Is it your first time buying some Pokemon TCG products? If you don’t have enough knowledge about the financial aspect of Pokemon TCG, we’re going to give you a walkthrough on how you can identify the most valuable cards in this hobby!
Pokemon TCG made its debut on October 20, 1996. During that time, the Pokemon franchise was just steadily growing in popularity, and no one expected that many of the Pokemon cards released in that year would eventually be valued at thousands of dollars two decades later.
Of course, we all know that old things can fetch a lot of money, especially if they are involved with something very popular in the present time.
In the case of Pokemon cards from the 1996 Base set, those pieces of cardboard are highly valued for their rarity and having the reputation as the first cards in the history of one of the most popular card games in the world.
But what about those cards in the modern sets? How can you know if they are expensive? Here are the telltale signs that you should know if a Pokemon card is worth a lot of money.
More from PokecardHQ:
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- Does Pokemon TCG Pocket Use Real Cards?
- Why Were Fairy-Type Pokemon Cards Discontinued?
How to Know if a Pokemon Card is Expensive?
Keep your eyes peeled for the following signs that make a Pokemon card valuable:
1. It Is an Illustration Rare or a Special Illustration Rare
Pokemon cards can be categorized into various rarities, but in general, they can be labeled as Commons, Uncommons, and Rares.
Most of the expensive Pokemon cards today are Rares, which are also classified into different types, like Double Rare, Ultra Rare, Hyper Rare, etc.
In Pokemon TCG, the most valuable cards are usually the Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rare cards. These cards are considered Secret Rares, since their card numbers are higher than the total number of cards in their set.
Illustration Rares and Special Illustration Rares are easily identifiable for their unique artwork; hence, they are also called full art cards.
Look at the cards below. The one with a rarity symbol of one gold star is an Illustration Rare card, and the other with two gold stars is a Special Illustration Rare card:
2. It Features a Popular Pokemon
In some rare instances, cards depicting popular Pokemon can also become quite valuable because of the hype made by their respective fan bases.
Some examples of these cards are the “Moonbreon” of Evolving Skies, Greninja ex of Twilight Masquerade, and Charizard ex of Pokemon 151.
According to a 2024 Reddit poll by RainbowSensation, the five most favored Pokemon are Charizard, Bulbasaur, Gengar, Umbreon, and Eevee.
3. It Has a Low Pull Rate
Pull rates are the odds of pulling a particular card or card rarity in a booster pack. Pull rates may vary per set or expansion, and if a card has a low pull rate, it means that such a card is very hard to find, pumping its market price as a result.
You can search online about certain Pokemon card pull rates by Googling “set name + pull rate.”
4. It is Listed as a Valuable Card Online
Obviously, there’s no better way to check if a Pokemon card is worth anything than checking its market prices online. There are many sites out there that list the prices of each Pokemon card per set, and you can see their values in real time.
Alternatively, if you’re not that into numbers, you can just head over to PokeCardHQ’s Collector’s Corner to see the top 10 lists of the most expensive cards in Scarlet and Violet sets.
5 Most Expensive Pokemon Cards Ever Sold in History
The following are Pokemon cards that are indeed worth a ton of money:
1. Pikachu Illustrator Promo card (bought by American influencer Logan Paul) – $5,275,000
2. 1995 Japanese Topsun Charizard Blue Back (auctioned at Goldin) – $493,230
3. 1998 Trophy Pikachu Silver 2nd Tournament (auctioned at Goldin) – $444,000
4. Shadowless Base Set Charizard Holo (auctioned at PWCC) – $420,000
5. Blastoise Wizards of the Coast Presentation Galaxy Star Holo (auctioned at Heritage Auctions) – $360,000
What Pokemon Cards Are Worth Money: Key Takeaways
Again, here are the types of Pokemon cards that are worth a lot of money:
- Illustration Rare and Special Illustration Rares.
- Cards depicting fan-favorite Pokemon.
- Cards with low pull rates.
- Expensive cards that are listed online.
With this knowledge, you should now be able to organize your Pokemon TCG collection and put those high-value ones on essential card accessories like sleeves and top loaders.
You can also keep your expensive cards in card binders, which can be handy for trading and selling ungraded cards.
For more helpful Pokemon TCG guides, check out our other articles here at PokeCardHQ.
