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How To Tell If A Pokemon Card Is 1st Edition

Pokemon Cards Prices Are Skyrocketing: Everything You Need To Know

How To Tell If Your Pokemon Cards Are 1st Edition?

Modified date: Jul. 6, 2021

On October 13th, 2020, rapper Logic shocked the world when he paid $220,574 for a Pokemon card.

Thats right he paid the price of a new Ferrari or a three-bedroom home in Ohio for a shiny picture of a lizard.

And yet, perhaps the most amazing part of the news is how little young people judged him for it. Rather than react with memes or mockery, people our age got excited:


Are any of MY cards worth anything??

Even if they werent familiar with Pokemon cards, many young investors instantly perked up:

Wow, $4 in 1999 to $220,574 today is it time to start investing in Pokemon cards?

Both are totally fair questions that Im going to address in this feature!

Whats Ahead:


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Pokemon First Edition Venusaur Holo #15

Next up is the legendary Venusaur, which is one of the most iconic characters in the game. While it might seem like a relatively harmless creature, Venusaur is equipped with some of the most vicious attacks.

This creature is also known for its energy-sucking abilities, as it is capable of drawing energy from the sun as its constantly moving around. It will give the player additional energy to work with.

Venusaur is also popular because it was included on one of the covers for the video game Pokemon.

This card is hard to find in the top conditions you might have to pay a five-figure sum to get this card in the top possible grades.


Pokemon Card Set Symbols

Pokemon » Set Symbols

The most common way to organize Pokemon cards is by set. To identify the set, look for a little symbol at the bottom of the card, next to the card number. There are a bunch of these set symbols 5-6 sets are released every year, each with a different set symbol, and theyve been printing cards since 1999!

The following table is a complete list of Pokemon card sets, sorted by date the newest sets are at the top the oldest are at the bottom. If I missed something, let me know if the comments! I want this to be THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR POKEMON CARD SETS!

Sword & Shield Series

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First Edition Holographic Gyarados

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $1,800


This serpentine creature is an extremely temperamental and destructive Pokémon that relies on both its water and flying abilities to unleash its wrath.

Its tough scales are practically impenetrable while its sharp fangs are capable of crushing rocks.

Because it lives in both fresh and saltwater, it’s best to stay clear of water in general if you want to avoid Gyarados.

Pokemon Base Set Theme Decks

How Much Are Your Old Pokémon Cards Worth?

Now we cant talk about Base Set without talking through the theme decks!

Back in the day they were called Preconstructed Theme Decks and specially designed for players of the TCG in mind.


As the name suggests, each deck had a theme and players could use the decks with a specific strategy in mind for gameplay.

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What Does The Future Look Like For The 4th Print

The future is notoriously fickle so do not take any predictions we make here as infallible facts. In the near future, 4th print prices will remain relatively unchanged.

With increased awareness, things might start lighting up. PSA recognizing the print as a separate release will be the ultimate icing on the cake for collectors.

Whether any of these things get to happen still remains to be seen.


  • Tags

Verify The Pokemon Cards Information

This is the first thing you need to do when authenticating a Pokemon card. By the information, we mean all the cards details.

The information that you should know about the Pokemon card includes:

  • How much HP does this Pokemon have?
  • Whats the correct spelling for the name?
  • What is the rarity of this Pokemon card?
  • What set does this Pokemon card belong to?

When there were only 102 Pokemon cards to collect, you could just memorize everything. Thats what hardcore collectors did to spot fake Pokemon cards. They just knew every card out there.

As were more than 20 years into Pokemon cards now, knowing them all-let alone memorizing them- is much harder than it used to be. This is what Google searches are for!

So, all you have to do is Google the Pokemon card that youre trying to authenticate youll get all the information of the genuine card. Another way to do it is to use the Pokemon Card Database.


You can favorite this page and access it from your phone whenever you need to. Its like a Pokedex for Pokemon card collectors.

If the cards information doesnt check out, you dont have to proceed to step two. The card youre examining is fake.

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First Edition Cards In Review

Whether you are a fan of them or not, theres 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 doesnt 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.

Shiny Secret Rare Charizard V: $500

Pokemon Card Q& A: How to tell if my Pokemon card is 1st edition

If you want to get into Pokemon pack opening, but dont want to shell out for the older packs, there are tons of new cards with similar record-setting prices that have come out in just the past two years. One of the recent premium TCG sets in the game was Champions Path, and certain cards in it were especially rare since you could only get packs through special products like Elite Trainer Boxes and Pin Collector packs.

