Value Of Rare Pokemon Cards

Mcdonalds Pokemon Card Prices Revealed

Now that its been a while, the worth of each Pokemon card has been decided. Most cards in the 15-card collection are not worth much after all. Non-holographic cards are currently selling on eBay and sites like TCGPlayer for $1 or $2.

Some holographic cards carry a bit more of a price tag. Gossifuer, Growlithe, Smeargle, Rowlet, and Victini are in the range of about $4 to $6.

So whats the most expensive McDonalds Pokemon card? Right now, the holographic Pikachu is unsurprisingly the most valuable card in the small collection. You can expect to get about $10 for this card.

Most Expensive Pokemon Cards Of All Time

Initially released in Japan in the 1990s to accompany the Pokémon video games, the Pokémon Trading Card Game has transformed into one of the most popular trading card games of all-time.

Because of the red-hot popularity of the franchise, some of the most expensive Pokemon cards can sell into the six-figure range…

That may sound shocking, at first, but given that Pokémon is a worldwide phenom, there is a vast, passionate collector base around the globe just waiting to get their hands on these prized cards.

From trophy cards, to First Edition Pokemon cards, to lesser-known rarities, the value of these cards is quite impressive.

And in this guide, we take a look at the 50 most valuable of them all.

Let’s jump right in!

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.

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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.

Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind

Next we have another really rare Pokémon card, with an element of exclusivity that strongly adds to its appeal.

Backstory

The 1999 Tropical Mega Battle was a tournament consisting of 50 players that took place in Honolulu, Hawaii. The only way to enterearn an invite!

Thats right, only the best Pokemon trainers from their region were invited to take part in this exclusive tournament, with these beautifully unique Tropical Wind cards given as prizes.

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Pokemon Japanese Promo Tamamushi University Prize Magikarp

• Pokemon cards value: $78,000

It might not fetch the same price as the next card on our list, but this one is among the rarest Pokemon cards ever made, only available originally as a prize in the Tamamushi University Hyper Test. Only those who won a battle at the event were able to add this card to their collection.

Find The Year Your Pokemon Card Was Made

Look at the bottom of the card and find the year it was printed. Thats the first key indicator when identifying your card.

For example, the Base Set Pokémon Cards have 4 different print runs while looking almost identical each time. Of those sets, the UK 4th Print Base Set identifies as 1999-2000, which is the key indicator to separate those cards from the rest.

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Summer Battle Road Holo Victory Orb

The Japanese Promotional Victory Orb card was given to the winners of the Battle Road Summer Tournaments.

Because these cards were only given to the champions of each tournament, they are exceedingly rare, with only perhaps 160 copies in total ever being printed around the time of the tournaments.

You wont often see this card on live listings, but when you do, it doesnt stick around for long.

Watch the video below to see one of the only 9.5 graded versions of this card in the world.

Best Pokmon Card Value Scanner

TCGPlayer is the only legit service that allows a customer to scan Pokemon cards online to obtain values that a fairly accurate.

In our opinion, the best place to check the value of a Pokemon card is via eBay advance search. Simply click on sold listings and auction from the advanced eBay search menu. You will be presented with a list of recently sold Pokemon cards.

To obtain high-end/valuable Pokemon sales on eBay use the term Pokemon PSA 10 via the advance search page.

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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.

The Pokmon Collecting Craze

Media Factory introduced Pokémon cards to the Japanese Market in 1996. It took three more years until their release in North America. From 1999 to 2003, Wizards of the Coast owned the license for the game. In mid-2003, they handed over the license to Pokémon Company International.

Pokémon cards boasted widespread popularity ever since their initial release. But in mid-2020, at the pandemics height, fans of the franchise used their free time to reengage with their childhood hobby. A massive surge in popularity followed, boosting the value of increasingly rare cards.

Because Wizards of the Coast only produced the cards between 1999 to 2003, these sets are limited. The most valuable of these early cards come from the 1st Edition Base Set, followed by Shadowless and Unlimited sets.

A few factors impact the actual amount of money you can make selling your old Pokémon cards. The most valuable cards are, of course, in pristine condition and come from an exclusive set. It helps if they have received an excellent grade from a professional third-party grading service. On top of that, you must have the business and marketing skills to connect with the right buyers, avoid scammers, and present your products professionally.

Well cover everything you need to know to turn Pokémon card flipping into a side hustle a little later on. First, lets fantasize about your earning potential by gaping at the top five most expensive Pokémon cards to date.

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Pokmon Southern Islands Card Collection

This is a really interesting collection of Pokémon cards, to say the least. The folder came with 18 cards which are known as the Rainbow and Tropical Island sets. Released in Japan, it was done more as a film advertising project than a targeted card set. The cards themselves fit together to make a picture and an assembled set can command several hundred dollars when sold.

What’s it worth? A factory-sealed example of the Pokémon Southern Island Collection sold for more than $2000 on eBay as recently as October 2020.

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.

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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.

Identify Type And Assess Rarity

The first step to identify if a card is potentially worth anything substantial is to check its type and rarity. In other words, how likely the card is to come across from any given booster pack or special event, and if it has any special characteristics, such as card material or Pokemon types.

