How To Make Money From Your Pokemon Cards
THE Sun asked collectables expert Tracy Martin for her best tips. Here’s what she said:
- Collect your holographic cards first: They’re the most value and there are three different types: some cards have just the Pokemon image holographic, there are some where the edges are holos, while some cards are holos as a whole.
- Sit on the cards for a while: It could be worth just holding on to the cards for ten years to see them increase in value.
- Keep them in mint condition: You can buy Pokemon books with sleeves that you can keep them in, so they don’t get damaged.
- Get them PSA rated: The Professional Sports Authenticator grades cards and verifies their authenticity, but you have to pay for its service. The PSA is an American organisation, but you can also get cards graded using services in the UK such as Ludkins Collectables and Vintage Trading Cards. Just make sure to double-check the prices in advance so you’re not spending more than your card might be worth.
If you want to sell your cards:
Originally, the card was a prize for winners of the CoroCoro Comic Illustration Contest, and it is thought there are now fewer than six in existence.
Other than that, the most valuable Pokemon cards come from 1999 to 2000.
They are known as “shadowless” Pokemon cards and are extremely collectible and highly sought-after, according to 21st century collectables expert, Tracy Martin.
She told The Sun the differences between shadowless cards and others are due to the design change in the cards.
Not Worth Much: Pikachu Xy Evolutions
A few years back, Pokémon decided to release a throwback set where they updated the stats of their first couple of sets. There were a few new cards too, particularly Mega Evolutions, and they had retro printings produced for them as well.
Pikachu received a reprint of the original Pikachu Pokémon card, but it wasnt worth much and hasnt risen much since then. You can still pick this one up now for about $.20.
Pikachu & His Copycat In The Trick Or Trade Booster Pack
Pikachu is one of the most valuable cards in the Trick or Trade Booster pack despite being a Common card. This is because the art for Pikachu is original to the set. With the added Pumpkin Pikachu stamp, the card is wholly unique and thus desirable for collectors.
However, Pikachus copycat Mimikyu is the most valuable card in the set, averaging at around $4 to $5 on eBay currently. Though it is a reprint, the art has never been featured as a Holo-Rare. With the strong ability Heal Jamming and the red Pikachu Pumpkin stamp too, the card has become the most valuable Pokémon TCGTrick or Trade BOOster pack cards.
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What Are My Pokemon 1st Edition Base Set Cards Worth
If you own any of the cards listed below, condition is the biggest factor in figuring out your Pokemon card value. The prices below illustrate what these cards are worth after grading in mint condition as PSA 9’s & 10’s.
Important to note: It is very unlikely that your cards will grade this high if they have been played with. If you have these cards laying around in less than mint condition, it still may be worth getting them graded as long as they are in pretty good shape.
Pokmon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Nidoking #11
A dual-type poison and ground Pokémon that is the evolved form of Nidoran, Nidoking is classed as a grass-type for the purposes of this card.
This means that it comes wrapped in the green background you would expect, although the foil is more reminiscent of a burning flame thanks to the orange and yellow that sparkles.
It might not have been the most popular Pokémon when it was originally released, but its one of the more valuable in the present day.
Just 90 have earned the elusive gem mint grade from PSA.
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Illustrator Corocoro Comics Promo
The most rare and expensive Pokémon card set a Guinness World Record when it sold for $5,275,000 to Logan Paul in 2022. Given to winners of the Pokémon Card Game Illustrator Artist Contest by the magazine CoroCoro Comics in the 1990s, there were less than 40 in existence, with only 24 still around today. The card now owned by Logan is the only one graded a PSA 10 . Features of this card that make it unique include the word Illustrator along the top rather than Trainer. It also has a pen symbol and double rarity stars in the bottom right-hand corner. Finally, Atsuko Nishida, the original graphic designer who created Pikachu, also designed the artwork for this card.
Grade: PSA 10 Gem Mint
Pokemon World Championship Master Key Trophy Card
Sold in August, 2020 for $26,900
The Pokémon World Championships are where the best of the best meet each year to battle it out for money, prizes, and the title of Pokémon World Champion.
Players who earn enough points in qualifiers and smaller tournaments receive a special invitation to compete in the three-day event held in rotating locations.
The first tournament kicked off in 2004 in Orlando, Florida, but in 2010 the competition made its way to the Hilton in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii.
Just thirty-six contestants participated in the 2010 event and each received a copy of this beautiful foil card in a special case.
With so few of them ever produced, they are among the rarest Pokemon cards, and command huge prices if and when they do surface for sale or auction.
