Psa 10 Charizard Gold Star Delta Species Holo Dragon Frontiers: $25400
The first of three Gold Star cards on this list, and surprisingly only one of two Charizards. Dragon Frontiers’ Charizard Gold Star was one of the first times it was seen in its iconic black shiny colouring, which alone is usually enough to make a card shoot up in value.
In February of 2021, PWCC Auctions sold a PSA 10-graded Charizard Gold Star for a massive $25,400. Other sales tend to come a bit lower, although copies have sold for as much as $60,000 in unverified Ebay auctions.
Find The Set The Card Belongs To
If there is no logo on the right side, its Base. Every other set has an indicator.
When looking into what set a card belongs to, make sure to see if there is any logo on the right side, just underneath and to the right of the illustration. If there is no symbol, the likelihood is that its a Base set card.
There have been error cards that do not have a symbol, so make sure the year matches with the set.
Pikachu Illustrator // $250000
One of the earliest cards to come out of the Pokémon franchise was this promotional card of Pikachu that was given out to winners of an illustration contest in 1998. An estimated 20 to 39 copies were issued. In late 2016, Heritage Auctions sold one for a whopping $54,970. In July 2020, a card graded by Professional Sports Authenticator as a 9 out of 10 fetched $250,000.
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Psa 10 Base Set Holo Shadowless Charizard: $420000
There are a lot of factors that make this card worth so much compared to any other Charizard card. Specifically, the lack of a shadow means it isn’t just a first edition, it’s the first print run of the first edition. While most base set cards have a shadow on the right side of the art frame, the very first cards Wizards of the Coast printed lacked it, giving them an extra level of value.
Second, though shadowless Base Set Charizards are fairly common and number in the thousands, a PSA 10-graded one are incredibly rare. Only 56 have ever been identified by PSA.
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These Charizard cards have become one of the prime reasons for the Pokemon Card trend of the past two years, with YouTuber Logan Paul opening one as recently as February 2021 that was estimated by auction site owner Ken Goldin to sell for upwards of $500,000. In auction it tends to sell for significantly less, though: last year one sold for $264,000 through Heritage Auctions. In March 2022, Charizard broke its own record, and sold in a PWCC auction for a new high of $420,000.
Blastoise Cd Promo From The Pokmon Song Best Collection
In 1999, Japanese fans were able to buy the Pokémon Song Best Collection music CD. The album featured a compilation of songs from the Pokémon anime. The songs featured on the albums finalized tracklist were actually decided by Pokémon players who got to vote in a magazine poll. What made the album really collectible though, is that it also came packaged with a handful of rare Pokémon TCG promo cards such as Snorlax, Venusaur, and Charizard.
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Pokémon Blue Box mascot Blastoise was also one of the cards included in the album and featured alternate artwork of his iconic Base Set card. The promos artwork is drawn by renowned Japanese artist Ken Sugimori, who created the designs for all the original 151 Pokémon in the Kanto PokéDex. Incredibly, the Blastoise CD Promo sells for just $50 ungraded on auction sites and only goes for around $350 for a perfect graded version. Considering this rare promo is from 1999, and features an alternate artwork from legendary illustrator Ken Sugimori, this is another card that should definitely be worth more in 2022.
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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.
How To Cash In On Your Pokemon Cards
Now that youve gone through your cards and identified which may have value, its time to see how much theyre actually worth and put them up for sale.
As you might expect, one of the easiest ways to check the value of a card is to look it up on an auction site like eBay. Make sure to look at completed listings to see how much the card actually sold for.
Other useful sites are ones like TCGPlayer and TrollAndToad, which act as digital storefronts for game shops and individuals selling cards. Once you look up a card, you can check the Market Price for an idea of how much its currently worth. Like eBay, these sites allow you to sell your cards for a fee.
A snapshot of Charizard cards on TCGPlayer.
Once you know how much your cards are worth, you can either make a listing on one of these sites to sell them, or you could visit a card shop or flea market to haggle in person, whatever it takes to get the very best price for your Pokemon cards.
Joshua is a Senior Editor and Producer of Features at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Star Wars are frequently used words in your vocabulary, youll want to follow him on and IGN.
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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.
Pokmon Neo Destiny 1st Edition Shining Charizard #107
It didnt take long for a Charizard to make it onto the list.
Rather than the Shadowless first edition version found in the base collection, were looking at the 2002 Shining Charizard that came with the Neo Destiny set.
