Beanie babies, Tamagotchis, Pokémon cards – the 90s were a hell of a time for collectables and if you weren’t told by older relatives to hold onto these toys because they “could be worth something one day”, were you even a 90s kid?
Well, it turns out that they couldn’t have been more right when it came to Pokémon cards at least. First edition Pokémon cards are actually some of the most sought after collectibles, due to their limited print run meaning that they’ll only be owned by a very small number of people.
However, many people aren’t actually aware that they could be sitting on a small fortune as these cards are stashed away “in case they’re worth something one day” but according to data from Professional Sports Indicator (PSA) analysed by online gaming site Hearts Land, that ‘one day’ is today!
How to tell if you own a first edition Pokémon card
So, before you get too excited and start planning how you’ll spend your thousands, it’s important to first check that the cards you have are definitely first editions. First, look for a black ‘Edition 1’ logo printed on the card. For most character cards, this will be printed halfway up the left side of the card.
However, for trainer cards, this logo is at the bottom left corner and for energy cards, it’ll be in the top right corner. It should also be noted that on character cards, there should be no shadowing around the border of the image displaying the Pokémon.
The ten most valuable First Edition holographic Pokémon cards
Charizard
This won’t come as much of a surprise to avid Pokémon fans and collectors but the most valuable card is the holographic Charizard which resale price comes in at an estimated £141,882 for a gem mint condition copy of the card. PSA reports one was last sold at collectables marketplace Goldins in January 2022 for $252,000 (around £196,560).
Even if you don’t have a mint condition, a near mint condition can still get you around £5,850, according to the data. Not bad for literally… a card.
Blastoise
Next up is the holographic Blastoise card. This water type Pokémon card has an estimated resale value of £30,108 in mint condition but even near-mint can bag you around £1,092.
Chansey
A holographic Chansey in mint condition has a value of £25,740,but if the card is in near mint condition, this value drops considerably to around £273. Yikes.
Mewtwo
Surprisingly, Mewtwo is the only legendary type Pokémon on this list with its mint condition value sitting at £16,068 for a gem mint condition copy of the card. However, a less than perfect copy of the card can only bag you around £390. Which is still quite a lot. For a card. To be fair.
Venusaur
A mint condition copy of this poison type Pokémon can bag you around £15,600 but a near mint condition card gets you around £780.
Clefairy
This adorable fairy type Pokémon takes the sixth spot on this list with a mint condition copy of the card coming in at around £11,700 and a near-mint bagging a respectable £390.
Gyrados
If you have a copy of this holographic card in perfect condition, in a reasonable society, you could bag yourself enough for a house deposit. However, despite the mint condition value of the card being £9,360, it’ll maybe just give you a good chunk towards a deposit if you’re lucky. Near mint condition will get you a fraction of this amount at just £293.
Ninetails
A mint condition of this card can get you £7,566 and a near-mint can still get collectors around £312.
Alakazam
You can turn *quite* the profit with this card as a mint condition copy is worth £6,396 and a near-mint condition can get you around £312. Interestingly, this card was the first in the original deck, identified by the 1/102 text in the bottom right corner of the card. The beginning of a huge story!
Hitmonchan
According to PSA, a mint condition copy of this card could get you around £6,084 and a near mint condition card gets you a much lower but still respectable £273.
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from Hearts Land said:
“Even during their release more than 20 years ago, first edition cards offered varying levels of rarity, with holographic or ‘shiny’ cards being the most highly prized, due to their limited appearance in Pokémon packs. Those who have managed to hold onto copies with limited wear and tear, could cash them in now for a huge return, particularly if they happen to own some of these rarer cards.”
They added that even if you don’t have first edition cards, “now is a better time than any to get your collection valued.”
So, this is what they meant when they said ‘gotta catch ‘em all’...