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/10 Chilling Reign: Snorlax
Kicking off the list is one of Chilling Reign’s golden secret rares, Snorlax. Snorlax is an incredibly popular Pokemon, but that doesn’t quite explain how this card is so sought-after. This is the only golden secret rare not just on this list, but in the top 25 most valuable cards released in 2021. The next golden secret rare is the shiny Mew from Celebrations, at almost half the price and in 26th place.
Pokemon Japanese Promo Family Event Holo Kangaskhan Trophy Card
Sold in October, 2020 for $150,100
Another holy-grail trophy card, the 1998 Japanese Promo Kangaskhan Family Event card, continues to be one of the rarest and most desirable of all Pokemon cards.
This card is especially interesting compared to other trophy cards because teams consisting of a parent and child battled each other to obtain it, which was an admirable effort to build family bonding.
Fittingly, the tournament organizers chose none other than Kangaskhan, a kangaroo-like Pokemon with a baby Kangaskhan in her pouch, as the trophy card mascot.
Just 47 examples have made their way across PSA’s grading table, with eleven assessed in PSA 10 condition.
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Pokmon Game 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Alakazam #1
The psychic-type Alakazam is next up, thanks to a great card found in the original 1999 release.
As you might expect, its another holo shadowless 1st edition card, ticking all of the boxes for serious collectors.
Alakazam might seem weak by modern standards, but he was a fearsome prospect in the original TGC. The evolution of evolution, you would start with Abra, followed by Kadabra.
Once again, there are fewer than 100 PSA 10 copies on the registry, with 88 graded at the last count.
A Brief History Of The Pokmon Trading Card Game
Launched in October 1996, the Pokémon Trading Card Game became one of the most successful spin-off products of the entire Pokémon franchise. Just like the games, players assume the role of a Pokémon trainer, but TCG had kids fulfilling their fantasy of battling each other long before the games had any multiplayer features.
To date, TCG has sold over 30 billion cards worldwide and has been constantly expanded with new cards since its release. Besides the game itself, collecting has become a popular hobby, with certain cards becoming insanely valuable.
With several high-profile sales making headlines, more and more people are digging up their old binders, desperate to find buried treasure. The TCG collecting community is now more active than ever, with no signs of slowing down.
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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.
Tamamushi University Magikarp: $66100
Produced as a promotion for magazine publisher Shogakukan’s Celadon University campaign, this Magikarp card was awarded to those who successfully became “Pokemon Professors”. By mailing in the Entrance Test, Professor Test, Super Professor Test, and Hyper Professor Test , 1000 Magikarps were up for grabs.
Though so many were printed, only 91 have been identified by the PSA so far. PSA 10-graded cards fetch a much higher price than any other condition, getting $66,100 at auction.
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Identify The Card With The Name And Number In The Set
Finally, identify the card by looking up its name and card number on eBay.
The name will be located above the illustration of the card and the number is on the bottom right of the card. After checking all three of these steps, you should easily be able to identify every card, even if you dont know exactly what set it is in.
Pokmon Trophy Card Neo Summer Battle Road Number 2 Trainer
Fukunishi Tomoki was the 2nd place Junior Division winner of the Kanto region tournament of the 2002 Neo Summer Battle Road. As such, he received this Number 2 Trainer card, which was the last year that displayed both the region and winners name, making this an extra unique piece of history. It also has artwork from Pokémon legend Ken Sugimori. Being a trophy card, there was only ever a minimal number given out, so its surprising that such a one-of-a-kind example ended up for auction in 2021, achieving an extraordinary price of $34,100.
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Best Original Pokemon Cards Worth Collecting
With the popularity of the Pokémon Trading Card Game at an all-time high, fans are snapping up original Pokémon cards for big money:
And it isnt only rare treasures that are valuable, many original Pokémon cards that may have been gathering dust in your garage could be worth having graded today.
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There are numerous Pokémon available and an equal number of Pokémon Trading Cards, ranging from basic Pidgeys to rare and priceless legendary cards. And valuable is an accurate description, with roughly eight tonnes of counterfeit cards seized in China recently in short, Pokémon cards are a huge business.
These are the Pokémon cards worth collecting and specifically holding on to:
Most Expensive Pokemon Cards In 2022
It should be noted that top lists are almost always up for debate. A cards value can be determined by the highest its ever sold at auction, or what it sells for on average.
A Pokemon cards value can also wildly fluctuate with the market and are largely dependent on the items grading and condition. Our list is based on what the collectible has sold for in the latest auctions, and its position will be updated if another card outsells it and makes a new record.
