Tropical Mega Battle Trainer Number 1 Card
There was a tournament that was held in Hawaii from 1999-2001, which was replaced by the world championships. These cards were given out at the first tournament, making them some of the rarer cards that you can find out there.
These cards are valued at anywhere around $5,000 but have been known to sell for more depending on the card. So if your Pokémon seems to be wearing a sunhat or a lei wreath, you just might have a valuable card.
Tsunekazu Ishihara Signed Gx Promo Card: $247230
These cards were given to employees at The Pokemon Company to celebrate its founder and president Tsunekazu Ishihara’s 60th Birthday.
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We don’t know exactly how many of these cards were produced, but one specific copy of it fetches a much higher price than the others. In April 2021, Goldin Auctions sold a copy of it that had been signed by Tsunekazu Ishihara himself for an eye-watering $247,230. The wildest thing? It wasn’t even PSA 10-graded, and managed to sell for that much with just a nine rating.
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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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:
Whats The Best Way To Organize My Pokmon Cards To Sell Them
Before you sell your cards, you want to organize them to make them easy for people to quickly look through before they make a purchase. To do this, youll:
1. Sort the Cards by Sets
Anyone who will spend a decent amount of money on these cards will want detailed information on whatever card they want to buy from you. This information includes which set a particular card came from.
The small symbol youll find in the cards bottom right corner under the image on your older cards is what identifies which set your card came from. Pokémon cards from sets like HeartGold & SoulSilver Series can be worth more than others, so knowing this knowledge is very important.
2. Sort By Circles, Diamonds, And Stars
Once you sort your cards by set, youll take steps to figure out which cards are more valuable. It is possible to look up every single card, but its better to form a base to start. Circles are common cards, diamonds are uncommon cards, and stars are rare cards. You most likely wont make any money with circle or diamond cards.
If you own a Japanese card with white symbols instead of the traditional black ones, this is an ultra-rare card. If the card has three stars, this is an ultra-rare Pokémon card. Try to put them in a soft sleeve at the very least to protect them.
Here are the top rated soft sleeves on Amazon.com:
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Here Are Some Of My Favorite Tcg Accessories
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it helpful on your TCG journey. After 20 years of being in the Trading Card Game community, I commonly get asked what my recommendations are on X products. To help save everyone a bit of time, Ive listed below my top picks as a TCG collector that I hope youll also find helpful.
These are affiliate links, so if you do decide to use them, Ill earn a commission. But in all honesty, these are the exact accessories that I use and recommend to everyone, even my own friends and family.
Sleeves: If you want the best for Magic and Pokemon cards, I really like Dragon Shield Matte Art sleeves. They have an excellent shuffling feel to them and have great durability, so you dont have to worry about them breaking on you. If you want my full thoughts on these sleeves, check out my .
Binders: For competitive Magic and Pokemon players, go with the Vault X 12 Pocket Binder. Im a big fan of 12 pocket binders for keeping playsets of 4 together and this binder is good quality without premium prices. For the pure TCG collectors, I would recommend Dragon Sheild 9 Pocket binders.
If you are looking for a solid deck box, then you cant go wrong with Ultra Pro Towers. Fantastic protection at affordable prices, everything you need. If you want to get a bit fancy like me, go with the Gamegenic Watchtower.
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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What Factors Determine The Worth Of A Pokmon Card
Before you know how to sell Pokémon cards online, you need to know how to evaluate your card to sell at the right price.
Otherwise, it is possible that you may get a rate much below the industry standard! And there are three primary parameters.
- Type: While standard Pokémon cards fetch a lower rate, holographic and special-edition cards are extremely expensive.
- Availability: Scarcity makes anything valuable, such as the original base set from 1999. A complete set of that deck can fetch as much as $10k.
- Condition: Mint or near-mint conditioner cards fetch the best value. It is even better if you have the outer package intact.
Besides these three, several other factors, such as the version, origin, and color grading, can also be crucial factors to determine the actual worth of these cards.
Pokemon Neo Summer Battle Road #3 Trainer Trophy Card
Sold in July, 2020 for $18,600
As an award for finishing in third place in the 2001 Neo Summer Battle Road Tournament, contestants would receive this number 3 trainer card that came in a special case.
Trophy cards like this one are some of the rarest and desirable Pokemon cards in the hobby.
Just under the “No. 3 Trainer” text is a fantastic image of the main protagonist of the Pokemon anime, Ash Ketchum, flanked by Growlithe and Pikachu.
Below the image is a text box that reads: “The Pokemon Card Game Official Tournament “BattleNeo Summer Road” third place winner is recognized here, and this honor is praised.”
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Psa 10 Holo Rayquaza Gold Star Ex Deoxys: $37420
If Charizard is the king of Pokemon, Rayquaza is definitely up there in the royal family. It tends to value highly in any set it appears in, but none are as rare as EX Deoxys’ Rayquaza Gold Star, which only has 56 verified PSA 10 quality cards in circulation, putting it on par with the famous Holo Base Set Shadowless Charizard.
The PSA values PSA 10-grade Gold Star Rayquazas at an incredibly high $40,400. Auctions can swing wildly either side of that price, too. In 2021 alone, there were three up for sale by Goldin Auctions, with the highest selling for $44,280 and the lowest for $34,440.
