1st edition machamp card value -
Contents
These are some of the rarest, most expensive Charizard Pokémon cards ever bought…
In this article we’re going to look at some incredible Charizard Pokémon card purchases from this past year.
These cards went for eye-watering figures, to new owners with seriously deep pockets.
We’ll discuss why the cards are so valuable, digging into their PSA population reports and other interesting factors that contribute to their rarity.
Let’s get into it…!
1. 1999 1st Edition Holographic Base Set Charizard
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $311,800
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The 1st Edition Base Set Charizard So Valuable?
Let’s start with the holy grail of Pokemon cards, the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard. This is where it all began folks. With recent sales of PSA 10 variants topping $300k, what we’d all give for a time machine now huh?! Even just five years ago, these were selling for around $10k. At the time, that seemed crazy money, but it looks like chump change now right?!
Anyway, missed opportunities aside, the iconic design has the power to teleport any big kid back to their childhood in a flash. It’s the ultimate nostalgic Charizard Pokémon card and any lucky owner should be proud to have it in their collection.
1999 1st Edition Base Set Charizard PSA Population Report
2. 1996 Japanese Base Set Charizard (No Rarity Symbol)
PSA 9 Recently Sold for $57,877
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The Japanese No Rarity Symbol Charizard So Valuable?
Collectors go mad for misprint or error cards. And for our next Charizard card, we have to take our time machine all the way back to 1996. ‘No Rarity Symbol’ cards from the Japanese Base Set are widely considered the equivalent of the English 1st Edition. These cards are from the very first print run, and as the same suggests, they didn’t have a rarity symbol in the bottom right corner.
Although there’s little documentation of when rarity symbols were introduced to the Japanese Base Set, it wasn’t particularly long after ‘no rarity cards’ were released. As such, they’re incredibly rare and valuable. Combine that scarcity with our main man Charizard, and only 6 PSA 10’s in existence, it’s no wonder this is one of the most expensive Charizard’s one could ever wish to acquire.
1996 Japanese No Rarity Symbol Charizard PSA Population Report
3. 1999 Shadowless Base Set Charizard
SGC 10 Recently Sold for $31,211
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The Shadowless Charizard So Valuable?
As you may know, after 1st Edition, and before the Unlimited Base Set print run came Shadowless Pokemon cards. Although not quite as valuable as 1st Edition, because Shadowless cards were only printed for a short time, they are highly sought after too.
Interestingly, at the time of writing, only 54 copies of the Shadowless Charizard exist in a PSA 10, compared to 120 in 1st Edition. As you would expect, this makes them incredibly valuable and a wonderful investment piece for any collector.
1999 Shadowless Charizard PSA Population Report
4. 2003 Skyridge Holographic Crystal Charizard
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $25,100
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The Skyridge Holographic Crystal Charizard So Valuable?
Next up we have an extremely unique and much sought-after card. The ‘Crystal Charizard’ from Skyridge, is different to its predecessors because of its colour, design and artwork. Featured a cartoon-esq drawing that almost pops off the card, we’re also treated to a pale background and eye-catching crystal holographic area.
Released in 2003, Skyridge was a good four years beyond the initial Pokemon boom, and one of the last few WOTC area sets to come out. As such, sealed product is incredibly hard to find, and mighty expensive if you do. Needless to say, this ultimate chase card now costs a lot of money, with recent eBay listings advertised north of £20k.
2003 Skyridge Holographic Crystal Charizard PSA Population Report
5. 1995 Japanese Topsun Holographic Prism Charizard
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $25,000
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The Japanese Topsun Holographic Prism Charizard So Valuable?
Now for something so rare, it’s hard to even price!
Interestingly, Japanese Topsun Pokemon cards (which came out in 1997… 1995 is when they were trademarked) came in packs with chewing gum. There were two sticks of gum, and two cards per pack. Out of the 150 cards, 16 were ‘Prism’ cards, which is the holofoil design you see above.
Unlike early WOTC boosters where the chance of pulling a holo version were 1 in 3, the chances of getting a prism card in Topsun packs were only 1 in 40!!! Now we begin to understand just how rare the Charizard is, especially in a PSA 10! In fact, only 18 of them exist, and I doubt that number will ever change. At the time of writing, there’s a PSA 9 on eBay for over £13k.
1995 Japanese Topsun Holographic Prism Charizard PSA Population Report
6. 2002 1st Edition Neo Destiny Shining Charizard
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $20,250
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The 1st Edition Neo Destiny Shining Charizard So Valuable?
This Charizard Pokémon card is special for several reasons. Firstly, this is the first time WOTC introduced the ‘shining’ design to their holographic cards, making the design totally unique. Next, the Neo sets were the last time they printed first edition cards. It’s a little stamp, but it makes he huge difference in terms of value. And lastly, there’s only 201 PSA 10’s in existence. All of these factors combined make the 1st Edition Neo Destiny Shining Charizard a hugely sought-after piece for high-end collectors.
