Stocks, index funds, Bitcoin, NFTs… And Pokémon cards ! While most of the Game Freak and Nintendo pocket monster cards aren’t exactly spectacularly valuable, there are some extremely hard-to-get cards that could make your life better if you happen to get one of them or discover them by chance. at the back of a closet during a move. In this post we will review the world of Pokémon card speculation , explaining how this market has originated, what a card must have to be worth so much money and what are the most expensive cards that we know of at the moment for this collectible.
What exactly is the Pokémon TCG?
Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) or Pokémon Collectible Card Game (TCG) is a card game owned by The Pokémon Company and developed by the Japanese publisher Media Factory. The game was launched in Japan in 1996 , along with video games, which, after the success in Japan, was also marketed in the United States and Europe.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game has maintained its mechanics since the beginning, and new expansions are created from time to time to coincide with the release of new generations of Pokémon, expanding the experience with new creatures.
Pokémon TCG recreates battles between two players. Each will have a 60-card deck created to their liking from booster packs or individual card purchases. The cards can be energy, Pokémon, special Pokémon or trainers. In a turn-based system , players battle it out until they defeat 6 of the opponent’s Pokémon or until one of them has no reserve Pokémon on their bench. There are different game modes , five of them accepted by the official tournaments organized by The Pokémon Company.
What must a Pokémon card have to be worth thousands of dollars?
Although it is not very common, there are lucky people who have been able to buy a car, pay the entrance fee for a flat or even pay for their studies with their old Pokémon cards . However, pocket monsters are no exception. This phenomenon has occurred and continues to occur with games like Magic: The Gathering as well.
- Rarity : As in any card game, there are very limited stocks of some very specific units.
- Scarcity : Many collectors quickly buy any rare card that comes onto the market simply to remove it from circulation. In this way, more cards are concentrated in fewer hands, giving them more control over prices. Buyers who engage in these practices are often referred to as ‘scalpers’. However, this speculative technique is not exclusive to the Pokémon TCG.
- Preservation Status : If you enjoyed Pokémon TGC in your childhood, we have some bad news for you. A used letter is worth much less money than one that has spent its entire life laminated in a drawer.
- Other attributes : language of the menu, printing quality of one unit compared to the rest, editions with defects…
There are specialized companies that are dedicated to appraising game cards —not just Pokémon— based on these attributes and giving them a score from 0 to 10, influencing their subsequent purchase or auction price . This is what Heritage Auctions does, among many other companies that we will mention later.
The most expensive and rare Pokémon cards that exist
These are the most expensive Pokémon cards that currently exist.
The very rare Venusaur without rarity
Some of the most expensive cards in the Pokémon TCG are from the first edition , due to the fact that they are the most prone to misprints. As we have said before, some Pokémon cards are rare due to their defects. And this one in particular is unique because during its design, they forgot to print the stamp that evaluates the rarity of the card .
Having no rarity, cards without this attribute are some of the rarest in existence—although it may seem like an oxymoron—apparently, it only affected a very limited run of the Bulbasaur edition . Only 5 units of this series are known. Regarding prices, there was a sale in November 2021 for $55,000 .
Tropical Mega Battle – Promo Card
Another factor that exponentially multiplies the price of a Pokémon card is how you obtain it. This particular one was given out during the Tropical Mega Battle tournament , held in Hawaii in 1999 . The letter itself is very basic, but there were only 12 units. The PSA qualifier estimates that the price of one of these cards in good condition can be around $150,000. The same agency auctioned one in 2020 that closed for $65,000 .
Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer
In the same year 7 cards were given out in the Japan national tournament , one for each winner in each region. The card itself, with the figure of Mewtwo, has an inscription that recognizes its owner as the champion. A single exchange is known in July 2020 for $90,000 .
Pokémon World Championships Promo No. 2 Trainer
And we continue with the event cards. On this occasion, it is one of the most difficult to find that exists. Only 3 were delivered at the Pokémon World Tournament held in California in 2006 . One of them was located in early 2021, auctioned by PWCC for a whopping $100,000 .
Neo Genesis Lugia Holo First Edition
According to PWCC, this letter is rare due to the number of errata it contains. In the rest of the runs, the errors were fixed. Only 3 units have the maximum score by the raters. Two sales are known for $50,000 and $144,000 in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
Kangaskhan-Holo of Japan Family Tournament 1998
This card depicted Kangaskhan because he surrendered in a one-off father-and-son tournament in Japan, back in 1998. The best condition unit ever sold has fetched $150,000 , five times the price of another unit with a rating of 7 out of 10.
The signed letter from the president
Not all valuable Pokémon cards are from the 90s. This one is very recent, and was made for the 60th birthday of Tsunekazu Ishihara , the president of The Pokémon Company in 2017, and was given only to very select insiders. The function of the card is somewhat peculiar, as it can make you win the game. However, one of them is signed by Ishihara himself , and it sold for a quarter of a million dollars in April 2021.
The authentic tared Blastoise
On one side, you have Blastoise, and on the other, nothing at all. Only two charts were affected by this bug . Surely some child, seeing the letter, would have been angry to see such a crap print. However, in January 2021 one of the two was sold for $360,000 .
Charizard Holo First Edition
Generation 1 Charizard foil cards are very valuable, but this particular unit has a small shading flaw that makes it unique. The most expensive sale at the time was completed for $325,000 . However, a 9/10 unit sold for 10 times less money.
pokemon illustrator
This card was given out at Pokémon drawing tournaments in Japan , where participants were asked to create their own Pokémon cards. Winners got their print creation, as well as a one-of- a-kind card created by Atsuko Nishida, the designer behind the original Pikachu design . There were apparently 40 units . In February 2021, one of them was exchanged for $375,000 .