Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Selling Old Pokemon Cards

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Topsun Charizard Blue Back No Number Error

I Found My OLD POKEMON CARDS!

Sold in January, 2021 for $493,230

As with the other Topsun cards mentioned earlier on this list, Top-Seika didn’t distribute them until 1997, even though their copyright date reads 1995.

And since they weren’t part of the official Pokemon Trading Card Game, they are considered more in the realm of novelty collectible cards.

Still, an early Pokemon card is an early Pokemon card…


And, whether you’re talking about the prism holos, green-backs, or blue-backs, collectors are willing to pay thousands of dollars for several of the Topsun cards when graded in PSA 10 condition.

But a price tag of thousands of dollars turned out to be quite an understatement in January 2021 when Goldin Auctions sold the most desirable of them all, the only “no number error” blue-back Charizard on record in a PSA 10 holder, for a whopping $493,230.

The blue-back checklist contains 150 numbered cards in total, but for some reason, about 50 of the characters were also printed with no number on them by mistake.

So, while the standard blue-back Charizard should contain a “006” on it in the upper-left of the front of the card, the “no number error” will be blank.

If you can find one and are lucky enough to have it graded PSA 10, you could be looking at life-changing money.


Backless Blastoise Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Holo

Sold in January, 2021 for $360,000

Wizards of the Coast printed this extremely rare presentation card as a test run sometime during 1998 as it ramped up efforts to launch the English version of its base set in 1999.

Though it has a similar appearance to the base set Blastoise, notice it has squared corners instead of rounded corners.

Moreover, the back of the card is completely blank.

Hobby experts believe that WOTC printed only two of these “backless Blastoise” cards, so the hobby was stunned when this card came up for auction in early 2021.


Given that the market responded with a $360,000 selling price for this card, I can only imagine what it would have sold for had Charizard been on the front.

Pokemon Trainer Deck B Blastoise

Sold in March, 2021 for $20,000

This Blastoise card is one of the rarest in existence that was originally part of the Trainer Deck B or “Misty’s Deck” given out as a promotional piece to Pokemon League members ahead of the official launch of the Pokemon TCG in North America.

The Trainer Deck B theme deck contained sixty base set cards in all, with the most desirable of them being Blastoise.

Had Charizard been included in the Trainer Deck B set, it would have been the most desirable, but that’s beside the point.


An easy way to recognize a Trainer Deck B Blastoise is that it is the only non-holographic base set Blastoise.

And, if you’re still not 100% sure, you can flip the card over and you’ll see that the card’s reverse is printed with a distinct red border and “Misty’s Deck” verbiage.

Standard Deck

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Where To Sell Pokemon Cards Near Me

If you have a card collection but dont want to go through the hassle of selling your cards online, you still have options!


In fact, even in my own city, theres plenty of places that buy Pokemon cards near me that would be an easy way to turn my cards into cash.

Just remember, make sure you check the price of your valuable cards before you try and sell to ensure you dont get ripped off!

Anway, here are a few common places that buy Pokemon cards in your area.

Psa 10 Holographic Shadowless First Edition Chansey: $1100

Selling and Investing Pokemon Cards: Your How

Despite not being one of the iconic starters or legendaries, Chansey is still one of the most valuable cards from Pokemon’s Base Set. Like every other base set card, the Shadowless version gets a much higher price at auction.

There are 48 PSA 10-graded holo, shadowless Chanseys verified by the PSA. Despite that, they don’t tend to fetch as high a price as their slightly more common expansion mates, like Charizard, probably because it is a less popular Pokemon. The last verified auction sale of a PSA 10 Chansey was in 2021, when PWCC Auctions sold one for $27,412.


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Pokemon Japanese Topsun Holofoil Charizard

Sold in October, 2020 for $37,600

The Charizard is the most desirable Topsun prism holofoil card.

You’ll notice it features the same imagery used for the cover art of the Pokemon Red videogame released on the Nintendo Game Boy in Japan in 1996.

As mentioned earlier regarding the Topsun prism holofoil Blastoise, these cards feature a 1995 trademark date.

Still, most believe Top-Seika didn’t distribute them until 1997, after the official Pokemon Trading Card Game launched in 1996.

One: Screen Your Collections

The first step to selling your old Pokémon cards is to sort through what you have and screen out the cards that arent worth very much . You can do this by going through each of your collections individually and keeping track of any card grades, rarities, or other factors that might affect their value.

Cards that are badly torn or worn can usually be thrown away, unless you believe theyre extremely rare. At this stage, its best to take a cautious approachwhen in doubt, keep it!

Common cardseven pristine onestypically only sell for a few dollars . So, its up to you to decide whether its worth the effort.

Tip: If you have a lot of pristine common cards, its often easier to sell them as a package!