2002 1st Edition Neo Destiny Shining Charizard PSA Population Report
7. 1999 Unlimited Base Set Charizard
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $14,100
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The Unlimited Base Set Charizard So Valuable?
It’s hard to create a list of the most valuable Charizard cards, and not include every variant of Base Set! So of course, we must include the Unlimited Base Set Charizard.
Widely considered as the most graded card in Pokemon history, it’s not the PSA population that drive its value, it’s the sheer nostalgia. This is the card that every kid wanted, and many were lucky to have in ’99.
Being able to own one again is something many collectors truly value, and as such, continues to drive prices higher and higher. Even PSA 9s (where there are now over 5k graded) fetch several thousand pounds on eBay. It’s the price we pay to relive our childhood I guess 🙂
1999 Unlimited Base Set Charizard PSA Population Report
8. 2000 1st Edition Team Rocket Holographic Dark Charizard
PSA 10 Recently Sold for $7000.01
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The 1st Edition Holographic Dark Charizard So Valuable?
Shortly after the release of Base Set, we had Jungle, then Fossil. Base Set 2 was was met with disappoint among fans hoping for something new. Thankfully, the 2000 Team Rocket set hit a home run, with edgier artwork and the introduction of ‘Dark Pokemon’.
The 1st Edition Dark Charizard is an iconic card. It’s the first time we’d seen something a bit different from Mitsuhiro Arita’s OG design. This time Ken Sugimori opted for devilish looking Charizard that almost looks like he’s considering whether to attack, or fly off into the night sky. The more you look at it, the more you’re immersed into the scene. It really is clever artwork and widely appreciated among fans.
Because of its popularity, there’s a decent number of PSA 10s out there, but still, there are 3x as many PSA 9s.
For many, myself included, Team Rocket is one of the best vintage Pokemon sets, and as such, Dark Charizard will always be a highly valuable and desired card.
2000 1st Edition Team Rocket Holographic Dark Charizard PSA Population Report
9. 2002 Legendary Collection Reverse Holographic Charizard
PSA 10 Recently Sold for €6500
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The Legendary Collection Reverse Holo Charizard So Valuable?
Next up we have a card that divides options; the reverse holographic Charizard from 2002’s Legendary Collection. Some people love the ‘fireworks’ reverse holo background, others think it’s all too in-your-face. Personally, I love it. It’s one of my favourite cards!
Interestingly though, what makes it so valuable, aside from the iconic Charizard artwork, is how difficult it is to grade in a PSA 10. As you can see below, only 75 exist. This is because there’s an extra level of complexity when grading this card, as the large holographic area was often susceptible to print lines. Combine that with possible edgewear, corner nicks and scratches, it’s no surprise there’s some a low population of PSA 10’s.
1999 Shadowless Charizard PSA Population Report
10. 1997 Pocket Monsters Carddass Vending Machine Prism Charizard
PSA 9 Recently Sold for $1227
[Source]
Check current eBay listings here!
What Makes The Pocket Monsters Carddass Prism Charizard So Valuable?
Propping up our list is a very interesting Charizard card.
Produced by Bandai in ’96 and ’97, these ‘Pocket Monster’ cards were distributed through vending machines in Japan. Costing 100 Yen for 5 cards, or 20 for individual cards, we get a fascinating insight into what life might have been like for Japanese kids during Pokemon’s early years.
Slightly similar to the Topsun card above, the rarest cards had a prism holofoil background. However, as we can see, the design is much more symmetrical.
With only 58 PSA 10s in existence, the value of the Carddass Prism Charizard isn’t driven so much by nostalgia, instead it’s more about owning a piece of Pokemon history from the place it all began.
1997 Pocket Monsters Carddass Prism Charizard PSA Population Report
Charizard Pokémon Card FAQ
Why is Charizard so Expensive?
Charizard has a special place in the hearts of collectors. Whether you were trying to complete the video games, show off your card collection to your friends, or routing for Ash to become the world’s greatest Pokemon master on TV, you knew that with a Charizard it was possible. To this day, this fire-breathing dragon is a symbol of strength, power and prestige and people will happily pay to acquire him. This is why Charizard Pokémon cards are so expensive and sought-after.
Are Charizard’s worth collecting?
When it comes to Pokemon cards, my motto is ‘collect what you love’. If you’re not a big fan of the character (or the price tags), then I’d recommend against going down this path. If however, you like the character, enjoy the artworks and potentially want something as an investment piece too, then collecting Charizard cards is worth it. Just remember though, card rarity and condition is very important in terms of value. Get clued up before investing heavily.
How can you tell if a Charizard card is rare?
