Road Mew Victory Orb Trainer Card
Sold in December, 2020 for $60,000
The Battle Road Summer 2005 tournament spanned across nine different Japanese cities between July 10 and August 14, 2005.
As a prize, the top three competitors from each age division of the regional tournaments received one of these Victory Orb cards that feature Mew and the artwork of Takumi Akabane.
Previous Victory Orb cards from the Battle Road Summer tournaments in 2003 and 2004 did not feature Mew so many hobbyists believe this one to be an aesthetic upgrade.
The Japanese text below the artwork translates to:
“Victory Orb can only be used by official tournament winners. Look at the top 7 cards of your deck, then return them to the top of your deck in any order.”
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Are First Edition Pokmon Cards Worth Anything
In the present day, the first edition card is still extremely valuable and was the tenth card in the set. There are currently 80 PSA 10 graded copies of the Mewtwo card, and theyll easily sell within the five-figure range. The most powerful of the original Pokémon, only the cards saw above tend to be as valuable.
Pokmon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Ninetales #12
Not the fire Pokémon shiny youd be hoping for back in 1999, Ninetales is the evolved form of Vulpix.
Designed to look like a golden-white nine-tailed fox, its inspired by the kitsune, which is a Japanese fox spirit.
Its backed by a cool blue holo background, but Ninetales Fire Blast attack is one of the more powerful in the base game.
Its not the most popular Pokémon with a western audience, but there are only 67 gem mint copies according to the registry.
The rarity hasnt translated to higher prices, but that could all change in the future.
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What Makes First Edition Shadowless Base Set Blastoise So Valuable
If youre more of a water-type trainer, Blastoise is your guy. It may not be able to breathe fire, but with water canons on your back who cares!
This much appreciated middle child of the big three will forever be in Charizards shadow, but will eclipse Venusaur in terms of value.
With only 100 PSA 10s in existence, the stats are very similar to Charizard.
Interestingly, the value of PSA 10 1st Edition Base Set Blastoise, is relatively similar to a PSA 9 1st Edition Base Set Charizard .
So which is the better investment? PSA 10 Blastoise or PSA 9 Charizard
My head says the Blastoise 100% the numbers are much more favourable.
But god damn it, my heart says the Charizard! I just want it more! That bad-ass dragon gets me every time.
1999 1st Edition Base Set Blastoise PSA Population Report
Pokemon Japanese Champion’s League
Sold in April, 2021 for $30,000
Beginning in 2000, Champion’s League and Battle Roads tournaments offered contestants throughout Japan the opportunity to battle it out amongst the best of the best.
In 2000 and 2001, there were two Champion’s League tournaments, one in the Spring and another in the Summer.
From 2002 to 2006, however, there was a reduction to just one Champion’s League tournament per year.
And before the 2005 tournament held in Tokyo, no trainers received any kind of promotional card.
However, the top four ranking players in each age division of the 2005 tournament received this promotional stadium card, making it the first Champion’s League promo stadium card.
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Pokmon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Charizard #4
Never in doubt, the original holo Charizard was always going to take the top spot when looking at the most valuable first edition cards of all time.
The prices always seem to amaze people when I show them, with the record broken again in March 2021. This time, a PSA 10 copy sold for $399,750.
Pikachu might be the mascot for the franchise, but Charizard is the card that everyone seems to want.
Its also one of the most abundant cards youll find when looking at PSA 10 grades, with a pop of 122.
If any Pokémon card is going to break the $1m mark, this will probably be it.
Tropical Mega Battle No 2 Trainer
- Release Date: 1999
- Grading: PSA Authentic
- Pokemon card value at auction: $50,300
Interestingly, this is the first Pokemon card in the top 20 that is so poor quality-wise, it didnt even receive a grade. In situations like this, PSA will still give it an official Authentication. Dont let the grading fool you, though, as the Tropical No. 2 Trainer card is pristine except the back which has color loss and fading due to the sun.
Given out originally at the 1999 Mega Battle tournament in Japan, only the top players received this Pokemon card. In total, PSA has only seen five of these, making it one of the rarest Pokemon cards in existence. Its so scarce that its still worth a jaw-dropping amount despite its quality setbacks think about that.
According to PWCC, one of these green Exeggutor prizes was sold at an auction in October 2020 for $50,300. Its fascinating to think that even a damaged card can sell for as much as a sports car. And this Pokemon cards value will only continue to climb given that they just dont exist.
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First Edition Charizard Holo
Card sale date: December 2020
Card selling price: $369,000
What makes it special:Another Charizard card, this one is a first edition of the shadowless holo card. This was an early Pokémon design, which means it was simple, without shading behind art and text to make the graphics pop.
Specifics of the particular sale: This particular card is ranked as a Gold Label Pristine 10 by SGC, another card-rating company.
Get The Cards Condition Graded By The Psa
Lets say you find your old cards and come face-to-face with a 1st Edition Chancey card worth up to $3,500. Sweet!
Now, how do you sell it?
Your first step will be to temper your expectations. Although auction sites will list estimated values of thousands of dollars, the resale value at that moment in time could be 10x more or less than that.
In addition to checking TCGplayers, a good way to rapidly appraise your cards value is to browse recently sold listings on eBay. You can do so by searching for your card, clicking Advanced, and checking the Sold listing box.
Looks like one recently sold for ~$1,875 CAD, or roughly $1,500 USD. Not bad.
This particular Chancey was both encased and graded by a company called the PSA, or the Professional Sports Authenticator. The PSA grades the condition of rare trading cards on a quality scale of 1-10, with 10 being known as Gem Mint. Cards graced by Gem Mint status arent just free of manmade scuffs theyre free of the most microscopic factory defect.
Generally speaking, most cards handled by children before retiring into a shoebox will score a PSA of 7 or lower, selling for about 5% to 10% of Gem Mint price.
Unfortunately, the news gets worse any card worth over $500 will likely need PSA grading, and the PSA is currently so overwhelmed that theyve temporarily suspended most services.
Therefore, youre left with three options:
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Holographic First Edition Machamp: $6000
The Kanto starters and legendaries aren’t the only original Pokemon to boast high-value shadowless holographic cards. Nearly any holographic first edition rare card from the original set can grow immensely in price compared to other rare Pokemon cards, but since they arent as actively hunted, their prices can vary far more wildly based on their quality.
Machamp is one of these. According to PSA Cards range of auction prices based on the cards quality classification, perfect mint condition Machamps of this kind can land between $800 and $6000, while dropping just one rating down will result in prices around $200 and $900. This card in particular truly proves how important it is to keep your trading cards safe through the years, as you never know just what will become valuable twenty years later.
Pokmon Neo Revelation 1st Edition Holo Blissey #2
Another card from the 2001 Neo Revelation set, Blissey is the evolved form of Chansey, which takes the fifth spot on our list.
Despite being released a couple of years after the base set, it still suffers from issues relating to the condition due to the white background and the yellow border.
In terms of design, theyve opted for a more realistic blob, but its still surrounded by silver holofoil which is damaged easily.
There are just 10 gem mint copies as of now, making for one of the rarest commercially available Pokémon cards ever produced.
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First Edition Holographic Venusaur
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $2,200
Venusaur, the final evolved form of one of the original starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur, is a dual-type grass and poison Pokémon with a noticeably large flower that protrudes from its back.
Because the creature uses that flower to absorb energy from the sun’s rays, it is constantly on the move in search of more sunlight.
Venusaur also serves as the mascot of the Pokémon Green video game making it one of the most recognizable of first edition Pokémon: