Your old Pokemon cards could be worth up to £5,300 – we reveal the most valuable
IF you grew up in the nineties, you might have spent part of your childhood swapping Pokemon cards with your friends on the hunt for the most powerful characters. But it’s also possible to make money from them, as some of the cards are now fetching up to £5,300 on eBay. That’s a pretty decent […]
IF you grew up in the nineties, you might have spent part of your childhood swapping Pokemon cards with your friends on the hunt for the most powerful characters.
But it’s also possible to make money from them, as some of the cards are now fetching up to £5,300 on eBay.
That’s a pretty decent price considering Pokemon cards were worth about £3 to £4 per pack in the nineties.
So you might want to dust off your old collection, because you could be sitting on a golden treasure trove.
Of course, some cards are more valuable than others, as the highest sum ever paid for a single card was £43,450.
This was paid for the Pikachu Illustrator card, purchased at an auction in the US in 2016.
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 (hopefully) 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 (PSA) 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:
- Find out how much your card is worth to a collector by checking the same or similar Pokemon cards under “sold listings” on eBay.
- Compare your Pokemon card to other higher selling auctions and ask yourself if it’s in a similar condition.
- Look at things such as conditions, release date and whether or not it is still in its original packaging.
- If it’s in mint condition then it might be worth selling it through an auction house or directly to a collectables website. If it’s not, it’s probably worth sticking it on eBay for a moderate sum.
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.
Essentially, shadowless Pokemon cards were printed before a redesign that added a shadow on the right hand side of the card – these shadows look like the background of the image is coming out of the right-hand border.
It’s also important to check if your card has the first edition stamp as those sell for a lot more – there’s an example of a first edition stamp on the Blastoise card below.
Have you caught yourself a fortune? Below are some of the most valuable cards that have sold in the UK recently.
But fear not if you only have newer cards as you can still make money from the playground craze that continues to live on.
Ms Martin of Collectablesexpert.co.uk said: “You’re probably never going to lose money, although they’re not going to reach the dizzy heights like the old ones.
“Yet there are some cards that will give you more than you paid for the packet.”
1998 Holo Trophy Kangaskhan card – £5,302
The most expensive Pokemon card sold on eBay recently is this rare Japanese card, which was released during a tournament held in May 1998.
The trophy card was awarded to the winning parent and child team and is widely considered to be the “Holy Grail” of Pokemon card collecting, according to the eBay ad.
This card has been graded by the official Professional Sports Authenticator, which has certified millions of collectables.
It was given a pretty average grading of 6.5 out of 10 (the latter means it’s in mint condition), which could be explained by the fact that it’s a bit greasy, according to the seller.
The card sold for an eye-watering £5,302 earlier this month after attracting 49 bids.
Booster Shadowless Charizard Pokemon Card Holo – £4,100
Even back in the nineties a Charizard was a rare find – but it’s now one of the most coveted cards out there.
Charizard is one of the most sought after Pokemons, as he’s the toughest with the most power, Ms Martin said.
Several cards with the same character were among the most valuable ones on eBay, with the most expensive one selling for a whopping £4,100 after attracting 50 bids.
It’s also a so-called holo card – meaning it’s holographic – a range which is also very sought after among collectors.
You might not see it clearly in this picture as the older holographic cards aren’t as shiny as the newer ones.
Another Pokemon card featuring the same character sold for £2,558 in April. This was a first edition card and had a PSA rating of 8.
On this card you can clearly see the first edition stamp (on the left side of the card, beneath the Pokemon picture), making it one of the most sought by fans.
1998 Pokemon Kamex Mega Battle Trophy Card – £1,510
This card was given out to participants of the Kamex Mega Battle competition in Japan that ran from July to August in 1998.
It was made in limited numbers and attracted a whopping 45 bids on eBay in April.
The card came in a hard case sleeve, with the UK winner forking out a whopping £1,510 for it.
Booster Shadowless Clefairy Pokémon Card Holo – £1,020
The Clefairy Pokemon card was sold by an eBay user who decided to get rid of his or her collection that included a whopping 200 cards.
The card itself is in mint condition and over 20 years old, according to the ad.
It had not been used and didn’t come with a PSA grading, but this card alone still managed to sell for a high £1,020 in May. The auction attracted 26 bids.
Booster Shadowless Venusaur Pokémon Card Holo – £970
Venusaur is a squat, quadruped Pokemon with bumpy, blue-green skin and small, circular red eyes.
This holo card featuring the character is also a shadowless version, again very attractive for collectors on eBay.
It sold for £970 last month after it attracted 24 bids from sellers across the country.
Booster First Edition Shadowless Blastoise Pokemon Card Holo – £840
Last but not least, this first edition shadowless card sold for £840 in May by the same seller.
The card is also a holo version, and it has “a very thin print line” running through it, but is otherwise said to be flawless, according to the eBay ad.
Perhaps no surprise then that the card attracted the most bids of all of them at 67 in total.
More on money
If you were never into collection Pokemon cards, chances are some of your other toys could be also worth a tidy sum.
For example, My Little Pony, Barbie and Game Boy toys are selling for up to £1,200 on eBay.
Your childhood Toy Story memorabilia could also be worth up to £680 on the auction site.
Meanwhile, you could sell your vintage troll dolls for up to £200.
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