Great question! This is exactly the kind of assessment you should be making before investing in a Charizard card. Generally speaking, older Charizard cards (1995-2003) are rare and valuable as they are many years out of print. However, card condition plays a massive role. Grading companies help with this by assessing the state of the card out of 10. The better the condition, the rarer the card. They also have ‘population reports’ which tell you how many cards have achieved a particular grade (example here). Again, this is really useful for understanding how rare a Charizard card is. For more information about grading see here.
Wrapping Up – Where Do We Go From Here?!
So there you have it!
The rarest, most expensive Charizard Pokémon card purchases from this past year.
As market prices begin to correct themselves, we’ve seen concerning drops in some of the cards above.
I’ll be the first to admit I probably overpaid for a few cards in 2020!
But if you take a long-term view on Pokemon card investing like I do, it’s not the end of the world.
Am I confident prices will one day reach these heights again? Sure am!
If your strategy was a quick pick-and-flip, then it probably needs a rethink.
Ultimately though, there’s nothing wrong with picking up the cards you love, and growing your collection.
Here are some cool Charizard Pokemon cards I added to my collection in 2020 (some purchases, some self-graded).
Last updated November 25, 2021
A Guide to Collecting Valuable Pokémon Promo Cards
I love to share my experiences and passion for the things I love. Collecting valuable Pokémon cards is one of my many interests.
Which Pokémon Cards Are the Most Valuable?
Regardless of what you believe or what a price guide may say, your Pokémon card is only worth what others are willing to pay for it. As with most collectibles, there are two parts to the value of them: rarity and desirability.
In October 2019 a rare Pokémon card sold for $195,000 (more about that card later in this article).
How to Tell How Valuble Your Pokémon Card Really Is
What Makes a Collectable Valuable?
The value of collectible items depending on how many of the items there are and the number of people that desire to acquire it.
A collectible item that is too easy to obtain rarely has the value that an item that is difficult to obtain may have.
Items that are too rare may not have enough people that desire it to create a competitive market and the item may not be as valuable as it may have been in the past.
How to Determine the Value of a Pokémon Card
The value of any specific Pokémon card may fluctuate depending on the number of people there are that desire to obtain it. Fortunately, it's much easier to determine the value of a collectible item than it once was thanks to the internet.
There are several places to do research to find out the value of a Pokémon card:
Graded Pokémon Cards Usually Sell for Much More
The condition of a Pokémon card has a huge impact on the cards' value.
Having your Pokémon card professionally graded helps others know the true condition of a Pokémon Card.
The two companies, most recognized that grade Pokémon cards are PSA & Beckett.
eBay
eBay is a great place to get a good idea of what a collectible item is worth. Doing a search on eBay will first bring up a lot of inflated prices in the results.
These are sellers that are hoping to sell a Pokémon card for as much as possible, often for much more than the card is actually worth.
In order to tell what a specific Pokémon card has sold for, look for the heading "Show Only" on the left side of the screen. From there you can click on "Sold Items".
This will show only Pokémon cards that actually sold. Most of the time you can see exactly what the cards have sold for in the past. Occasionally you may see a line through the sold price. This happens when the seller accepts an offer from a buyer that is lower than the asking price.
While you are doing pricing research, it's a good idea to look closely at the cards that sold for the highest amount if you want to sell your Pokémon card in the future.
Look closely at the search terms used in the title of the auction listing. Take note of the information given in the body of the listing as well.
Look at the quality of and the number of photographs that were used in the listing. Buyers may be reluctant to purchase an item if the photographs are fuzzy or unclear.
Amazon
Amazon is another great place to look to see what a Pokémon is selling for. Because it's not an auction format you can only see what sellers are asking for and not they may have actually sold for in the past.
Local Game & Card Stores
Local card stores are another resource you can use to help determine the value of your Pokémon cards.
Remember however that the cards being sold at local stores are most often sold at full retail prices and you may not be able to get as much if you sell them yourself.
Professional Appraisal
If you've done some research and you believe your card may be of exceptionally high value you may wish to get a professional appraisal on your card.
What's the Most Valuable Promo Card Ever Sold at Auction?
One of the most valuable Pokémon promo cards ever produced was the Pikachu Illustrator promo card. This promo is the rarest with only 39 copies ever printed.
This highly sought after promo card was awarded to the winners of the Pokémon Card Game Illustration Contest held in Japan in 1997.
According to an article written by Sean Keane a staff reporter for c/net, this rare pokemon card sold for a whopping $195,000 in October of 2019. The buyer actually paid $224,500 after paying a 15% buyer's premium to the auction house Weiss Auctions.
