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How To See How Much My Pokemon Cards Are Worth

How Do You Know If Youve Got A Valuable Card

*ARE YOUR POKEMON CARDS VALUABLE?* How To Find Value!

You can check the bottom of each card to see roughly how rare it is.

A circle means common, a diamond means uncommon, a star means rare and a white or gold star means ultra-rare.

Holographic and first edition cards are also typically worth extra.

To see how much your cards are worth, you can check eBay to see how much those cards are going for on the site.


Limited-edition cards that collectors can only get by going to special events or through competitions, will also be more valuable and expensive.

However, you have to take into account hidden costs such as shipping fees, tax liabilities on sales and storage costs.

Storage is crucial to keeping cards in mint condition and preventing them from any damage.

The Masked Royal Prize Promo: $18000

This is undoubtedly one of the most recent rare cards, featuring the Masked Royal character from Pokemon Sun & Moon and released as recently as 2017. This is essentially a promotional card that was given out to players in an invitation-only prerelease in Tokyo for the new Shining Legends set, where only 100 copies were made.

Even though this is a relatively normal card by most standards, this short print run means itâs incredibly hard to get, especially since it was handed out in such a restrictive event. As a result, there are actually preserved tweets of players first opening it in places like Pokeboon, while Japanese trading sites like Miyabi Hobby have past listings of the card at Â¥2,000,000, which currently is equal to around $18,000 USD.


Are Your Pokmon Cards Rare: Valuable Pokmon Cards

With regards to most Pokémon cards, there are 4 levels of standard rarity that are worth mentioning for now.

Its also important to note here, when we are talking about Rarity or how Rare a card is, I am not referring to the actual scarcity of the card or hard it is to fine.

Pokémon cards have different rarity classifications that are assigned by the Pokémon company themselves and can often be identified by the symbol printed on the card.

This can be somewhat confusing to those new to the trading card scene as most people will use the term rare interchangeably between the Classification rare and Monetary value rare.

This isnt something you should worry too much about as often a card that is Monetary value rare will also have the classification of Rare, hence why many players will use the term interchangeably.


You can figure what classification level a card has by looking for a small symbol in one of the bottom corners of your card:

  • Common: A small black circle
  • Uncommon: A diamond shape
  • Rare: A tiny star

Promotional: A black start with the word PROMO written across it

As a general rule, the rarer the Pokémon card classification the more money it will be worth. However, this isnt always the case, so its best to be vigilant when evaluating your Pokémon collection.

There are certainly some Uncommons, and possibly even commons, that exist from much older Pokémon sets that might be considered more valuable than modern-day Rares.

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How Do We Get Our Card Value Estimates

Our unique search algorithm produces an estimated value for each card based on the prices of cards that have been sold on eBay UK in the last 90 days. We only use prices of cards that did actually sell in our calculations and each card is updated roughly every 10 days! We individually search for NM/M, PSA 8, PSA 9 and PSA10 conditions for every single card in our database. All other values for each condition of every card worked out in relation to the NM/M value. We exclude the cost of shipping, so you just get the value for the card alone. We do this using the following guideline:

-If shipping is less than 90p, we record the price + shipping 90p. This is because the seller has worked some or all of the shipping cost into the price, so must be taken off. -If shipping is 91p or more, we record just the price of the card.

*Note: 90p is our current estimate for shipping which roughly includes the cost of a stamp, bubble envelope, toploader and sleeve .

How To Find The Value Of A Pokemon Card

How Much Are Your Old Pokémon Cards Worth?

To determine what a specific Pokemon card is worth, there is an easy process you can follow.

Often, Pokemon card price lists and websites are out of date, so its important to look at what the card is actually selling for right now to see what its really worth.

Below, well show you how to perform a Pokemon card valuation using this Shaymin EX Pokemon card as an example.