There are a few indicators of rarity on any given card, though theyre quite subject to change depending on when said card was printed. A marker near the bottom of the card or near its name will indicate rarity: a circle means the card is common, a diamond means its less common, and stars mean its rare. More stars or with combinations of letters or symbols mean extra rare, including if those symbols are in the name or elsewhere on the card. Other characteristics that can up the rarity include: a higher printed number than there should be in a given printed set holographic artwork or reverse holographic, in which everything but the artwork is holographic artwork that takes up the full card artwork wherein the creature doesnt cast a shadow and any shining characteristics, not to be confused with holographic.

While rarity isnt the only factor in appraising value, its certainly a major factor: Some of the highest-selling cards worth tens of thousands of dollars, or considered priceless from lack of supply, are only so because of small rarities like misprints or typos.

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Pokmon World Championship Trainer Number 1 Cards

In 2004, Pokemon hosted the first TCG World Championship under the direction of Pokemon USA. Here, as noted above, cards specific to each year of the championship was awarded. The Number 1 cards deserved their own spot on the countdown as they are the cards held by each years champion. Designs began changing with each year starting in 2004 and the card stock itself shifted in 2007, 2010, and 2011. In 2013, for the first time, the card was also awarded to the winner of the Video Game Championships in each age division.

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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Pokemon Play Third Season Jolteon Gold Star 20000 Pts

Sold in June, 2021 for $20,000

Beginning in 2003, the Pokemon Players Club replaced the Pokemon Fan Club and with that change came the release of several exclusive Pokemon PLAY cards.

As players completed certain actions, such as attending an event, hosting an event, winning a battle, or placing in a tournament, they could accumulate experience points.

Once a player had acquired a certain number of points, he or she could receive a prize promotional card

Between January 2003 and January 2006, there were just four seasons in which players could participate, so time was of the essence in working to obtain these special cards.

If a player accumulated 20,000 points, he or she could earn this exclusive Pokemon PLAY Jolteon Gold Star.

After Bills Are Paid We Have Nothing Left Say Desperate Sun Readers

Of course a Pokemon card, or other collectible, is only really ever worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

A collector could be willing to pay more for any item that completes a set and prices can change over time, even for the same item.

Plus, don’t forget that eBay sales and asking prices are just an indication and the item may have sold for less, or not at all.

Here are the Pokemon cards with the five biggest price tags currently being sold on eBay.

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Looking Up How Much My Pokemon Cards Are Worth:

If you get too many results that include cards NOT like yours, use the checkboxes to pick the ones just like yours. Choosing a few comparable items by using the checkboxes gives you a much more accurate estimate of what your Pokemon card is worth.

What to do next:

Once youve gone through and searched for the value of your Pokemon cards using the mavin.io price guide, you have several different options:

If the Pokemon cards are valuable: You can either hold onto the cards, perhaps get them graded if theyre really valuable, and hopefully see them appreciate in value over time. Alternatively, you sell it to a local card shop without getting ripped off since you know its worth. Lastly, you can sell it yourself on eBay to get a competitive price. Read our guide to selling on eBay.

If the Pokemon cards are worthless: A card doesnt have to be worth money to be considered valuable. Each card has sentimental value to someone: where they got it, the deck it was a part of, that time you used it to battle so-and-so a lot of people tend to hang onto them because of the memories. If you want to get rid of your Pokemon cards, they could be worth some memories to a relative or a stranger. Put them on Craigslist, take them to a card shop, donate them, or pass them along to your kids or a relative. Theres still a lot of fun to be had in those dusty Pokemon cards youve been hanging onto!

Do You Have Any First Editions Pokmon Cards: Set Prices

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.

What more information on how to find out if your Pokemon cards are First Edition? Check out my other post Identifying 1st Edition Pokémon Cards

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Mew Ex ~ Holon Phantoms

While its ability allowed players to always have an active look at their opponent’s hand, it never fit well into psychic decks at the time. As most competitive players tend to have the most popular decks memorized and keep close track of which cards have been played, it didn’t come in much use competitively for that reason either. However, the art by Ryo Ueda alongside its gorgeous holographic sparkles makes it a coveted part of many trainers’ collections.

What Is The Psa Grading Scale

Getting a PSA grade can make high-value cards worth even more and can also help you avoid unnecessary haggling or debating with a potential buyer about the condition of the card you have.

When you are looking to buy a card and the seller makes claims to a certain grade, ask for the required documentation from the PSA or the grading number. All grades that get graded by PSA are given a unique ID number that anyone can look up on their website.

This can help potential buyers spot fake Pokémon cards or cards that claim to have been graded when they havent. So if you are planning to get your Pokémon cards and get them professionally graded its important that you hang on to these details.

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Lastly, try not to be disappointed if you dont find hidden gems in your collection.

Unfortunately, it is not an all-too-common event that you will discover a card that is worth several thousands of dollars well, this is why rare cards are called rare!

If you are only in it for the money, trading Pokémon cards will likely be a rather disappointing experience.

You can also treat it as a moment of nostalgia and an opportunity to re-connect with a childhood passion, constantly looking at your Pokémon card collection with a cold, monetary appraising stare can often suck the enjoyment that we get from collectible trading card games.

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