Single Cards Not Just Listed But Actually Sold on eBay for Over $2000
| Pokemon Promo Card | Sold For | Sold Date |
|---|---|---|
Torchic Holo Card And Toy | $10,000.00 | Apr 02, 2014 |
Pokemon Dark Dragonite 1st Edition Error Card 5/82 Near Mint/Mint Condition | $9,999.00 | Jun 05, 2013 |
Faded Marowak Error | $8,000.00 | Oct 03, 2013 |
POKEMON TROPICAL MEGA BATTLE PRIZE CARD THE ORIGINAL ONE IN PSA 10 CONDITION | $8,000.00 | Nov 12, 2012 |
POKEMON PSA 8 NM-MINT 2016 CHAMPIONS FESTIVAL FINALIST STAMP WORLD CARD PIKACHU | $7,500.00 | Nov 10, 2019 |
PSA 10 MISPRINT Shadowless First 1st Edition Dragonair Rare Pokemon Card Mint! | $4,000.00 | Apr 27, 2014 |
1st Edition Shadowless Charizard 4/102 Pokemon Card PSA 10 MINT HOLY GRAIL!!! | $3,650.99 | Apr 13, 2014 |
1999 Pokemon Game 1st Edition #4 Charizard Holo PSA 10 GEM MINT | $3,350.00 | Sep 28, 2014 |
PSA 10 Ken Sugimori Charizard Signed Autographed Pokemon Card Auto Holo Promo | $3,200.00 | Nov 18, 2019 |
1999 Pokemon Game 1st Edition #4 Charizard Holo PSA 10 GEM MINT | $3,050.00 | Jul 10, 2014 |
Pokemon Card Gold Star PSA 10 GEM MINT ESPEON (POP 5) Rare | $3,000.00 | Jun 22, 2014 |
PSA 10 1st Edition CHARIZARD Base Set Holo Shadowless Pokemon #4/102 Gem Mint | $2,800.00 | Nov 07, 2012 |
POKEMON CARD " THICK " CHARIZARD HOLO 1ST EDITION * REAL PSA 10 | $2,300.00 | Oct 09, 2012 |
Types of Collectible Pokémon Cards
A fun and inexpensive way to start your collection is to choose a character and see how many cards you can collect that feature that character. If you desire to collect cards that have the best chance to increase in value over time there are five basic types that are normally considered the most valuable:
- Holofoil
- Secret
- 1st Edition
- Error
- Promo
1. Holofoil
Holofoils are found in the mass-produced sets and booster packs. The booster packs are sold with 11 each. Each card in the pack varies in its rarity and there should be one that is rarer than all the others. Approximately 1/3 of these rares are Holofoil.
Because these come from mass-produced sets, they are not as rare as some others and are usually considered the least valuable of the collectibles.
2. Secret
Secret are numbered higher than the number of cards that are available in the set. For example, a secret is numbered 103/102. These are very limited in number and are usually Holofoil. Secrets first appeared in the Team Rocket set with the addition of the Dark Raichu card number 83/82. Secrets are only found in booster packs. Each booster box contains 36 booster packs. There is an average of one or two secrets per box depending on the set or series.
3. First Edition
These are the very first cards sold for each set. These have a special symbol on them showing it is a first edition. Because there is only a limited number of these made, they are usually much more valuable than their unlimited counterpart.
4. Error
Sometimes cards that have mistakes on them are produced and sold to the public before the factory realizes and corrects the mistake. These are known as errors.
Errors often have spelling errors, errors in the graphics, or incorrect or missing portions. Due to the limited number that is released to the public, these are often highly sought after and are highly collectible.
In the case of the Japanese Ancient Mew I card, the corrected version and not the error card is more valuable because there were far fewer corrected versions released compared to the error card.
5. Promo
Promos are created for a specific event. These vary in their rarity depending on the event or purpose of the card. Promos were never sold but were given away at special events or as part of a packaged product. Some of those events include movies, product releases at toy stores, tournaments, inserts in magazines, airline giveaways, inserts in CDs, and other products.
In rare cases, there are different Japanese versions of the same promo released. For example, the Japanese Ancient Mew Card had three different versions. The first one, known as the Japanese Ancient Mew I Error, contained a spelling error. The second was a corrected version of the Ancient Mew I card. It is far rarer than is the Ancient Mew Error I card. The third version is known as the Japanese Ancient Mew II Promo.
There was also an English version released in both North America and Internationally as a promotion for the movie "Pokemon: The Movie 2000". While this card is similar in appearance to the Japanese Ancient Mew II cards they are the least valuable of all the Mew Promo cards.
Gold Foil Stamp Promo
Sometimes you will find cards with gold foil stamps on them. These are promos that were included in magazines or special events.
