With the value of Pokemon cards continuing to rise to more and more ridiculous heights, many people may be wondering just how much their old collections are worth. After all, these cards were incredibly common back in the day and so there are likely thousands of them currently sat in storage just waiting to be rediscovered. Unfortunately, however, they might not be worth quite as much as their owners may think.
While it's true that certain cards can easily sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, there's one important thing to take into account. Condition. Even if handled with gloves and placed immediately into a plastic sleeve, a freshly packed card may still not be good enough for a perfect PSA grade which is all but essential to ensure a high sale price. That's not to say that there's no value in used cards, but those expecting a life-changing amount will likely be sorely disappointed.
10 Holo Rare Alakazam (Base Set) - $50
Numbered 1/102 in the base set, Alakazam is officially the first ever Pokemon card and can fetch a fairly decent price as a result. Mint condition copies of the card can sell for a few thousand dollars if graded by the PSA, although most will sell for considerably less than that.
A used card without rips or tears typically sells for around the $50 dollar mark, but every tiny ding and scratch can quickly drive that price down. Conversely, a first edition copy of the card can sell for a little more, but without professional grading is unlikely to push too far past the $100 mark.
9 Secret Rare Dark Raichu (Team Rocket) - $61
Numbered 83/82, Dark Raichu is the first of many secret rares to make their way into the Pokemon TCG, although this doesn't effect its value quite as much as one might think. It still sells for upwards of $60, but there are plenty of rarer cards out there. In fact, it's not even the rarest card in the Team Rocket set.
One bonus of the card's secret rare status though is that people are likely to have treated the card with a bit more respect; thus preserving some of its true value. When graded and in good condition, the card can easily sell for hundreds of dollars; thousands if it is in mint or near mint condition.
8 Holo Rare Dragonite (Fossil) - $74
Dragonite is one of the best cards in the Fossil set, not just because of its beautiful artwork and high attack potential, but also due to its value. Even a well used copy of the card is worth around $75 with better ungraded specimens regularly fetching more than $100. Those looking to make some real money from the card though will need to get it graded.
The price can vary quite a bit depending on grade; with near mint copies of the card selling for between $100 and $1,000. A mint condition copy, on the other hand, should easily fetch above $5,000 with some having sold for considerably more in the past.
7 Holo Rare Dark Dragonite (Team Rocket) - $77
Another Dragonite card, although this one is from the hugely popular Team Rocket set. Neither its attack nor the quality of its artwork can match the Fossil variant of the Pokemon, although it just has the edge when it comes to value despite being a little more recent.
A used copy of the card will typically sell for a little over $77, but there can be quite a lot of variance depending on how well preserved the card is. If it's good enough to be graded, that's definitely the way to go as a solid grade can increase its value by about 50 fold.
6 Holo Rare Dark Blastoise (Team Rocket) - $95
Many consider the artwork for Dark Blastoise to be the best in the Team Rocket set and it's this, together with the Pokemon being one of the three original starter evolutions, that contributes to its high value. With no major scratches or edge scuffs, the holo version of the card can easily sell for over $100, although the average price is a little under at $95.
Given that the set is now more than two decades old, there really aren't too many copies of the card in mint condition. According to the PSA, in fact, there are only 173 of them that have been graded as such and it's for this reason that those cards regularly sell for thousands of dollars rather than hundreds.
5 Holo Rare Lapras (Fossil) - $113
Having once been a pretty common sight in playgrounds across the country, it's becoming harder and harder to come by copies of Fossil set Lapras in good condition. Even used, the card can easily go for more than $110 and can sell for thousands if there's not too much visible damage.
There are only 104 copies of the card that hold the PSA's highest rating and it's these that sell for the big bucks. The average sale price for one of them is around $4,000, although that figure has been creeping up recently; with some selling for more than double that amount.
4 Holo Rare Venusaur (Base Set) - $116
A lot of fans' first experience with the Pokemon series came through playing Pokemon Red & Blue. It's for this reason that so many people have such fond memories of the three starter Pokemon and their evolutionary forms and this makes their Pokemon cards incredibly collectible. It may not be the most popular of the three, but Venusaur is no exception to this.
A used condition copy of the Pokemon's holographic base set card is worth well in excess of $100 and can sell for considerably more if graded. First edition copies in mint condition usually sell for an average price of over $20,000, although one recently went for an eye-watering $60,000.
3 Holo Rare Blastoise (Base Set) - $216
Not to be outdone by its fellow gen 1 starter, Blastoise boasts a record sale price of $80,000. Of course, that was a mint condition first edition copy of the card. This was also way above the average sale price for such a card; which comes in at just under $34,000. Most copies, however, are worth significantly less.
Used copies with even the most minor of damage can be picked up for around $216, although there can be quite a bit of fluctuation in this price. Many people will pay over the odds in the hope of getting it graded later and so providing there's no major visible damage, $1,000 is a fairly realistic amount to expect.
2 Holo Rare Dark Charizard (Team Rocket) - $220
Such is the popularity of the Pokemon that even some of the more recent Charizard variants can sell for thousands of dollars if in decent condition. The typical used copy of Dark Charizard is worth quite a bit less though, with most selling for somewhere in the region of $220.
Despite the high value of used copies, however, getting the card graded is nowhere near as worthwhile as it is with some of the high value cards from the base set. That said, mint condition copies still sell for more than $5,000 on a regular basis and so it's definitely a card worth keeping an eye out for.
1 Holo Rare Charizard (Base Set) - $651
Anybody with even a passing interest in the Pokemon TCG should by now know that base set Charizard is an incredibly desirable card. Mint condition copies have held and broken the record for the most expensive Pokemon card ever sold at auction on numerous occasions and this is a title that the card still holds today.
In the right condition, it's worth hundreds of thousands of dollars; with the record sale price currently sitting at an astonishing $400,000. Sadly though, most copies are worth only a fraction of this amount. Used copies average around $650, but this can rise pretty rapidly even with a bad PSA grade - so providing its still in one piece, it's definitely worth getting the card graded.