How To Find Value Of Pokemon Cards

Full Set Of First Edition Holo

Released along with the rest of the cards in 1999, the holo-foil cards;are rare editions of the first cards. They have a certain look to the background of the card, that is what gives the card the holo-foil look.

Given the rarity of obtaining all of these cards, it is quite at the feat to get all of these cards together. But maybe you might win the lottery if youve liked the look of them as a child.

Rarity: Is Your Collection All That Special

In terms of rarity, base-set cards are where the money is for most collectors, and these cards are the most traded ones in the hobby. Set cards are any card you can pull from a pack bought from the store, says Pratte. The base set comprises the original 102 cards printed in 1999 and includes classic Pokemon like Pikachu, Blastoise, Charizard and Venusaur.

A complete first-edition base set in mint condition sold for $100,000 in December 2017. If you have a base-set card in your card collection, there are a few visual indicators of its worth.

Is Your Pokmon Card A Misprint

It may sound counterintuitive that an error would make something more valuable, but then, it also makes something more unique and therefore rarer.

Keep in mind mention that a misprinting of a card, doesnt automatically make your card worth more money. As mentioned before, a misprint of a card will generally result in a lower score from a professional card grading service.;

However, there is a market for misprints, and certain well-known misprints, in particular, can drive up the price of a Pokémon card and sell for a decent amount of money.;

One such printing error is the much desired first edition base set Red-cheeked Pikachu, which is currently worth more than $10,000 USD provided that it is in Gem Mint condition.;

Even lower graded version of this card can be seen to be sold for several hundreds of dollars.;

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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.”

What Are The Most Valuable Pokemon Cards In 2020

The most valuable pokemon cards are first edition holographic shadowless base set cards from the 1999 original series. These include Charizard, Blastoise, Alakazam, Venusar, and Chansey.;

And below are some of the most priceless pokemon cards for 2020

• No. 1 Trainer:;Probably, the rarest Pokémon card of all time. This is a holographic promotional card awarded to finalists in the Secret Super Battle tournament held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1999.;
• 1999 First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard #4:;An extremely valuable and very rare version of the fan-favorite card. What sets this card apart is that its shadowless, an error immediately remedied, adding to its value.
• Pikachu Illustrator:;Another contender for the most expensive Pokemon ever made, thanks to its rarity. Its also the only Pokemon card to read Illustrator instead of Trainer at the top of the card.
• 20th Anniversary 24-karat Gold Pikachu:;A rare reprint of the original Pikachu card thats literally made of 11 grams of 24-karat gold, and its not legal for use in tournaments.
• Masters Key:;This prize card is one of the more modern cards on this list but no less rare. Only 36 copies of the card are estimated to exist.
• Prerelease Raichu:;A Pokemon card so rare that it may just be a rumor. In fact, its so rare that finding out exact details is tricky.;

;Obviously, thats what makes these cards so valuable.

To value your cards, these are the factors to be aware of:

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Neo Genesis First Edition Holo Lugia

Sold in May, 2021 for $144,300

The 2000 Neo Genesis set was the first to feature second-generation Pokemon from the Gold and Silver video games that built off the massive success of the Red and Blue games.

And Lugia had the great fortune of being chosen as the character to be featured on the box art of the Pokemon Silver game.

Considering the massive boost in notoriety that Charizard and Blastoise received for being the box art characters for the Red and Blue games, respectively, the same is true for Lugia.

However, the difficulty of finding this card in top condition propels it even further into the upper echelons of expensive Pokemon cards.

Print issues are a problem for the entire Neo Genesis set, and the Lugia card is no exception.

Around 2% of the Lugias graded by PSA have received the PSA 10 grade, while even fewer BGS have received the BGS 10 Pristine label.

PSA 10 Lugias have sold for $76,000 and $129,000 before, but the BGS 10 brought home an even bigger price tag in May 2021 at $144,300.

