Original Pokémon cards are some of the most sought-after pieces of memorabilia in the world. Depending on the condition and rarity of the card, they can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. If you’re lucky enough to own an original Pokémon card, it’s important to know how much it’s worth and take proper care of it. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how much original Pokémon cards sell for and give you some tips on how to protect your investment. So if you’re ready to learn more about these valuable collectibles, keep reading!

Which cards are considered “original”?

Pokémon cards are released in ‘sets’, usually a few every year. When people refer to cards as ‘original’, they are most likely referring to the North American Base set released back in 1999. After Base set came Jungle, then Fossil, which were both released in 1999 as well. Any cards from these sets could be referred to as original.  

Which card is worth the most? 

It’s no secret that some Pokémon cards have blown up in value. People often want to know which card of the first few sets is the most valuable today. There is one card above all that collectors are interested in.

Charizard was one of the 16 holofoil cards printed in the Base set, and from the day of release, holds its position as the most sought-after of the set. 

However, the Base set was printed four times, resulting in four slightly different Charizards. As each Pokémon was growing in popularity, each print grew in quantity. This means that the first print of Charizard is the most valuable.

The shadowless first edition Charizard is the most valuable card from 1999 and one of the most valuable cards to date. At the time of this article (Feb. 2022), the average sale on eBay for a first edition shadowless Charizard is $3,500 USD for a raw card and $270,600 USD for a graded PSA 10. 

At the height of the Pokémon boom in 2021, a PSA 10 shadowless first edition Charizard sold for over $500,000 USD. 

How to Value Your Cards 

Finding the market value of your old cards is pretty straightforward, but tedious. If you want to value each and every one accurately, it’ll take some time. For this reason, people often sell their collections as a whole. 

Before looking any of your cards up, it’s important to understand the most critical factor in a card’s value: condition.

The better condition a card is, the more it’s sought-after by collectors. This is one of the reasons why grading services exist- to grade trading cards on a strict scale. TCGPlayer’s card condition guide can be extra helpful when determining the condition of your own cards.

Once you know the condition, you can now determine an approximate market value for each card. Tcgplayer.com and trollandtoad.com are great sources for approximate values. However, if you want an accurate metric or to potentially swell your cards, eBay is the place to go.

Once you’re on eBay, type in the name of your card, and the card number (this can be found at the bottom right of the card) followed by the condition of your card. For example, ‘Charizard 4/102 LP’. Then, go to the search filters and check the box indicating ‘sold listings’. This will filter out all listings that remain unsold, leaving only deals that have gone through. Now you can see what is actually being paid for the card you searched. This is the most accurate value you will be able to find for your cards.

How to sell your cards 

If you want to sell some of your cards, you have two options. 

The first option is to sell locally. This includes local buy and sell pages such as Facebook Marketplace or craigslist, local card/game shops, yard sales, or even pawn shops. This can be a quick way to sell and have cash in hand by the end of the day. However, local buy and sell communities can be difficult to deal with at times, and a card shop or pawn shop will only buy at a low price, to make a profit. 

The second option is to sell online, and for that eBay is the best site to sell on, since most cards are bought and sold on eBay. You also have the option to list your cards for the market value that you now know how to locate. On top of that, you’re likely to make a sale quickly. The downside of selling on eBay is that there is a processing time such as shipping and payment processing. It may take more than a week before your money is in your account.

There are pros and cons to each option, so choose what is best for you. The most important aspect is that you know what your card is worth, so you don’t get ripped off or scammed. 

Conclusion 

Pokémon cards from 1999 and 2000 are very collectible today, and will only continue to rise in coming years. If you’re lucky, you have the Charizard in your collection, if not, then you may have some other hidden gems. The biggest takeaway is to find the accurate value of your cards before deciding to do anything. These small cardboard rectangles seem worthless to some but can sometimes sell for the price of a house. eBay is your friend here, as it’s the biggest marketplace in the world for trading cards. Good luck going through your old cards, and let’s hope you find some gems!