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Do Pawn Shops Buy Pokmon Cards

Many pawnshops will buy Pokémon cards. However, it can be difficult to get your moneys worth when selling to pawn shops because many do not know the value of Pokémon cards. If you want to sell Pokémon cards to a pawn shop, you will want to select a pawn shop with an owner who knows about the cards.

How To Sell Pokemon Cards

HOW to sell Pokemon Cards Online?

You must have read through the above section to get your eyes on the exclusive list of the best 10 places to sell your Pokémon cards to earn money

But just finding the answer to what is the best place to sell pokemon cards online doesnt guarantee you good money on cards you sell

A pokemon card seller also needs to sell the cards properly and here are the recommended tips to get the maximum returns out of your Pokémon cards:

  • Organizing the cards by sets: The existence of Pokémon cards has been a fairly long one approximately 20 years and there are about 70 sets already. To ensure that you can easily sell your cards one needs to order them numerically and set wise manner.
  • Find and collect Rare Cards: It is important that if you want to make more money by selling Pokémon cards you must have collected rare cards which can drive the auction of such cards and help you make loads of money by selling them.
  • Maintain your Cards: Care must be taken to ensure your collected cards dont look old, folded, or torn as cards with newer looks help you get better prices.

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Japanese Promo Pikachu Illustrator

Sold in February, 2021 for $375,000

During the late 1990s, CoroCoro Comic, a Japanese manga magazine, held a series of illustration contests in which entrants submitted their own unique Pokémon designs and attacks.

Little did they know then that these contests would give rise to one of the rarest and most valuable of all Pokémon cards: the Pikachu Illustrator.

Not only did contest winners receive multiple copies of a card that featured their very own winning design, which was exciting in its own right, each of them also received a copy of the Pikachu Illustrator card as an additional prize.

On the card front, contestants received a special message:

“We certify that your illustration is an excellent entry in the Pokémon Card Game Illust Contest. Therefore, we state that you are an Officially Authorized Pokémon Card Illustrator and admire your skill.”

Just 39 copies were distributed to the contest winners, but anyone is welcome to guess how many still survive today.

Considering this example graded PSA 7 sold for $375,000, it’s highly likely we’d see a price tag north of $1 million for the one example in the hobby graded PSA 10.

Card Sorting Based On Sets

In order to determine which Pokemon cards you have that are rare, you should sort them according to their sets.

You can sort the cards by sets as soon as you know what they are.

In order to sell cards accurately, sellers must know the sets in which their cards fall, so that buyers know which cards they are buying.

The Pokemon illustrations feature a small symbol in the lower righthand corner that identifies the set.

If you want to know what symbols stand for which sets, go to eBay and look for the Pokemon and compare it with the illustration, then youll know what set it represents.

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Ebay Update For Pokemon Cards

A new feature of eBays mobile app enables you to scan trading cards prior to purchasing.

There will be an option for eBay sellers to scan aside from collectible cards in the future.

With this new feature, all you have to do is scan an existing card, and eBay will gather information from the card so your listing can be created.

So its now easy to sell Pokemon cards on eBay than ever before.

If you are thinking about where else to sell Pokemon Cards then we have 10 Best Place To Sell Pokémon Cards.

Without A Doubt Well Pay More For Your Pokemon Cards

40 Vintage Original Pokemon Cards Holo Rares &  1st editions

Rare Trading Card Experts

We will pay more to buy your old Pokemon Cards collection or individual cards. When it comes to experience, weve been in the trading card industry since the inception of Magic the Gathering in 1993. We buy all languages and types of Pokemon Cards from around the world, both expensive and inexpensive cards. The only Pokemon Cards we wont buy are fake, or proxy, Pokemon Cards due to them having no value.

Its common for the public to approach us asking to appraise their Pokemon Card Collection, we do this for free no obligations. Within 24 hours of you sending us a picture, well respond with our best offer for your Pokemon collection.

The last thing you want to do is take your rare Pokemon Card to a local card shop or giant company with large overhead costs and hundreds of employees. Were small, which allows us to offer you more money than anyone else.

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Pokemon First Edition Venusaur

Sold in December, 2020 for $22,615

Venusaur, notorious for the large flower that protrudes from its back, is the final evolved form of one of the original starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur.

That flower serves more than just a decorative purpose, though, as Venusaur uses it to absorb energy from the sun’s rays.

Like Charizard and Blastoise, who derive extra notoriety for appearing on video game box art, Venusaur was the mascot of the Pokémon Green video game released for the Nintendo Game Boy in Japan in 1996.

As one of the most recognizable Pokémon, collectors are willing to pay hefty price tags for 1st edition examples of this card in high grade.

The Future Of Pokmon Cards

Given this is vintage, the original high graded cards, sealed boxes and packs are scarce. The probability for further profits is strong. Due to demand, desire and drive, the Pokémon Game appears to be safe. Over $10 Billion in card sales since 1996 is staggering.

