Why Invest In Pokmon
Pokémon cards are the premier non-sports cards to invest in today. The original 1999-2000 sets have been on an upward trajectory for over 5 years, with 2020 being the mega increase, thus creating a cultural demand similar to the 1999 release.
High-End Pokémon cards are being viewed as modern art, with the price tag for a pristine 1st Edition Base Charizard currently at $433,000.00 and climbing if you can get one. Due to correlations to Magic the Gathering, the prices today could increase steadily over the next 5 years. Outside of the economy crashing, Pokémon would seem to be a safe play.
Demand for original cards has consistently increased since 2010, but due to awareness, and points mentioned previously, there has been a fearlessness from buyers to set records. All year, record sale after record sale for high-end Pokémon Cards. The fear of missing out on todays price is real.
The Prerelease Dark Raichu Card
The Prerelease Dark Raichu Card is one of the most valuable cards in the world. Given out to participants of special prerelease tournaments for the Team Rocket expansion back in 1999, this card features an error – instead of having the standard “Lightning Bolt” attack, it has the much more powerful “Rainbow Wave” attack.
As a result, there are only 34 known copies of this card in existence, and it is estimated to be worth around $15,000. Despite its high value, the card is not without its drawbacks – since it was never released commercially, it is not legal for use in official tournaments.
Nevertheless, for avid collectors and fans of the Pok& eacutemon franchise, the Prerelease Dark Raichu Card is a priceless piece of memorabilia.
Where To Value Your Pokemon Cards
The easiest way to get an estimate of the value of Pokemon cards is to see how much they are currently going for on the Pokemon TCG marketplace. Reliable websites include TCGPlayer.com and TrollandToad.com, which are also where collectors can put their cards up for sale should they choose to part ways with them. CardCavernTradingCards.com is a good place to sell both cards and the Pokemon TCG Live codes that come with booster packs and boxes. Collectors who discover they have a very valuable card should consider having it authenticated and graded by professionals. Most Pokemon card collectors turn to Professional Sports Authenticator , which authenticates cards and grades them before sealing them in a protective casing.
There will be plenty more opportunities for collectors to find more valuable Pokemon TCG cards. The Silver Tempestset launches this month, and it will be the last mainline set for Sword and Shield. In January, collectors can look forward to the Paldea Collection as well as Crown Zenith.
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Rarity Symbols On Pokmon Cards
All Pokémon cards have a symbol that indicates how uncommon they actually are. You can find it in the bottom right corner of the card. The three main rarity symbols are:
- Circles: This symbol means the card is ordinary.
- Diamonds: This symbol means the card is pretty uncommon.
- Stars: This symbol means the card is rare and more valuable.
If your cards collector number is higher than the actual number of cards in the deck, its probably a secret card, which means it will sell for more money.
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Pokmon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind
An ultra-rare promo card – one of only a dozen ever made
Sold for $65,100 in October 2020
Only 12 Tropical Wind cards were produced as promo cards for the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle, a precursor to the Pokémon World Championships, making it one of the most valuable Pokémon sets around.
The Tropical Mega Battle saw 50 players from around the globe take part in a tournament for the trading card game in Honolulu, Hawaii. The only way to participate was to win a battle in your local region and earn an invite, making it an exclusive event for the best Pokémon trainers in the world – and the cards offered as prizes some of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence.
This particular Tropical Mega Battle promo card, the 1999 Japanese-language copy of Tropical Wind, has sold at auction for as much as $65,100 in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition, with the most recent record-breaking sale taking place in October 2020. PSA estimates its value to be as high as $148,482, making the ultra-rare card a contender for one of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever made.
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Video Of Me 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 what your Pokemon cards are worth using mavin.io, you have several options:
If your Pokemon cards are worth a lot of money You could hold onto the cards and collect them, as most collectors do, and hope they appreciate in value over time. It may be a good investment to get them professionally graded by PSA, this will dramatically increase their value.