Some of the more valuable gold foil promos you may wish to collect are:
- 1999 "E3" Pikachu (red cheek)
- 1999 "E3" Pikachu (yellow cheek)
- 1999 "W" Pikachu (1st Edition)
- 1999 "Gold Bordered" Meowth
- 1999 "PRERELEASE" Clefable
Types of Promos
Promos are relatively easy to get when they are first released and usually increase in value over time because they have such a limited production time and supply. The following is a list of a few of the Promo types:
- Black Star Promo
- White Star Promo
- Double White Star Promo
- Gray Star Promo
- Coro Coro Comic Promo
- Pokémon Public Fan Club Promo
- Play Mat giveaway Promo
- Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament Promo
- JR Train Rally Promo
- Toyota Campaign Promo
- Nintendo 64 Campaign Promo
- Pokémon Movie Promo
- Trade Please Campaign Promo
- Nippon Airlines Promo
- Pokémon Song Best Collection CD Promo
- Tropical Mega Battle Promo
Special Promo Sets
Sometimes promos are released in sets. Such as:
- the 9 card NEO Promo Set
- the Pokémon Best of CD Collection Promo Set
- the Japanese Southern Islands 3 Card Promo Pack
Rarest Promos
Here are some of the rarest and most valuable Promos:
- Pokémon Illustrator: Given to children during a drawing contest in Japan. Said to be worth $10,000 to $20,000! Recently selling on eBay for $100,000.
- Tropical Mega Battle: Given as prizes in a Pocket Monsters tournament.
- Secret Super Battle: Given as a tournament prize.
Cards with the highest value usually have been authenticated and graded by PSA or Beckett.
The Rarest Promo Error
The rarest known promo that was ever produced was a Prerelease Raichu. A handful of these were accidentally produced while producing the prerelease Jungle Clefable. There are said to be less than thirty of these in existence and some estimate less than six.
Notable Promos
Here are some of the cards that might be of special interest to collectors.
Pikachu #1 (Ivy Pikachu) 1st Edition Error (1999)
Accidentally released in a small number of Jungle booster packs, this black star promo is the only promo ever released with a first edition symbol.
#2 Electabuzz, #3 Mewtwo, #4 Pikachu, and #5 Dragonite Misprint (1999)
There were four cards that were specially stamped for release of Pokémon The First Movie. Each of the special release promos had a stamp that read “Kids WB presents Pokémon the First Movie". These were #2 Electabuzz, #3 Mewtwo, #4 Pikachu, and #5 Dragonite. A few of these were accidentally printed with the gold foil stamp upside down and in the opposite corner. It is estimated that only 30 of these were ever released to the public.
Imakuni? CoroCoro Promo (1997)
This was the first promo to have an image of a real-life person.
Trade Please (Trading Please) Promo (1998)
One of only two (Ancient Mew was the other) ever produced with a holographic back.
Dark Persian #17 Error (2000)
A few of these black star promos were printed without the HP.
Beware of Pokémon Fakes!
High valued cards often get counterfeits made. Watch out for ones that don't have the plastic center, faded or smudged graphics, or show other signs of being a counterfeit.
If you are unsure, it may help to compare the card to another. Don't forget to check the back, often there are slight differences in color or position of the graphics. There are also some that are produced by others as pranks or April Fools jokes. These could be a great collection themselves.
Fake Pokémon Illustrator Card
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
Questions & Answers
Question: How can I sell a 1995 edition Mew Pokémon card?
Answer: Be sure to do your research to determine the value of the card. Selling online such as on eBay, Facebook or Craigslist may be an option. If you live in a large city a local card or game store may be a good option.
Question: How much is a Mewtwo promo card from the first Pokemon movie worth?
Answer: In the article, I recommended that you go to eBay and look at the sold listings for the item you would like to determine the value of.
Because the value of cards go up and down all the time eBay is a great search tool. Searching the sold listings gives you a better idea as far as the value of your cards than does simply looking up items listed on eBay.
Question: I have approximately 25 English and 25 Japanese 1999 Pokémon Holo cards. I do I get them professionally valued?
Answer: I would recommend using PSA for that purpose:
https://www.psacard.com/services/tradingcardgradin...
Question: What is the value of my two of the ancient mew II promo cards in mint condition?
Answer: The card is currently selling for approximately $50 for graded gem mint cards. If they are not graded they are selling for $5 - $10 for cards in mint condition.
Question: I have an unopened Pokemon neo promo set what is it worth?
Answer: I have a few of those sets as well. Unfortunately they don’t seem to be a valuable as one would expect.
A quick look at the sold items on eBay show that most of them are currently selling for under $10.
Question: I have old pokemon card, but they are in Japanese. I have missed print of dark Arbok. The snake looks like it's on gold, and it is holographic. Can you help me evaluate my collection?
Answer: It sounds like you are describing the Dark Arbok 2/82 Pokémon card. The date error is quite standard and was found on most of them.
Currently, they are going for under $10 here in the United States. First edition ones are selling for around $20. Graded cards go for more depending on grade.
Question: I have a mint condition, first edition, holofoil, Machamp Pokémon card. Do you know what it could be worth?