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What Are Pokemon Cards

For the uninitiated, Pokemon Cards are part of the Pokemon Card Trading Card Game that originally launched in 1996. Back then, the original set contained just 151 cards one for each OG Pokemon.


In simplest terms, Pokemon cards are baseball cards but for adorable Japanese Pocket Monsters.

Since then, Pokemon has exploded into the worlds most valuable media franchise, valued at over $100 billion worldwide. For comparison, thats more than Star Wars, Spongebob, and James Bond combined.

Fueling two decades of meteoric growth was a steady stream of new Pokemon creatures and thus new cards to collect. There are around 898 total Pokemon and over 9,100 Pokemon cards to collect in the English market.

Not all 9,100 cards are available on store shelves at once, of course. The Pokemon Company International, the folks who make Pokemon cards, publish and release cards one generation at a time, with each generation lasting about two years.

In total, there have been eight generations of Pokemon cards since 1996. And as the next generation of cards begins appearing on store shelves, the previous generation tends to sell out. At that point, its no surprise that certain cards begin shooting up in value!


Bigars Tcg Card Scanners

Screenshot: Brendan Hesse, BigAR M:TG Manager, Android

BigAR offers numerous game-specific card scanning apps that can be used as a snappy reference/translation tools, and will even aid in pricing out your card collection for just about every major TCG/CCG out there:

  • World of Warcraft

BigAR draws from a database that allows you to scan and translate cards even when youre offline. These scanners can also automatically scrape a cards market value from TCGplayer.com, MtgMintCard.com, or CardKingdom.com and convert it into your currency of choice, though in-app buying, selling, and trading functions are not included. While these features arent as robust as TCGplayers app, or others, theyre still handy for niche games that dont otherwise have apps like this.

In addition to those features, the M:TG, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! manager apps also include deck-building and collection features, with some caveats. The base version of the manager apps only support a limited number of slots to save scanned cards, and you must buy access to the latest expansion packs in order to save cards from them.

Thankfully, its a pretty reasonable price about $4 to unlock the newest sets and add an additional 100 card slots but its still restrictive compared to similar apps. On the plus side, BigAR is developing web versions for these apps that will enable cross-platform syncing.


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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.

Japanese Tropical Mega Battle Promo Tropical Wind: $147633

FAST & EASY – How To Find The Value Of Any Pokemon Card!

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, an annual Pokemon Trading Card Game tournament was held in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the 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. Though it has sold for up to $65,100 at auction, PSA estimates the card is worth vary more than that, at a whopping $147,633.

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How Much Are My Pokmon Cards Worth

How much you can sell your Pokémon cards for is mostly dependent on three variables: the cards rarity, which print edition the card came from, and the cards physical quality.

Its important to note that your average Pokémon collection wont make you rich. Most common and uncommon cards are worth less than $1, and even rare cards are usually worth less than $5. However, holographic rare Pokémon cards often go for $15 and upespecially for older cards that have been sitting in your self storage unit for years.

Top Tips In This Article

Scott Pratte, our expert card trader and collector, provided lots of tips to make money selling Pokemon cards. Here is his best advice:

  • First edition or New Edition? All kidding aside, we know that you know New Edition is a boy band from the 70s and 80s. Still, you need to know what you have in that box of Pokemon cards. In other words, which are the rare cards and which are not. Do you have one of the original holographic cards? Cha-ching.
  • Whats the condition of your cards? If theyve been under the bed in a box so light didnt fade them or the dog didnt get to them, you may be in good shape. Never taken out of the wrapper? More cha-ching. That is whats called mint. All cards in good condition are likely worth more than what you paid for them.
  • The best place to sell Pokemon cards? Its eBay all the way. It would be great to sell one card for oodles of money and eBay has facilitated some of that. But if you want a big audience and buyers willing to shell out $30 a pop for your cards, you can rack up sales.
  • Think youve got something valuable? Consult the Professional Sports Authenticator and get an estimate. This will put you in a good position to haggle with a buyer, which you should expect to do.

