The first Pokemon Cards that were printed in 1999 are now considered Old Pokemon Cards, or Vintage Cards by fans of the series. And some of these old Pokemon Cards are now worth thousands and thousands of dollars in the right condition.
Check the rarity of the cards
The symbols on the card are Pokemon card rarity symbols. A circle means a card is common, a diamond is the marker for uncommon cards, and a star is used to mark rare cards. There are also a variety of unique symbols used to mark cards that are considered ultra rare.
The American base set (which debuted in 1999) is highly collectible because of how iconic and lasting the Pokemon are from that original generation. So, any well-preserved card from the American base set is going to sell for a lot of money.
1. 1998 Pokemon Japanese Promo Pikachu Holo Illustrator. Logan Paul purchased the 1998 Pokemon Japanese Promo Pikachu Illustrato-Holo for $5.3 million in July 2021. The Pikachu Illustrator card is widely considered the rarest and most expensive Pokemon card in existence.
In April 2022, it was confirmed that Logan Paul paid $5.275 million for a PSA grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card. The Illustrator card, given out to 39 winners of the 1997 and 1998 Pokémon illustration contests, is extremely rare. Only 23 have been certified by the PSA, and only one has been given a PSA rating of 10.
First of all, the 1999 Holographic Charizard is from the original Base Set of Pokémon, the first series of cards to ever be produced, so the vintage aspect is already a major factor in the price for collectors.
11. 1999 Pokémon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind. Only 12 Tropical Wind cards were produced as promo cards for the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle, a precursor to the Pokémon World Championships, making it one of the most valuable Pokémon sets around.
When the Pokémon trading card game was introduced in the US in 1999, the first print run of the first set, which is known as the Base Set, included a “First Edition” symbol on every card. On cards featuring Pokémon, the symbol is found on the left side of the card midway between the card's top and bottom.
The next highest rarity symbol in Scarlet & Violet is the double white star, which indicates an Ultra Rare. Ultra Rares correspond to the Japanese "Super Rare" rarity, which uses an "SR" rarity symbol. All Ultra Rare cards in Scarlet & Violet are either Full Art Pokémon ex or Full Art Supporters.
A tiny symbol on the bottom right-hand corner will let you know the rarity of a card. A circle on your card means it's common, a diamond indicates that your card is uncommon, and a star means it's rare. For example, hologram cards will always have stars on them.
The Pokémon Trading Card Game saw a major revival in popularity in 2022, and now there are many Pokémon cards worth a lot of money. Despite being worth little decades ago, there are many Pokémon cards that now sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Pokemon Topsun 1995 — First Edition Charizard
The blue back of this card indicates that this Topsun Charizard is from the first edition printing in 1995. This precious card is the original, first ever Charizard to be printed in existence, and it is worth up to $10,000 due to its rarity.
First edition Pokémon Cards are cards that belong to the very first print run of a particular set.
Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie
While our number one spot for the rarest 'mon is technically three Pokemon, that's also part of what makes them so rare. Each one only spawns in specific regions, and they don't show up often at all.
7) 1998 Pokemon Japanese Promo Family Event Holo Kangaskhan Trophy Card. Another holy-grail trophy card, the 1998 Japanese Promo Kangaskhan Family Event card, continues to be one of the rarest and most desirable of all Pokemon cards.
Pokemon card value at auction: $6,000,000
Without a doubt, the most expensive of the rare Pokemon cards is the elusive Pikachu Illustrator card. In 1997, CoroCoro held an art competition where winners were given the stunning item which depicts the Electric-type adorably drawing other monsters.
The Media Factory set released October 20th, 1996 and featured the original 102 Pokémon cards that were later released in the iconic Wizards of the Coast English base set in 1998 and 1999. Making it the 3rd ever confirmed release of Pokémon cards. Of the 102 cards, sixteen were holographic cards.
A secret card is a card whose collection number is greater than the listed number of cards in the set, for example, numbered 101/100. Secret cards are generally rarer than the other cards in the set, and typically are holofoil cards as well.
#1 Iono (Special Illustration Rare)
Small wonder that it's the most valuable Pokémon card of 2023 so far. Iono is a card the player base has been yearning to have for years. It places both players' hands at the bottom of the deck and then both players draw a card for each Prize card they have remaining.