Answer: As mentioned in the article Pokémon promo cards are only worth what someone is willing to pay for.
These values often change over time.
Visiting eBay and searching for your item is a great way to get an idea what your card is worth.
Don’t forget to filter your search for sold items to get true perspective of your cards value.
Question: I have twelve Japanese Pokemon cards #152-160, how do I figure their worth?
Answer: The value of any single Pokemon card depends on it's condition, grading (if any), what company graded it, and current supply and demand. Because the value f individual cards change you may wish to check your specific cards value by going to a website like eBay and checking the sold listings by using the search filter. This will give you an idea of the actual card value and not the often inflated value that is sometimes found in the listings that have not yet sold.
Pokemon Card Values: How Much Are Your Cards Worth?
The first step to identify if a card is potentially worth anything substantial is to check its type and rarity. In other words, how likely the card is to come across from any given booster pack or special event, and if it has any special characteristics, such as card material or Pokemon types.
There are a few indicators of rarity on any given card, though they’re quite subject to change depending on when said card was printed. A marker near the bottom of the card or near its name will indicate rarity: a circle means the card is common, a diamond means it’s less common, and stars mean it’s rare. More stars or with combinations of letters or symbols mean extra rare, including if those symbols are in the name or elsewhere on the card. Other characteristics that can up the rarity include: a higher printed number than there should be in a given printed set (e.g., 66/65); holographic artwork or reverse holographic, in which everything but the artwork is holographic; artwork that takes up the full card; artwork wherein the creature doesn’t cast a shadow; and any shining characteristics, not to be confused with holographic.
There are also special types of cards, like the aforementioned special events that sometimes award cards to tournament winners. For example, one of the most coveted cards, the Trophy Pikachu Trainer Card, was only given out to competition winners in Japan and is so rare that it is considered priceless due to the lack of sellers. And a Pikachu Illustrator card, awarded for a Pokemon award competition, allegedly sold for a cool $90,000 USD.
While rarity isn’t the only factor in appraising value, it’s certainly a major factor: Some of the highest-selling cards worth tens of thousands of dollars, or considered “priceless” from lack of supply, are only so because of small rarities like misprints or typos.
As for the more common cards that don’t match any of these characteristics, the consensus advice online is to sell those in bulk. Though the individual cards may only be worth a few dollars at most, a complete collection of them can likely fetch a little higher of a price. That’s not a terrible idea for someone wanting to get rid of a bunch of common cards and turn a profit.
Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!
About Theo Dwyer
Theo Dwyer writes about comics, film, and games.We scraped a total of 1,050 Pokemon cards which were sold for a total cost of $77,807.42 CAD on eBay. An average of $74.10 (which is pretty good).
The lowest-priced items were sold for $0.01 which was:
- “Pyroar BREAK 24/114 - Ultra Rare Holo - Steam Siege 2016 - Pokemon Card”
- “1st Ed English Venonat 63/64 Jungle Set Nintendo WOTC Card Pokemon 1999”
Both from the United States
The most expensive item was “Pokemon Card Game Sword Shield High-Class Pack Shiny Star V 20BOX” which was sold for $2189.71 from Japan
But since this is a pack (multiple cards) the highest single card sold was a
The median of the sample was $20.10, and the mode was $1.29.
So who knows, maybe those old cards you have lying around can give you some extra cash. But then again, the median and the mode price is on the lower side.
With the data we extracted, we also wanted to see the average cost sold by country and the card type.
Pokemon card sold by country
With no surprise, 62.19% of Pokemon cards were sold from the United States and Japan coming in second with 19.62%. Canada came in third with 7.71% of total cards sold.
| Country | Total Items Sold | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 64 | 6.10% |
| Belgium | 2 | 0.19% |
| Canada | 81 | 7.71% |
| Croatia, Republic of | 2 | 0.19% |
| China | 1 | 0.10% |
| France | 28 | 2.67% |
| Israel | 1 | 0.10% |
| Japan | 206 | 19.62% |
| Netherlands | 2 | 0.19% |
| Singapore | 2 | 0.19% |
| Slovenia | 1 | 0.10% |
| Unite States | 653 | 62.19% |
| Left Blank | 7 | 0.67% |
It was interesting to see that Australia only has 6.10% of the Pokemon cards sold but have the highest interest and searches.
Maybe the correlation is mostly Australians are buying the Pokemon cards instead of selling them.
