Do you have old Pokémon cards lying around at the bottom of your drawers? Check the price of these childhood memories on the second-hand market: collectors could give you thousands of euros for them!
Pokémon is one of the major pop culture phenomena of the last thirty years and has been an integral part of our childhood, whatever our generation. The franchise is available in multiple versions, and even on innumerable media: video games, of course, but also an animated series, films, mangas, not to mention collectible cards, which are sold for extremely high prices. ‘gold. Indeed, some are highly sought after by collectors, who do not hesitate to spend crazy sums to obtain them on the second-hand market, or even at auction.
The most expensive Pokémon card in the world is the PSA 10 grade Pikachu Illustrator. It was purchased for $5,275,000, or €4,477,146, by YouTuber Logan Paul in July 2021. This is a card Japanese from a special collection, which was won in a Pokémon competition, so it could not be purchased in stores. In other words, there is only one in the world! Among the most expensive cards, we can also cite the Charizard 1st Edition Base Set (Shadowless), the Kangaskhan Family Event Trophy Card ($150,000), the PSA 9 grade Pikachu Illustrator ($420,000) and others, the card Charizard first edition from 1998 ($420,000)…
Pokémon card prices vary based on several factors, such as rarity, mint condition, market demand, etc. The condition of the card is the first determining factor. A new card is still in its original packaging or may have been opened, but without any signs of wear. A card is considered to be in good condition if it has only some signs of wear or small scratches. A card is average when the corners appear slightly bent, the color is no longer the same as new, and there are pronounced signs of wear – but it is still fine. Finally, it is judged as worn or damaged if it is torn, folded, missing pieces or too discolored. It then no longer has any value. Attention ! If you find a pack of cards still wrapped, do not open it! Boosters that are still sealed sell for a high price, and even if you are curious, don’t take the risk of opening them given the low probability of getting a rare card out of them. In most cases, an old, unopened booster pack sells better than individual cards.
To estimate the price of your Pokémon cards, start by estimating their rarity. The rarer a card, the higher its price. To do this, look at the symbol displayed at the bottom right of your card: a circle means that you have a common card, a diamond an uncommon card, a star a rare card, and three stars a special or extra rare card. Then take an interest to the serial number. This is located at the bottom right of the Pokémon card. It refers to the positioning of the card in the collection to which it belongs. For example, if you see 3/36 listed, you know your card is the third in a set of 36 cards. Sometimes some cards display a number larger than the total number of prints – 89/86 for example. These cards are in fact hidden cards which are extremely rare and can be worth several hundred euros! It’s the jackpot! Likewise, if the letters “SH” are written before the serial number, this means that your Pokémon card is a special card. Finally, we recommend putting aside holographic cards – they differ in their shiny appearance. Although they are not necessarily rare, collectors like some of their particularities. If, in addition, the card is rare – with at least one star – then its price will skyrocket.
If, after all these steps, you believe that your Pokémon card is worth a small amount, have it authenticated. There are companies specializing in the authentication of rare or luxury objects, which gives them even more value. There are also several sites for comparing and estimating the value of Pokémon cards. Once that’s done, go to a second-hand resale site like eBay or Leboncoin. There are also sites specializing in the sale of Pokémon cards, such as Card Market. Your money!