Xy Evolutions Charizard Holo Error Card

Misprints and errors are often worth big money in the world of any collectible. This is a newer holo card that is has the starfoil on the entire card. The whole card should not have the starfoil finish, making this one a very interesting and rare error. Newer cards are often not worth as much as the vintage cards from the late 90s, but in this case, it can be worth around a hundred dollars. The Charizard is a flying, flame thrower and in any Pokemon deck is a very powerful card. The Charizard is often seen as one of the most undefeatable and for this reason, these cards in general are worth more money than most other Pokemon, but when you add the interesting error, it really stands out as something special.

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Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind Trainer Card

Sold in October, 2020 for $65,100

Just a bit ago, we saw how expensive the number two trainer card from the 1999 Pokemon Tropical Mega Battle could be even without a numerical PSA grade assigned to it.

And now we get a look at how expensive the trainer card given to all players who participated at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in 1999 can be if it’s graded to be in PSA 10 Gem Mint condition.

This card, featuring Psyduck and Jigglypuff laying sleepily in a hammock in a tropical setting, has become a hobby icon and one of the most sought-after trainer cards.

The “TRAINER” text across the top denotes the card type while the text below reads:

“Flip a coin. If heads, remove 2 damage counters from each active Pokemon . If tails, each active Pokemon is now asleep.”

The Age Of The Pokemon Card

As a general rule of thumb, old Pokemon cards from the Base, Jungle, and Fossil sets are often quite valuable, especially the rare holographic ones.

Also, there is often a lot of hype around the newest Pokemon sets. If you pull a brand new ultra rare card from a booster pack, it will likely be worth money because of demand for new cards.

This isnt to say that cards from 2002-2020 are worthless. Many of the most expensive cards of all time were produced during this period. Its just important to know that extremely old and extremely new cards can often be more valuable.

This is what an old first generation Pokemon card looks like.

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How Much Is A Complete Set Of Pokemon Cards Worth

If youre holding a complete set of Pokemon cards , then you definitely have an asset collectors will be interested in.

For some, gotta catch em all literally means owning every card, from every set ever produced!

Now the actual value of your complete set will be determined by its age, condition and set popularity.

But whats interesting is that even newer full sets can be worth quite a lot of money. Sometimes as much as the older ones!

This is because, the regular introduction of reverse holographic cards, and secret rares, means full/master sets can contain over 300 cards.

The cost of pulling all of these cards naturally could cost £1000s in booster boxes. So for some, buying a full set outright simply works out cheaper.

Ultimately though, whether your complete set is old or new, is absolutely has value, and most likely, a market of interested buyers.

Most Expensive Pokmon Cards In Review

Clearly, the non-sports card collecting world is every bit as hot as the sports card hobby.

Passionate collectors are obviously willing to shell out big bucks to land any one of the prized possessions on this list.

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.

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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.

Pokemon First Edition Mewtwo

Sold in November, 2020 for $22,655

A member of the exclusive and powerful Legendary Pokémon group, the psychic-type Mewtwo is considered one of the top Pokémon of all time.

The vicious and savage Mewtwo originated when a scientist altered its original DNA via gene-splicing techniques.

Its signature move, Psystrike, can deal out massive punishment to opposing Pokemon and has long been a favorite of many Pokemon fans.

Do not be fooled by Ken Sugimori’s tame depiction of Mewtwo on this card, as this creature packs devastating ferocity and power.

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What Is The Value Of The Japanese Cards

First thing first, You cannot use Japanese cards in tournaments outside Japan. But foreigners are not restricted to use these Pokemon cards in Japan. This is one of the reasons that playable cards have a higher value. But being a non-Japanese collector, you might not be able to find the best deal for these cards.

Pokemon Japanese Play Promo 50000 Points Espeon Gold Star

Sold in June, 2021 for $25,700

Earlier, we had a look at the 2005 Pokemon Japanese Play Jolteon gold star card that required 20,000 EXP Points to redeem and explained how difficult it was to achieve.

As Pokemon Players Club members completed specific actions, such as attending an event, winning a battle, or placing in a tournament, they could accumulate experience points.

As if accumulating 20,000 EXP points for the Jolteon wasn’t hard enough, those who had the endurance and capability to press on even farther could unlock the Espeon after earning 50,000 EXP points.

The holographic element mixed with the gold star designation and incredible design from Masakazu Fukuda resulted in a breathtaking card that few ever have the chance at holding.