Squirtle First Edition $370
Squirtle is the first evolution of Blastoise and carries the 2nd most value of any of the big three pre-evolutions. Although grading has slowed down drastically, prices have dipped in the Pokemon market. That said, Squirtle is one of the essential characters of the show and is a must have for any collector. Be sure to assemble your Squirtle-Squad by acquiring his English Rookie card.
PSA Pop: 1418 – 600 – 633
Current Value: PSA 10 $1175 PSA 9 $370
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Southern Islands Reverse Holo Mew: $200
When the second Pokemon movie was released in Japan, the makers of the Trading Card Game decided to release a special edition set of cards to mark this occasion. The Southern Islands card series was born, featuring just two sets of nine cards apiece that were unique to any other set in the game.
Full sets of these cards can sell for a lot, but the absolute highest value is undoubtedly the Southern Islands Mew, which has a rare reverse foil treatment where the frame around the art is the only part thats shiny. Troll and Toad is currently selling copies for just over $200 right now, making it even more valuable than the elusive and stylish Ancient Mew mentioned earlier.
Charizard Gold Star Holo Dragon Frontiers
- Release Date: 2006
- Grading: PSA Gem Mint 10
- Pokemon card value at auction: $25,405
Prepare to see more Gold Stars in the list, as the specially marked Pokemon cards will continue to make their appearance throughout the top 20. Next up is Charizard from 2004s Dragon Frontiers.
It should come as no surprise that the marked item would be a massive hit with fans, considering it features artwork depicting a Shiny Charizard. The rare variant of the Kanto mon looks stunning with its artwork depicting it scorching fire all around it.
According to PWCC, one of these scarce collectibles went up for bidding in a February 2021 auction. When all was said and done, the unique item fetched an eye-popping $25,405 which is makes it one of the rarest Pokemon cards of that generation.
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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.
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.
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Are Your Old Pokemon Cards Worth Money
If you collected Pokemon cards in your youth, chances are you have an old shoe box storing your collection somewhere in moms basement. Rare Pokemon cards have been known to sell for hundreds if not thousands of dollars, but how can you tell if your cards are actually worth money? Heres how to determine if your Pokemon cards are valuable collectors items or just a pile of cardboard nostalgia.
Were going to cover the two main factors that go into determining Pokemon card value and then explain how to learn a cards worth and where you can exchange it for money.
Super Secret Battle No 1 Trainer: $90000
These cards were so cool. Awarded to regional champions in 1999, they served as both the prize for winning a regional heat and as the ticket to enter the Super Secret Battle finals held in an undisclosed location in Tokyo on August 22, 1999.
There are estimated to only be seven of these cards in existence, all of which have been graded by the PSA. A PSA 10 copy of the card sold at auction in 2020 for a massive $90,000, but the seller is hoping to get even more for it, as it is now up for offers from a starting price of $198,000.
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Pokemon Ex Team Rocket Returns Torchic Gold Star
Sold in December, 2020 for $25,400
Released in 2004, the EX Team Rocket Returns set marked the seventh expansion from the EX Series and featured 111 cards in its checklist.
Three of the cards, #107 , #108 , and #109 , are special holographic shiny rare cards noted by the gold star next to their name.
First introduced in the third generation of Pokemon games, Torchic is one of the three starter Pokemon that originate in the Hoenn region.
This orange and yellow chick may look cute and cuddly, but make no mistake, this fire-type Pokemon can shoot fireballs at its enemies that will instantly leave them burnt to a crisp.
Pokemon Promo No 2 Trainer World Championships: $110100
Even runners-up get big prizes at World Championships, with all three finalists at Anaheim, California’s 2006 championships each receiving a copy of this massively valuable card. Winning the card in 2006 automatically granted entry to the finalist in 2007 as well, bypassing the whole organised points play system they would otherwise need to work through.
In February 2021, PWCC sold a PSA 9-graded copy of the card for $110,100. The fact it wasn’t even in pristine, PSA 10 condition and still sold for six figures should go some way to show the value of this card.
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Pokemon Japanese Topsun Holofoil Blastoise
Sold in October, 2020 for $20,100
The 1995 Japanese Topsun cards are some of the most interesting early Pokemon cards and were distributed in packs of apple-flavored gum by Top-Seika.
Collectors could find these cards in one of three versions: blue-back, green-back, and prism holofoil.
While 150 different characters appeared on the blue-back and green-back cards, only 16 received a prism holofoil version.
Though these Topsun cards contain a trademark date of 1995, most collectors agree that the company did not distribute them until 1997.
And that makes sense because even the official Pokemon Trading Card Game didn’t debut in Japan until 1996.
The Blastoise prism holo is one of the most desirable Topsun cards and features the same imagery used for the cover art of the Pokemon Blue videogame released on the Nintendo Game Boy in Japan in 1996.
Psa 10 Neo Genesis First Edition Holo Lugia: $129000
Neo Genesis is effectively the Base Set of the second generation of Pokemon. It was the first time Pokemon from Silver, Gold, or Crystal appeared in the TCG, and it was also marred by a large number of misprints and mistakes in its very first run. Alongside it being the mascot of Pokemon Silver, that’s mainly why a mint condition, holo, first edition Lugia from Neo Genesis is so highly desirable. The PSA has only given a PSA10 grade to 43 of these.
Prices for this card are incredibly unstable, even between cards with the same condition. In November 2020 PWCC sold a copy for $129,000, while less than a year later in September 2021, Goldin sold one for “just”$47,970.
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