You could sell your Pokemon cards to a local card shop, knowing full well what theyre worth . Keep in mind dealers will buy them from you at wholesale prices they have to make a profit after all, and selling a large collection takes a considerable amount of time and resources so dont expect to get 100% of what youd get online.
Selling your Pokemon cards online will get you the highest prices, but it can be time consuming: taking pictures, writing descriptions, responding to customers, packing, shipping, returns its a lot of work. If you have the time and patience, selling them online is a great way to make money. Read our guide to selling on eBay.
The Holographic Dragonite Card
The Holographic Dragonite Card is one of the most valuable Pokemon cards in existence. Released in the Legendary Collection expansion, it is one of the first cards to feature the Pokemon Dragonite.
It is also holographic, which makes it quite valuable – there are thought to be around 200 copies in existence, making it slightly less rare than some of the other cards on this list. It is currently valued at $3,500.
While this may seem like a lot of money for a piece of cardboard, collectors and investors believe that the value of the card will continue to rise as time goes on. After all, there are only a limited number of copies in existence, and the demand for rare Pokemon cards shows no signs of slowing down.
For those lucky enough to own one of these elusive cards, the Holographic Dragonite Card is sure to be a treasured addition to any collection.
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Amazing App And Support Team
More people need to download this app. I cant tell you how many times Ive seen folks ask online how much a single card is worth. Whereas I have to value over 100s of cards in a single day! So of course, I needed something to make my life easier. And this app is so quick and easy to use, and Ive rarely encountered issues with it. Of course, the scanner isnt perfect but I noticed its getting much better with each release. And the few times I have noticed some bugs myself, I emailed their support team and they were super responsive and quick to jump on fixing the issues. I even suggested some new features and enhancements, which they said they liked and I appreciate the acknowledgment at least. You just dont see that kind of support from other apps. Anyways, I highly recommend any hardcore Pokémon card collector like myself to use this app. Itll save you so much time keeping track of your inventory and pricing. I personally collect Pokémon cards to complete master sets. And its hard to keep track of what you own . So instead of flipping through physical binders I can just use this app to confirm whether I have a card and how much its worth.
Look For Rare Cards At Local Stores
While rare cards can be found at many different types of stores, some places are more likely to have them than others. Small, independent shops are often a good bet, as they tend to have a close-knit community of customers who are passionate about card games.
These customers are more likely to sell off their rare cards when they’re finished with them, and the shopkeepers are usually happy to pass on these deals to other enthusiasts.
Large chain stores are also worth checking out, as they sometimes receive old collections from customers who are looking to declutter. However, you’ll likely face more competition from other bargain hunters at these types of stores.
No matter where you look for rare cards, remember to keep your eyes peeled and be prepared to strike when you find a good deal!
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What To Look For
Like books and other collectibles, first edition Pokémon cards are typically worth more than later edition Pokémon trading cards. The first edition symbol is found at center left of Basic Pokémon trading cards.
Errors on Pokémon cards are of interest to some collectors including spelling errors, formatting issues, misprints, or obvious mistakes. These cards are of interest to seasoned collectors.
Symbols on Pokémon trading cards, which stands for Pocket Monsters, impact Pokémon card values as they indicate information about game play and rarity of certain cards. At the bottom of a Pokémon card, there are symbols:
The diamond symbols are sought after when it comes to Pokémon trading cards. Star symbols, along with diamond symbols, demonstrate greater rarity than circle symbols. Star symbols come in various colors including the commonly seen black stars. While white stars are less common than black stars, it is the gold stars that are highly sought after and rare. The symbols are found at the bottom of the trading cards.
Also, at the bottom of Pokémon trading cards, at lower right, is a fraction number such as 10/102 which reveals the set from which a specific Pokémon card derives. Look for these numerical clues in order to find value in your Pokémon trading card collection.
Special Cards To Keep An Eye Out For
Aside from the various rares mentioned above, there are a few unique traits worth looking out for that can mean a Pokemon card has high value. These are often printing errors or limited distribution that led to a card becoming extremely precious to collectors. Sometimes these cards look no different than others of the same kind at first glance and require special attention to identify, so look carefully!
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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.