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Also Check: How To Tell If Your Pokemon Card Is Rare

What Condition Is Your Pokemon Cards

At first, take a look at the condition of the card youre considering selling.

Even when it comes to the rarest of Pokémons cards, the condition is everything.

Collectors are much less willing to spend money on a card that has creases, stains, or even rips. While a card in Gem Mint is always the sought-after ideal, lightly played cards still have value and can be sold for a respectable amount of money.

This means that if you were a tidy child that took diligent care of their collection, you may be in luck!

If your cards do show traces of gameplay and handling, you may not have to despair immediately.

Generally speaking, the rarer the card your selling, the more obliging potential buyers will be with regards to its condition, but dont expect life-changing offers of cash for cards in poor condition.

The Key Factors To Get A High Grade On Pokemon Cards

The 25 Most Expensive Pokémon Cards of All Time // ONE37pm
  • Corners: This refers to the condition of the corners. Anything like whitening, nicks, or unsymmetrical cutting can affect the grade of a card.
  • Centering: How well centered the artwork on the card is. Grading services tend to be stricter with centering on the front of the card, compared to the back. They will also work off certain centering ratios to determine the grade of the card.
  • Edges: refers to the condition of the edges of the card. Again, whitening, nicks and edgewear can affect the grade.
  • Surface:refers to the condition of the surface of the card. Scratches, nicks print lines and even holographic bleed can affect the grade.

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How To Find A Pokmon Card Collection To Value

The worlds most expensive Pokémon card collection value stands at over $10 million and it belongs to Gary Haase, also known as King Pokémon. The Las Vegas-based collector has been snapping up the cards since 1998 and has become a celebrity among the Pokémon card collector set in part because of his massive collection of cards, and in part because he rarely sells any of them.

Whether youre like Haase and dont intend to sell your collection anytime soon, or if you want to turn them into profit ASAP, you have a few ways to find your Pokémon card collection value.

You could follow the steps we laid out in the last section for each card you have and add up their individual estimates. Or you could break the cards down into lots based on which release sets they belong to, then check eBay to see how much similar listings have sold for. Finally, you could visit your local hobby shop to see if they could give you a quote in person. The latter two options will likely result in a smaller estimated value than pricing all your cards out individually, but it will be quite a bit faster.

How Much Are Your Pokemon Cards Worth

Use Mavin to see how much your Pokemon cards are worth. Mavin tells you what its worth based on similar cards that have recently sold online.

Youll need these details:

  • Enter the card name. Printed at the top of the card.
  • Enter the card number. Printed at the bottom of the card as a fraction.
  • Enter holoif the Pokemon image is holographic/shiny or reverse holo if the frame, not the image, is holographic. If you dont know, dont include these words in your search. Use the checkboxes to pick ones that look similar to your Pokemon card. Or watch the video below where I explain the difference.
  • For example Dragonite 52/108 foil

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    How To Value Your Pokmon Cards

    wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 73 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 45 testimonials and 82% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 3,524,026 times.Learn more…

    If you want to sell your Pokémon cards, it’s important that you value them first so you know you’re getting a good deal. Fortunately, Pokémon cards are easy to value once you know what to look for and where to look.

    The Authenticity Of The Pokemon Card

    How much are your Pokemon cards worth? *SIMPLE and EASY*

    Fake Pokemon cards have become increasingly prevalent in recent years as the Pokemon TCG has become more popular. Theyre commonly found on eBay, at flea markets, and in dollar stores.

    Fake cards are not worth anything. Theyre illegal for use in tournaments and collectors will not buy them. Therefore, its important to determine that you have genuine Pokemon cards before you try to sell them.

    You can use our guide to fake Pokemon cards to tell if your cards are fake.

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    What Is The Psa Grading Scale

    Card Grading Score
    Gem Mint condition

    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.

    ALSO READ:Are Pokemon Cards Cheaper in Japan:

    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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