The first offering to highlight Light Pokémon, which counterbalanced the more aggressive Dark Pokémon in gameplay, it was also the first issue to feature Shining cards with a design that presented only the Pokémon in foil material in the artwork.
The Charizard is one such example, finished in a muted silver foil that contrasts well with the rest of the card.
There are 222 PSA 10 copies according to the registry, but that hasnt stopped values from rising due to the popularity of the fire-breathing lizard.
Shining cards were originally inserted at a 300:1 rate.
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Ex Deoxys Gold Star Rayquaza Holographic
While first-generation Pokémon typically get all the hype, this Rayquaza card is basically just as rare as the most coveted first edition cards, with only 47 PSA 10-graded copies recorded in circulation. The mascot for 2004s Pokémon Emerald, mint condition copies of this powerful card have been sold for up to $44,400 .
As cute as he is expensive.
Shadowless Charizard With Psa 10 Gem Mint Rating: $311800
Charizard has always held a special place in Pokemon history and fans hearts. However, for card collectors and those who play the trading card game, this particular Charizard is important in two different ways. Firstly, it was a very high-powered card for play. If you had one of these in your deck and hand, it didnt guarantee a win, but it helped a lot. Considering the popularity of this high-powered card for playing with, thats unusual. Most copies of this card are weathered. Secondly, this Mitsuhiro Arita-designed Shadowless 1st Edition Holo Variant has a perfect ten in Gem Mint Rating. Not only is the card made by an exceptional and well-loved artist, but this specific copy is pristine. Resultantly, only a single copy sold for over three hundred thousand dollars to a collector on eBay. Over two and a half thousand were submitted for rating, and less than a hundred and fifty achieved a ten. As NintendoLife News puts it, in other words, its the rarest version of the card ever released, and in the best condition it could possibly be in.
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Selling Your Pokmon Cards
Now for the fun part: selling the cards and making money. Many of the strategies for selling Pokémon cards parallel the tricks for buying.
Search Engine Optimization
Suppose you learn the basics of each online marketplaces SEO guidelines. Use the right keywords, post a great thumbnail, and promote your listings in other ways. This way, your cards will get in front of more potential buyers.
High-quality Photos
As we already noted, high-quality photos encourage people to purchase a particular card. So its a no-brainer that youd take a wide variety of great images of each card.
Posting high-quality photos on your listing can increase the cards value because it ensures that your buyers trust you.
Sell Cards on Multiple Platforms
To sell more cards in a shorter period, it helps if you at least try posting your listings on a few different platforms. Find the right balance for you adding too many can be overwhelming.
You can even cross-post the same card on multiple sites and keep track of which help you bring in the highest profit.
Be Wary of Buyer Scams
Buyers scam sellers just as much as sellers can scam buyers. On top of that, platforms like Mercari take the buyers side in a dispute more often than not.
Lost Origin Rotom V Alternate Art Tcg Pokmon Card
Another beloved Sinnoh Pokémon making a splash in the Lost Origin TCG expansion is the popular Gen 4 Ghost-type Rotom. In Diamond and Pearl, the rare Pokémon is able to take on the form of various appliances such as a lawnmower and washing machine. The Ghost-type’s unique shape-shifting mechanic was even introduced into the TCG as a card variant in the Pokémon Platinum Rising Rivals expansion from 2009.
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In the Lost Origin TCG expansion, players can collect a gorgeous full artwork card that portrays the Sinnoh Ghost-type getting ready to change into one of its five forms. The Rotom V alternate-art card has been selling on average for $60 and has even been fetching $75 on online auction sites.
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No Rarity Holographic Venusaur Signed By Mitsuhiro Arita
A Japanese Pokémon card that has no rarity is the equivalent of a first edition card and, therefore, very rare and valuable. The Venusaur holographic example is one of only five PSA 10 Gem Mint rated cards, which already sets the standard high. However, this is elevated even more as this card also boasts the signature of Mitsuhiro Arita, the illustrator behind this depiction of Venusaur. Its a museum-quality piece and a one-off variation, so its a must-have addition to a serious Pokémon card collection.
Grade: PSA 10 Gem Mint
Pokemon Japanese Bandai Carddass Vending Prism Red Charizard
Sold in January, 2021 for $30,100
Founded in 1950, Bandai is a Japanese toy maker that produced a series of Pokemon cards in September 1996 that pre-dated the official launch of the Pokemon Trading Card Game that followed in October 1996.