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The absolute highest value cards in this set are both Charizards, one being a rainbow foil V-Max card and the other being a shiny Charizard V with black scales. Both quickly reached prices around $500, and sites like TCGPlayer still remain at the same $500 price tag.


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How To Tell What Pokemon Cards You Have

If youve rediscovered your old Pokemon cards, youre probably wondering how much theyre worth!

Well,it all starts by identifying exactly what cards you own, and what set/s they belong to.

In this handy guide Im going to explain just how to do that, and then provide you with some useful resources for valuations and selling.

Identifying Valuable Pokmon Cards

  • 1Check card rarity. Each Pokémon card has a rarity that determines how likely you are to open it in a booster pack. While this isn’t the only thing that determines a card’s a value, it’s probably the biggest. Look in the bottom right corner of the card to find the rarity symbol, next to the card number:
  • A circle means the card is common, while a diamond marks uncommon cards. These are easy to find, and not usually worth much unless the card was printed in 1999 or 2000.
  • A star means the card is rare, while a star H or three stars are special, extra-rare cards.XResearch source These rarities have the highest potential to be valuable, so separate them from the rest of your collection.
  • Other symbols typically mean the card was sold as part of a special product, not a booster pack. Try looking up the card as a “Promo”, “Deck Kit”, or “Boxtopper” version to check the price. These can range in price from a few cents to over $100, depending on the product.
  • 2Investigate early cards closely. Cards printed soon after the game was released are especially valuable, and even commons and uncommons might be worth $5 each or more.XResearch source Any card that says “Wizards of the Coast” at the bottom of the card is from 1999 or early 2000, and is worth investigating closely. If one or both of the following features are present, and the card is a rare, it could potentially sell for $100 or more:
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    Thoughts On Pokemon Card Set Symbols

  • Jsays:

    Good info. This helped me narrow down that a misprint card I have is fake. But it worries me that all my cards have always come from booster packs. So a lot of my cards could be fake. Damn shady comic book stores.

  • If the cards came from real booster packs then the cards should be genuine unless it was a fake pack of Pokemon cards Ive never seen that before. Ive just seen reprints of high dollar cards sold online . All the cards Ive collected have come from booster packs I dont buy individual cards because Im not that serious about collecting/playing specific cards. I make due with what I get from the packs.

  • Matthew Its hard for me to say without seeing the symbol. Cards from 1999 can be valuable especially if its a Pikachu Trainer No. 1, 2, or 3 these were given out at the winners of the Pokemon World Championships they fetch 10s of thousands of dollars! But those cards have a Poke Ball symbol and that doesnt sound like the media symbol you describe. It could be a Snap Pikachu Trainer card, that set has a camera symbol, its in Japanese so not sure if thats it. The Snap cards are from 1999 release of the Snap 64 Nintendo game. Players could take snapshots in the game and compete to get their snapshot printed on real Pokemon card with credit to the player that snapped it. Id have to see a picture of the card to tell you more.

  • Battle Styles Set List

    How to Tell If a Pokémon Card Is a First Edition

    The Pokemon Battle Styles contains 183 cards 163 in the base set and 20 secret rare cards some of them are extremely valuable!

    The Battle Styles set was released on March 19, 2021. Its the fifth expansion set in the Sword & Shield Series and contains 163 cards in the base set, plus 20 secret rare cards the most valuable cards being V, VMAX, ultra, and secret cards. The Battle Styles set introduces Single Strike and Rapid Strike Pokemon new powerful attacks to use against your enemies!

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    Top 5 First Edition Pokemon Cards

    Any shiny, shadowless 1st Edition Pokémon card will be reasonably valuable, but there are a few which manage to stand out from the crowd.

    Buy on eBay

    Lets switch things up, moving on to a set that was released the year after. Lugia was the cover star for the next round of Pokémon games, and while he might not match up to many older options, its still a card that is highly prized by collectors.

    A white background is the source of a number of issues that are also seen with the 1999 Chansey card below, leading to higher values than the norm. There are often problems with the lining too, so there are only 41 PSA 10 examples out of almost 1300 that have been submitted.

    Which Pokmon Cards Are Worth Money

    You might not own any trophy-edition pieces unless you were an avid tournament participant. Still, your regular Pokémon cards can make you a fair amount of money if they have specific characteristics. Some collectors have earned hundreds of dollars if not thousands on a single Pokémon card exchange.

    The first step toward making your little fortune is dusting off your old Pokémon cards and picking out the right ones to sell. Here are the most valuable Pokémon cards you might actually have:

    Card

    Some Pokémon cards have special value, including:

    • Holographic cards: They have reflective and shimmery backgrounds.
    • Shining Pokémon cards: They are inverse holographic cards.
    • Full-art cards: Their illustrations extend over the entire front of the card.
    • First-edition cards: They are among the first to be printed and display the edition 1 logo on the bottom left corner of the Pokémon illustration.