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Ex Deoxys Gold Star Holo Rayquaza
Next up lets discuss a very special card from the Ruby & Sapphire era.
Backstory
As Pokemon generations evolve, iconic characters make their way to the forefront of the TCG, with their chase cards exploding in value over time.
This is very much the case for the Gold Star Rayquaza from EX Deoxys.
With gold star cards rumoured to have a pull rate of just one-in-two boxes, and there being two other gold star cards in the Deoxys set , in theory the pull rates of Rayquaza were 1 in 6 boxes.
If you think that isnt too bad for such a valuable card, remember, were talking about Pokemon in 2005 here, where demand had waned, and print runs were a lot less substantial.
In the years that have passed, only 643 cards have made their way to PSA and with sealed booster boxes fetch up to $60k .
This number probably isnt going to be changing a lot, even with vintage booster packs being opened on YouTube more and more these days!
What Makes The 2017 Tsunekazu Ishihara So Rare
The fact that only staff were given this card, means its extremely scarce and not many copies exist. But to stack a further level of rarity on top, a card signed by the man himself sold at auction for a whopping $247,230 incredibly, it was only a PSA 7 as well!
Recent Sales
- PSA 7 Autographed $237,230
- PSA 10 $100,000
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Summer Battle Road Mew Victory Orb Trophy
- Release Date: 1999
- Grading: PSA Gem Mint 10
- Pokemon card value at auction: $60,000
The second tournament Trophy Pokemon card on the list, the Mew Victory Orb Trophy was given out during the 1998 Summer Battle Road competition. Spanning nine regions across Japan, only the top three Trainers in each bracket scored the rare Pokemon card.
According to PSA, only 16 of them have been given the coveted Gem Mint 10 score. One of these pristine collectibles popped up at a PWCC auction in December 2020 and ended with 51 bids for a final price of $60,000. It even came with the original plaque handed out at the finals.
As we dive deeper into this list, prepare to see more of these trophy Pokemon cards dominating the top spot. Since they were awarded at tournaments, they are intricately more scarce population-wise, and thus more valuable.
First Edition No Rarity Poliwrath
You might be surprised to know that some of the rarest Pokémon cards arent rare at all . The first printed sets of Japanese base set cards dont feature any rarity symbol like their English-language counterparts and are some of the most expensive Pokémon cards on the market.
This no rarity Poliwrath is extremely rare, with only three known to exist with a perfect PSA 10 rating, one of which sold for over $25,000 in late 2020. Even near-mint PSA 9 copies will sell for around $2000 on average.
Get used to seeing this mug! Rare Charizard cards are the ultimate flex for collectors.
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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:
For example Dragonite 52/108 foil
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Japanese Promo Master’s Scroll Daisuki Club 8600 Points
Sold in March 2021, for $35,200
This holographic Master’s Scroll card is one of several item cards that were part of the L-P Promotional cards released between September 2009 and August 2010.
Once a player accumulated 8,600 action points, he or she would earn the Master Rank distinction and a prize in the form of this Master’s Scroll card.
Given the difficulty of acquiring such a massive amount of action points, not many members ever received one of these cards, making it one of the rarest promotional Pokemon cards in the hobby.
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Pokmon Blastoise #009/165r Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Hologram
A two-of-a-kind card that suddenly became one of the most valuable Pokémon cards of all time
Sold for $360,000 in January 2021
One of only two such Pokémon cards in existence – making it extremely rare – this Blastoise suddenly became one of the most valuable Pokémon cards of all time after it sold at auction in January 2021 for a whopping $360,000 .
The ultra-rare Pokémon card was created in 1998 as a presentation piece by Magic: The Gathering maker Wizards of the Coast to convince Nintendo of Japan executives to allow it to handle the TCGs English-language release. The game would eventually make its international debut one year later in 1999.
While two Blastoise Presentation cards were produced, this is the only one that has been seen publicly. Even more impressively, it has been graded at a NM/Mint+ 8.5 level by certification website CGC, meaning that the 20-plus-year-old card is in near-perfect condition. The location and state of the other Presentation card remains unknown – meaning that this may well be the only such card of its type left.
St Edition Charizard Holographic Sgc Gold Label Pristine 10
This particular Charizard is a shadowless holographic first edition card. Super early cards didnt have drop shadows behind art or text, and this tiny difference catapulted them in rarity and price. Plus its Charizard, a cool dragon everyone loves. Charizard cards have become extremely popular in recent years, with folks like retired rapper Logic and famous-for-some-reason-influencer Logan Paul both getting in on the beloved dragon action. Paul even wore a super-rare Charizard around his neck into his fight with Floyd Mayweather.
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