For the average cost, Belgium had the highest average cost with $352.05 and Singapore came in second with an average cost of $189.65, but to be fair, only 2 items were sold from each country.
| Country | Total Amount Sold | Average Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Israel | $6.50 | $6.50 |
| Netherlands | $21.50 | $10.75 |
| China | $66.46 | $66.46 |
| Croatia, Republic of | $97.68 | $48.84 |
| Slovenia | $130.34 | $130.34 |
| Left Blank | $286.83 | $40.98 |
| Singapore | $379.29 | $189.65 |
| Belguim | $704.10 | $352.05 |
| France | $2022.35 | $72.23 |
| Canada | $4498.27 | $55.53 |
| Australia | $5706.66 | $89.17 |
| Japan | $19308.27 | $93.73 |
| United States | $44,579.17 | $68.27 |
For the bigger countries like Japan, the United States, Canada and Australiait kind of got interesting.
The United States sold the most at $44,579.17 but only had an average of $66.46. This is less than the total average sold.
Japan and Australia had higher averages at $93.73 and $89.17 respectively.
Canada’s average was on the lower side at $55.53. Canadians seem to be selling their cards but aren’t selling valuable pokemon cards.
It was also interesting to see that Canada and Australia had around the same number of items sold, but Australia had a 60% higher average than Canada.
This could mean that Australians have more valuable Pokémon cards than Canadians.
Same with Japan and the United States.
Japan had a 27% higher average cost than the United States but only had 19.62% of items sold compared to the United States which had 62% of the items sold.
We also looked at One37pm and found that the most valuable collector Pokemon cards are printed in Japanese (which could explain the reason for the higher average).
Cost by Pokemon card type
There are several types of Pokemon cards and different Pokemon. While the Pokemon does have a factor in price, it’s the type of card that makes it valuable.
We’re no Pokemon card expert, but here is how we filtered our extracted data:
| Uncommon | Common |
| Rare | Rare Holo |
| Reverse Holo | Ultra Rare |
| Secret Rare | Promo |
| Pokemon EX | Pokemon GX |
| Pokemon Legend | Energy |
| Trainer | Pack |
| Japanese | 1st/ Shadowless |
| Full art | Rainbow Rare |
| Tag Team | VMAX |
We got these category types from Dotesports and TCG Player.
Check out our table below for the results:
| Card Type | # of cards sold | Total Price | Average Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | 13 | $45.16 | $3.47 |
| Uncommon | 22 | $348.61 | $15.85 |
| Rainbow rare | 2 | $46.27 | $23.14 |
| Energy | 6 | $149.23 | $24.87 |
| Tag Team | 10 | $300.27 | $30.03 |
| Trainer | 32 | $954.32 | $29.82 |
| Ultra Rare | 74 | $2526.02 | $34.14 |
| Reverse Holo | 48 | $1967.43 | $40.99 |
| Full Art | 54 | $2132.14 | $39.48 |
| Rare holo | 50 | $2167.05 | $43.34 |
| Pokemon GX | 62 | $2905.64 | $46.87 |
| Rare | 214 | $13850.88 | $64.72 |
| Promo | 156 | $10348.85 | $64.33 |
| Japanese | 231 | $16012.02 | $69.32 |
| Pokemon-EX | 123 | $9859.98 | $80.16 |
| VMAX | 24 | $2094.21 | $87.26 |
| Pack | 98 | $9596.11 | $97.92 |
| Pokemon Legend | 26 | $3400.76 | $130.80 |
| Shadowless/1st edition | 118 | $15531.08 | $131.62 |
| Secret rare | 14 | $3238.61 | $231.33 |
To no surprise, at the bottom, you had common Pokemon cards (basically mass-produced and most likely everyone will have them) that had the lowest average sold at $3.47.
The highest priced common Pokemon card was a "POKEMON CHARMANDER 50/82 TEAM ROCKET SQUIRTLE PIKACHU COMMON CARD NM/MINT LOT” sold for $23.46
2nd lowest was uncommon Pokemon cards with an average cost of $15.86
At the top, we got Secret rare Pokemon cards with an average cost of $231.30.
The lowest secret rare Pokemon card was sold at $6.58 which was “Pokemon Card Champions Path Drednaw V 069/073 Secret Rare Holo Full Art NM/M”
The highest secret rare Pokemon card was sold at $1,120.92 which was “PSA 10 Pokemon Champions Path Secret Rare Shiny Charizard V Card 79/73 079/073”
Coming in 2nd and 3rd are shadowless / 1st edition Pokémon cards with an average of $135.05 and Pokémon legend cards with an average of $130.79
1st edition cards had both the lowest and highest item sold which was the “1st Ed English Venonat 63/64 Jungle Set Nintendo WOTC Card Pokemon 1999” sold at $0.01 and a “1st Edition Dark Charizard Holo• Team Rocket Pokemon Card #4/82 - PSA 10” sold at $2,084.14
Meaning even if you have a 1st edition Pokémon card, it may not always be your lucky break. But with an average of $135, it seems like you can still make some decent money.