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Where Should I Sell My Pokemon Cards

In most countries, eBay is a good place to sell Pokemon cards for good money. Many Pokemon traders and collectors keep a close eye on the site, helping you get a good price for your Pokemon cards, especially if you have good pictures and a good listing description.

The issue with trying to sell your cards to a trading card retailer is the business needs to make a decent profit on whatever they buy from you. This means that youre unlikely to get the best price from them, although they might help you to sell your Pokemon cards quickly.

Tropical Mega Battle: $10000

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, an annual Pokemon Trading Card Game tournament was held in Honolulu, Hawaii. At this 1999 event, just 12 of these Tropical Mega Battle cards were produced to be distributed to some of the lucky 50 players who attended the event, meaning the remaining number of mint copies is especially low all these years later.

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Showing a Psyduck having a nap in a hammock on a tropical island, this legendary Trainer Card sells for a whole lot of cash thanks to its rarity. In fact, according to the Telegraph, a mint-condition version of the card once sold for $10,000, making it a prime example of how valuable Pokemon TCG prize cards can eventually be.

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Pokemon Portuguese First Edition Charizard

Sold in April, 2021 for $44,850

Only two Portuguese first edition Charizards have ever been graded PSA 10 out of the 34 submitted to PSA as of this writing.

Just two…

Given how the market for Pokemon cards has soared recently and the scarcity of this card in PSA 10 condition, I’m surprised this didn’t sell for an even higher price.

Still, $44,850 is impressive and speaks to the strength of the Pokemon brand and the Charizard character, in particular.

First Edition Holographic Ninetales

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $3,000

Its easy to see where Ninetales gets its name although the spelling of tails is noticeably different.

And while each of its golden-white tails is catching to the eye, it is said that simply grabbing one of them can result in a 1,000-year curse giving this fox-like Pokémon its reputation of extreme vengeance.

Inspired by the;kitsune;of Japanese folklore, Ninetales holds mysterious powers within its nine tails and can even control the mind with its piercing, red eyes.

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How Much Are Old Japanese Pokemon Cards Worth

The Japanese Base Set was released in 1996, a solid three years before the English version.

Commended in the Pokemon community for their quality, old Japanese Pokemon cards are sought after items for any collector.

However, their value is affected by a couple of factors.

Unlike the English version where booster boxes contained 36 packs and roughly 12 holographic cards. Japanese Base set booster boxes contained 60 packs and the pull rates on holos are known to be as high as 50%.

As youd expect, this drives the value down compared to their English counterparts.

However, there is also a well-known printing error with Japanese base set, where they missed off the rarity symbol from the bottom right corner of the cards.

If youre lucky enough to own these cards, then they are extremely valuable and command a premium.

Pokemon then decided to print future vintage Japanese sets like Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket with a holographic card in every pack.

Although these were fun to open, it also took away some of the excitement, rarity and value.

The main thing that combats this though, as mentioned above is the quality of the cards.

Card centering, print lines, and edge-wear is less common, therefore its easier to obtain a high score when getting Japanese cards graded. The higher the grade, the higher its value of course.

The Rarity Of The Pokemon Card

Pokemon cards come in a number of different rarities. Different Pokemon card rarities can be seen from the rarity symbol, which is normally displayed in the bottom left or bottom right corner of the card.

Common: the card has a circle symbol.

Uncommon: the card has a diamond symbol.

Rare: the card has a star symbol.

Ultra rare: the card has a holographic star symbol, possibly gold or silver in colour.

There are many different types of ultra rare Pokemon cards, including EX, GX, Prime, Level X, and V cards. Normally these types of Pokemon cards will have this distinction next to their name.

As a general rule, most common/uncommon Pokemon cards arent worth much typically less than $0.10 each. As a result, theyre normally sold in bulk. There are exceptions to this rule though, especially with very old first gen Pokemon cards.

Rare and ultra rare Pokemon cards can vary in what theyre worth quite dramatically. For example, a typical non-holo rare from the latest set will normally be worth $0.50 – $1.00 or so. But a holographic Base Set Charizard could be worth $500 or more.

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