Pokémon TCG recreates battles between two players. Each will have a 60 card deck created to your liking from booster packs or individual card purchases. The cards can be energy, Pokémon, special Pokémon or trainers. In a shift 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. exist 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 down payment on a flat or even pay for their studies with their old pokemon cards. However, pocket monsters are no exception. This phenomenon has occurred and continues to occur also with games like Magic: The Gathering.
- Rarity: as in any card game, there are very limited stocks of some very specific units.
- Shortage: Many collectors are quick to 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.
- State of conservation: 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 tares…
There are specialized companies that are dedicated to appraise playing cards -not only Pokémon- based on these attributes and give 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, because they are the most prone to printing errors. 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 card rarity.
Having no rarity, cards without this attribute are some of the rarest that exist —although it may seem like an oxymoron—, apparently, it only affected one Very limited run of the Bulbasaur edition. They know each other only 5 unitss of this series. 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 one in particular was delivered 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 was closed for $65,000.
Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer
In the same year they delivered 7 cards at 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. I know they delivered only 3 Janworld tournament of Pokémon held in California in 2006. At the beginning of 2021 one of them was located, auctioned by PWCC for a whopping 1$00,000.
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 they have the highest 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 letter showed Kangaskhan because it was delivered in a tournament unique in which parents and children participated in Japanback in the year 1998. The unit in best condition that has been sold has reached $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 1990s. This one is very recent, and was made for the Tsunekazu Ishihara’s 60th Birthday, the president of The Pokémon Company in 2017, and was given only to insiders very select. 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 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
The first generation Charizard holographic cards are very valuable, but this particular unit has a small tare in the shade that makes it unique. The most expensive sale at the moment was completed byr$325,000. However, a 9/10 unit sold for 10 times less money.
pokemon illustrator
This letter was delivered in Pokémon drawing tournaments in Japan, where participants were asked to create their own Pokémon cards. The winners took their printed creation, as well as a card unique and exclusive created by Atsuko Nishida, the designer who hides behind the original pikachu design. There were apparently 40 unitsyes In February 2021, one unit was exchanged for $375,000.