To distribute the cards, Bandai utilized a network of vending machines, or carddass, as they called them.
There are hundreds of Bandai carddass Pokemon cards to collect, but the most desirable of them all is the prism Charizard.
In one of the earliest appearances of the iconic character, Charizard roars and breathes fire, creating an image that really pops.
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Pokemon World Championships Number 2 Trainer
Sold in February, 2021 for $110,000
From Friday, August 18 to Sunday, August 20, 2006, the best of the best battled at the World Championships held at the Hilton Anaheim hotel in Anaheim, California.
Contestants across three divisions competed feverishly to be one of the top 32 players from each division to advance to the finals on Sunday to crown a champion.
Those who finished in second place received this number 2 trainer card which features a fantastic image of Pikachu holding a silver cup trophy.
The official 2006 Pokemon World Championships logo rests in the bottom-right corner, adding a nice touch to an already impressive-looking card.
Pokemon Japanese Design Promo 4th Grade Winner Illusion’s Zoroark
- Pokemon cards value: $40,800
During a tie-in event for the Ruler of Illusions: Zoroark movie, these were given out to winners of an illustration contest. The six winners were all granted 100 copies of the card they designed, which means there are only 100 copies of this specific card in circulation, making it one of the rarest Pokemon cards ever made.
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St Edition Shadowless Blastoise
It might not be quite as popular as Charizard, but Blastoise comfortably beats out the likes of Venasaur and Chansey for the second spot when it comes to valuable base set cards. A mint condition copy of the card was sold for a little over $45,000 just last November, once again through a PWCC eBay auction.
It’s one of 100 copies of the card to have been given the GEM-MT 10 rating by the PSA making it one of the more common base set holographic cards in perfect condition. As with Charizard though, the relatively high population doesn’t seem to have impacted its value all too much most probably because so many of them are already in the hands of collectors.
The Most Valuable First Edition Pokmon Cards Of All
Its amazing to think that a set that is barely 20 years old will sell for millions if youre looking at a complete collection of pristine graded cards.
The original 1999 release is definitely the pinnacle for now, and they look unlikely to be beaten anytime soon.
There are a couple of decent options from 2000 onwards, but they just cant compete with the popularity of the original 151.
The Charizard was always the chase card, but its still insane to think that it could be bought for less than $10,000 back in 2016. What will the value be in 2026?
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Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Holographic Charizard
Despite being released in 2006, this shiny black Charizard has become an incredibly valuable Pokémon card. According to PSA, only 59 of these cards have been graded a perfect 10, and these mint condition copies have regularly sold for between $20,000 and $30,000 at auction.
This cards highest recorded sale to date took place on eBay for upwards of $60,000 in 2020. Impressively, this Delta Species Charizard competes in value for some of the rarest first edition Pokémon cards.
This chonky boy is worth some serious green.
Pokmon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind Trainer Card
The exclusive invite-only 1999 Tropical Mega Battle took place in Honolulu, Hawaii, with only 50 players making the cut. The Trainer card, which showcases Psyduck and Jigglypuff chilling in a hammock by the beach, was handed out as part of a set of cards. Promo cards like this are extra rare and expensive Pokémon because they were never available to the general public. Only three PSA 10 Gem Mint graded cards exist, so they dont go up for sale very often. The majority of the remaining population of cards are rated as PSA 9 or 8.
Grade: PSA 10 Gem Mint
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Japanese Tropical Mega Battle Promo Tropical Wind: $147633
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.
Lost Origin Tcg Galarian Perrserker V Alternate Art Card
For many kids getting into the Pokémon franchise in the 90s, Meowth was one of the Kanto region’s most recognizable monsters. The money-obsessed cat became a staple in the Pokémon anime as a member of the mischievous antagonist group Team Rocket. Decades after its debut, Meowth was given a brand new look as one of Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s Galarian form Pokémon. The Gen 1 favorite even got a new evolution, as Galarian Meowth evolves into a Perrserker.
The new Pokémon Sword and Shield evolution is also featured as a rare card in the Lost Origin TCG set and is one of the expansion’s most profitable collectibles. On online auction sites, the Galarian Perrserker V card regularly fetches around $30, but has also sold for as high as $44. Because it’s one of the Gen 8 sets few alternate-artwork collectibles, Perrserker is going to continue to be one of Lost Origin‘s most sought-after pieces.
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