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    A Simpler Approach To Base Set Variations

    Now, although my guide above is technically correct, it may not be entirely helpful to you especially if youre just getting back into Pokemon and trying to learn the ropes!

    So lets break the Base Set cards down into three variations for the sake of this article, and your understanding of the cards

    • 1st Edition As you probably know, the rarest and most valuable
    • Shadowless Still pretty rare and valuable, just not as much as 1st Edition!
    • Unlimited highest volume of cards printed, therefore less rare and valuable than the other two

    1st Edition and Unlimited are pretty self-explanatory, but people often get a bit confused regarding Shadowless Pokemon cards

    If you want to do a bit of extra reading Ive written a handy guide to Shadowless Pokemon cards here.

    How Value Is Determined

    How to tell if your Pokémon card is an first edition

    The surge in Pokémon card prices doesnt necessarily mean every card is worth a lot of money or will be.

    I think prices will rise for some cards, but obviously not all cards, which is what some people dont get, Caitlin Sidhu explained. If cards are still in print, they wont rise in price. Once the card is out of print it may go up in price, but its not guaranteed.

    Jason A., a collector from East Tennessee who declined to give his last name, compared it to the stock market: You can take a bet on a cards value. Is it going to increase? Is it going to flop? Or is it just gonna stay steady?

    There are plenty of cards out there that when they first got released are still the same price that they were back then, he said.

    A cards scarcity, condition and the actual Pokémon on it all play a role in its value. First edition holographic cards released as part of Pokémons first print in 1999 command high prices especially Charizard.

    Why is he always so coveted? In that first set, he was objectively the most powerful, with both the highest HP and the strongest attack. But maybe the reason for his appeal is more obvious than that.

    I mean, hes a dragon. Kids love dragons, Garcia said. In the cartoon show, he was kind of rebellious, did whatever he wanted.

    Kalvin Foley, after losing his eBay bid, said he was able to finally obtain his Rainbow Vmax Charizard in a private sale.

    Only 39 were initially released through a Japanese comic contest in 1998.

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    How To Tell If A Pokmon Card Is A First Edition

    • How to Tell If a Pokémon Card Is a First Edition

    First Edition Pokémon cards are highly coveted because they are so rare. They are hard to come by because there arent a lot of them, and they were printed about 20 years ago. People are still eager to collect first edition cards, and they look for those printed in 1999. Some of them are worth thousands of dollars, and collectors want to find them.

    The first edition cards were released in the first run. They were released in 1999, and after their release a few minor changes were made for the shadowless cards and the Unlimited cards. These were the first three sets of Pokémon cards, and they are the most valuable. The first edition cards are the most valuable of all three. Continue reading to know how to tell if your Pokémon card is a first edition.

    How To Tell What Pokemon Card You Have: Set Number Edition & Foil

    You have some Pokemon cards sitting around and youve heard they can be pretty valuable, but you dont know if your cards are rare or common or even how to tell what card you have. What is reverse holo? What is first edition? And what the heck is shadowless?This guide will help you determine which Pokemon cards you have so you can look them up and know the value.How to determine Pokemon card versions?

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    Pokemon First Edition Mewtwo Holo #10

    The #10 card of the set is Mewtwo, which is one of the most popular figures inside the first edition set of Pokemon cards.

    Read our article on top Mewtwo Cards

    This character has achieved a good level of popularity thanks to its role in the first Pokemon movie, but also because of its elusive and mysterious nature.

    Its also quite a powerful card if you know how to use its abilities right. It has two powerful abilities, Psychic and Barrier, and even though it doesnt have a lot of HP, it can do a lot of damage to your opponent.

    Mewtwo remains to be seen as one of the legendary characters of the game, and this is also a legendary card to own.

    For this reason, this card can cost up to six figures in the best conditions, but most often, it will be sold for a five-figure amount. There are only 80 PSA 10 rated cards, so you might have to pay a lot to get one.

    What Makes First Edition Shadowless Base Set Magneton So Valuable

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    I dont know about you, but I absolutely LOVE Magneton! Theres something about this Pokemon that I think is understated, goes under the radar, but is actually seriously strong. I mean, just look at that Selfdestruct move Magneton is one brave dude!

    Jokes aside, this is a first edition base set card with only 64 PSA 10s in existence. Its seriously rare, and evidently, hard to grade. Worth the money? I think so, yes.

    1999 1st Edition Base Set Magneton PSA Population Report

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