The highest Pokemon legend card was a “2004 EX Hidden Legends Kyogre ex GEM MINT PSA 10 Holo Card Ultra Rare” for $782.03
We tried to find any of the most expensive Pokemon cards in our sample according to heritage auctions, and one37, but only got a 1st edition shadowless Blastoise which sold for $1,564.08 (maybe if we extracted 3000 cards we would’ve had better luck... who knows).
We noticed that there was also quite a bit of Japanese cards sold in our sample (231 to be exact), and had a total cost of $16,012.02 sold on eBay with an average price of $69.32
The highest sold Japanese item was a “Japanese Charizard, Blastoise Venasur base set” sold at $1,042.72. Now that would be a pretty cool set to have.
Cost By Pokemon
We also wanted to see the average price for 25 of the most popular Pokemon cards sold. We based our list On a business insider article: More than 52,000 people voted for their favourite Pokémon in a massive Reddit survey — here's which ones got the most votes
Here’s the list (I snuck in Pikachu because who doesn’t like Pikachu..):
| Pokemon | Number of Items Sold | Total Price | Average Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaziken | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luxray | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Absol | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arcanine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Infernape | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ninetails | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Torterra | 1 | $3.95 | $3.95 |
| Mudkip | 1 | $5.98 | $5.98 |
| Gardevoir | 2 | $13.85 | $6.93 |
| Lucario | 7 | $90.27 | $12.90 |
| Garchomp | 1 | $16.98 | $16.93 |
| Ampharos | 1 | $29.98 | $29.98 |
| Typhlosion | 3 | $103.62 | $34.54 |
| Umbreon | 8 | $317.08 | $39.64 |
| Snorlax | 5 | $231.05 | $46.21 |
| Flygon | 3 | $166.35 | $55.45 |
| Eevee | 9 | $551.35 | $61.26 |
| Scizor | 5 | $357.25 | $71.45 |
| Pikachu | 83 | $6305.22 | $75.97 |
| Squirtle | 5 | $397.97 | $79.59 |
| Dragonite | 11 | $946.9 | $86.08 |
| Gengar | 16 | $1421.49 | $88.84 |
| Charizard | 94 | $18111 | $192.67 |
| Blastoise | 25 | $7470.15 | $298.81 |
| Tyranitar | 2 | $680.84 | $340.42 |
| Bulbasaur | 3 | $1898.44 | $632.81 |
| Total | 285 | $39119.64 | $137.26 |
285 items were sold of the most popular Pokémon bringing in $39,119.64 (50% of $77,807.42).
Only a quarter of the items sold, but half of the total revenue!
No surprise, Charizard is at the top of the list with the highest total cost at $18,111.
But Bulbasaur had the highest average of $632.81. To be fair though, only 3 Bulbasaur items were sold and had a range of $2.00 - $1,857.35
Blastoise was in second in the total amount sold with $7470.15 and 3rd in an average cost of $298.81.
It was interesting to see Pikachu for the third-highest sold with $6305.22 but had a lower average cost than Gengar, Dragonite and Squirtle. Meaning a lot of Pikachus are being sold but are not as valuable as other Pokemon cards.
Closing thoughts
As Pokemon cards continue to grow with popularity with the recent spike, this may cause some inflation in price. After seeing prices in the $1000 and even $100,000 for a single card shows how valuable Pokemon cards can be.
From the information above, we came up with a few conclusions.
Most Pokemon cards are being sold on the lower side, most of them being sold at $1.29 and a median of $20.19. The reason the average is high is that the rare and valuable Pokemon cards are being sold at a higher price, bringing the average higher.
Just because you have 1st edition/shadowless Pokemon cards, doesn’t necessarily mean you're going to make some money on eBay. It has to be one of the popular Pokemon like Charizard or Blastoise. Don’t think anyone really wants a Metapod or Rattata.
But with an average price of $131.62 you have to like your chances of it being sold for that price.
If you have common or uncommon cards, I would save your energy. You're probably losing money from the percentage eBay collects. Considering the highest card sold was $29.97, you’re not going to make much money. But then again, your cards are probably just collecting dust, so I guess something is better than nothing.
If you have a secret rare card, I would put it on eBay and see what I could get. With an average price of $231.33, that’s definitely something to think about. But again, depends on the Pokemon that you have.
The value of the Pokemon card depends on the card type and also the Pokemon. Considering that the 25 most popular Pokemon cardscreated 50% of the total cost at only quarter of total items sold really shows this.
Americans are selling the most Pokemon cards, but they might be selling fewer valuable cards because they have a lower average cost than Belgium, Singapore, Slovenia, Japan, Australia and France.
Hopefully, this can help you decide whether or not to sell your Pokemon cards. And answer how much your Pokemon cards are worth. Besides at ParseHub, that’s our goal, to help everyone make better decisions.
What should we scrape next? Sports cards? Jewellery? Let us know what you think!
Download our free web scraping tool
View the other research pieces we have done:
