Gotta catch ’em all…is what you might say when you find out that serious money can take the form of Pokémon cards.
What used to be a hobby and trades that didn’t involve money on playgrounds, Pokémon has turned into six-figure auction sales today.
This comes as a rare first-edition Pokémon card, which many described as a “holy grail”, could fetch £40,000 when it goes for auction. For the South Africans who don’t feel like googling a currency converter, that is a staggering R862,118.
Hansons Auctioneers, based in Etwall in Derbyshire, said the shadowless base set Charizard card was the centrepiece of its auction. The auction is set to be on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of the beloved series.
The card has a guide price of £30,000 to £40,000.
Why are some Pokémon Cards worth thousands?
Pokémon cards have evolved into serious collector assets. But what actually makes some of these small cardboard rectangles worth thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of rands?
It boils down to scarcity, condition, hype, and, since it’s a much-loved franchise, nostalgia.
Let’s break it down.
Shadowless base set vs Unlimited base set
The Charizard card that is set to fetch for up to the price of a decent-sized property is a shadowless base set. So what does this mean? The original English Base Set of the Pokémon Trading Card Game was printed in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast.
Collectors often distinguish between “shadowless” and “unlimited” cards.
Shadowless cards were part of an earlier print run and do not have a grey drop shadow along the right border of the Pokémon image box.
They also feature slightly different fonts and colouring. Fewer were printed, making them scarcer and generally more valuable.
Unlimited cards came a bit later. These cards were mass-produced and include the grey shadow. Because far more exist, they usually sell for less than their shadowless counterparts.
For valuable cards, even small print differences can mean the gap between hundreds and thousands.
Condition can multiply the value
Grading is another major factor.
Companies such as Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) score cards on a scale from 1 to 10. A “Gem Mint 10” can be worth much more than a slightly worn version of the same card.
In near-perfect graded condition, the Charizard from the 1999 Base Set has sold for eye-watering sums around the world. However, in played condition, it’s worth only a fraction of that.
Old but gold? Why does vintage perform better than modern?
During the collectables boom, the demand for vintage Pokémon spiked globally.
Cards printed between 1999 and the early 2000s tend to hold value better because print runs were smaller, fewer people preserved cards in mint condition, and, of course, nostalgia-driven demand remains strong.
On the other hand, modern cards are printed in massive quantities. They don’t get as much love, and many collectors immediately sleeve and grade valuable pulls, meaning long-term scarcity is harder to achieve.
That doesn’t mean modern cards can’t rise in value. Ultra-rare alternate art cards, limited Japanese promos and popular characters like Umbreon still command high prices. But these are often hype-driven spikes, and prices can fall just as quickly.
Are Pokémon cards a good investment?
There are typically many warnings against treating modern Pokémon cards as guaranteed investments.
The market is highly speculative and driven by supply and demand. Furthermore, a card is ultimately worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
Vintage, graded, low-population cards show stronger long-term resilience and modern cards are higher risk. The modern cards are better suited to collectors who enjoy the hobby first and think about profit second.
How to check if yours could be valuable
If you’ve found an old binder in storage, look for:
- 1st Edition stamps
- Shadowless Base Set cards
- Holographic finishes
- Popular characters (Charizard, Pikachu, Mewtwo)
- Cards in near-perfect condition
- Even then, condition and grading determine final value.
- Another common way for South Africans to check the value is checking on websites such as tcgplayer.com.
IOL