Find The Most Valuable Pokemon Cards At Breaking Bangers
With the game and anime both having such a large fanbase, it’s no wonder that some of these cards are worth so much. It just goes to show how big of an impact Pokemon has had on so many people over the years.
If you’re interested in finding the most valuable Pokemon cards available, you can find a variety of the most valuable trainer pokemon cards and other trading car products at Breaking Bangers.
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How To Spot Valuable Pokmon Cards
As with other printed collectibles, when an edition is limited, value rises. One-of-a-kind cards and limited-edition cards with small print runs are typically worth more than common Pokémon trading cards printed in large numbers.
Pokémon cards that were printed only for specific promotional activities, contests, and events are marked with a Promo symbol at center right. The symbol may be found, depending on the card, at the bottom corners too. This symbol makes a card more important to collectors. Some very valuable cards are both limited-edition cards which could have only been acquired by attending special events such as the First Pokémon Movie, by entering contests, participating in promotions, and from Pokémon tournament competition. These Pokémon cards have the promo symbol on them and the collecting community pay handsomely for these cards. A fine example is the Pokémon promo trading card featuring Pikachu which was only available to guests and viewers of the Pokémon movie. This card is marked Kids WB presents Pokémon The First Movie.
In addition to the traditional Pokémon trading cards, there are also new card types like those where a hologram image take up the entire surface of the trading card. Other rare cards include Pokémon EX, Pokémon GX, and Pokémon V/MAX cards.
The Pikachu Illustrator Card
The Pikachu Illustrator card is the rarest and most valuable Pokemon card in existence. Only 39 of these cards were ever made, and they were only given out to participants of certain Pokemon illustration contests.
In 2014, one of these cards was sold at an auction for $100,150 – making it the most valuable Pokemon card ever sold. The Pikachu Illustrator card is so valuable because it is incredibly rare and because it is a highly sought-after collector’s item.
Collectors will pay a premium for a card that is both rare and desirable, and the Pikachu Illustrator card fits that bill perfectly. If you’re lucky enough to own one of these cards, you can be sure that it is worth a small fortune.
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Attend Pokemon Card Auctions And Events
If you’re a serious Pokemon card collector, then you’ll need to start attending auctions and events. These are the best places to find rare and valuable cards, as they’ll be sold by other collectors and dealers.
To find out about upcoming events, you can search online or keep an eye out for advertisements in your local area. At an auction, you’ll have the opportunity to bid on cards that are being sold by other collectors.
This is a great way to find rare and valuable cards that you might not be able to find anywhere else. And at an event, you’ll be able to meet other collectors and dealers, as well as trade cards with them.
So if you’re looking to take your collection to the next level, then make sure to start attending auctions and events.
Slabs And Sealed Prices
There are a lot of things listed on eBay and can be confusing to use at first but if you get used to it its one of the best sources for finding prices of trading cards in general. This goes especially for graded cards and sealed packs or boxes. Just search what product youre looking to sell, select sold and see what that product has recently sold for. You can see this by sorting the results to ended recently at the top right. This doesnt give you an exact number but will show you roughly how much people are willing to pay for that product. You can list on the higher side if youre looking to get more out of it or list a lower price if youre just trying to get rid of it quickly.
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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.
Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind Promo
- Release Date: 1999
- Grading: PSA Gem Mint 10
- Pokemon card value at auction: $65,100
While not the most flashy Pokemon card on the list, the Tropical Mega Battle promo is an absolute holy grail for Psyduck fans. It doesnt get more adorable than seeing the Water-type mon playing the ukulele while chilling in a hammock with Jigglypuff.
Long before The Pokemon Company solidified the TCG competitive scene into the World Championships in 2004, one of Japans earlier iterations of the contest was known as the Tropical Mega Battle. In 1999, the tournament was held in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Only 50 players from various countries around the world were invited to compete against one another. Because various Trophy Pokemon cards were given out at the event, the Tropical Wind iteration is incredibly unique. The collectible resurfaced in a PWCC auction in October 2020 and sold for a mouth-watering $65,100.
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