Long term investing paid off in a short term for collectors in 2020. Prices have come back down a bit since, due to population growth and declining recent exposure from celebrities and influencers. Its a winning proposition due to Pokémon culture being bigger than any competing market. Pokemon is the #1 ranked media franchise on the planet, slightly besting Hello Kitty. They flat out win. Television, video games, cards, it’s still going strong. The children collecting today know all about the original cards and they covet them. Can you name the top 10 sports cards to own pre-1980? The children collecting today can name the top Pokémon Cards from 1999.

Even though prices have fluctuated a bit, if you zoom out and look at the growth over the last five years, it has been astronomical. The main concern moving forward is liquidity drying up, but that has also impacted the entire card market, crypto, the stock market, the NFT market, and more.

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Should I Get My Pokemon Cards Graded

Getting your Pokemon cards graded can take a while, and it can cost you about $20 per card. With that in mind, you should consider getting your card graded so long as its value exceeds about $20.

Some exceptions apply. For example, if you own an entire base set that youre looking to sell , getting each card graded may be worth it even if an individual card is worth less than $20 as having the entire set graded would enhance its overall value.

How To Tell The Condition Of A Card

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The TCGPlayer card condition guide is a great reference for judging the condition of your cards.

Cards in near mint condition show minimal to no wear crisp corners, unblemished edges, and no marks on the surface.

A tiny nick or a scratch may be forgivable, but overall it should look nearly unplayed.

If you have a foil card, however, even the tiniest nick is noticeable. Near mint foils, therefore, have absolutely no markings or flaws.

Lightly played cards have minor border or corner wear, some scuffs and scratches, but no folds, bends, or liquid damage.

Lightly played foils are comparable to near-mint cards in that they have very minor flaws.

Moderately played cards may have some corner or edge damages, scratches or scuffs, or even creases.

Moderately played foils may have a little flaking, especially on the edges, and may have some scratches or warps, but no creases or folds.

Heavily played cards show worse signs of wear. Some liquid damage may be acceptable, but not if it fades the ink too badly. Creasing is also acceptable. These criteria also apply to heavily played foils.

Damaged cards are in the worst condition tears, creases, and heavy scratches that affect the structural integrity of the card may be present. These criteria apply to damaged foils as well.

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Pokemon French First Edition Dracaufeu

Sold in February, 2021 for $37,300

The First Edition Dracaufeu, or the French name for Charizard, is also relatively easier to find in PSA 10 condition than the English version.

Though only 28 examples have achieved that grade, PSA has only graded 382 overall, meaning that roughly 7% of them are PSA 10s.

What Is The Most Valuable Pokmon Card

The most valuable Pokémon card is the Pikachu Illustrator. It is one of the rarest cards ever made because it was originally given to the winners of a CorCor Comic contest in 1997 and 1998. Only 39 copies were awarded, but an additional two were made. This means that there are only 41 cards in existence.In February of 2021, a Pikachu Illustrator card sold for $375,000. Before that, one of the cards sold for $195,000 in 2019.

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First Edition Cards In Review

Whether you are a fan of them or not, there’s no debating that first edition Pokémon cards are some of the hottest cards in non-sports card collecting.

The video games, television shows, and the cards themselves transformed Pokémon into a worldwide phenomenon with an enormous fan base.

And many of those kids who grew up with these cards are now adults with more spending power able to pay big bucks for them in top condition.

It doesn’t look like that trend will slow anytime soon as these cards have found their place as one of the most popular non-sports sets in the hobby.

Best Places To Sell Pokemon Cards And How Much Can You Sell Them For

Are these Pokemon cards worth anything? : whatsthisworth

This post may contain affiliate links. Which means we may earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Do you often stare at your cabinet full of Pokémon cards and merch and wonder how you can make money off of them? If your answer is yes, then this article is for you.

Sure, it isnt easy to let go of those trading card games that have been with you for several years or decades. But, if you want to earn extra income, then selling old Pokémon cards is the way to go.

We scoured the web for the top places to sell Pokémon cards and rounded up the ones where you can legitimately sell them and make the most money.

You can earn a few hundred bucks depending on your cards. Youll even be surprised at how much you can earn if you have rare cards.

Stick with us until the end or youll miss an opportunity to sell them for the highest possible price if you skip over this article!

If youre also looking for other ways to make a bit of money quickly, here are 3 apps worth checking out:

Recommended Reading: 1st Gen Pokemon Card Packs

Tamamushi University Magikarp: $66100

Produced as a promotion for magazine publisher Shogakukan’s Celadon University campaign, this Magikarp card was awarded to those who successfully became “Pokemon Professors”. By mailing in the Entrance Test, Professor Test, Super Professor Test, and Hyper Professor Test , 1000 Magikarps were up for grabs.

Though so many were printed, only 91 have been identified by the PSA so far. PSA 10-graded cards fetch a much higher price than any other condition, getting $66,100 at auction.

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