Investing

The Ultimate Guide to Investing in Pokémon Cards

Nick Dingler
COO

Pokémon cards are a hot commodity. They’ve been around for years, and they don’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. If you have some extra money to invest, then this article is for you! This guide will teach you everything that you need to know about investing in Pokémon Cards. You’ll learn how the market works, what variables affect card value, how best to buy cards and more!

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1. What is a Pokémon card?

A Pokémon card is a collectible card game based on Nintendo’s Pokemon franchise. Players are able to battle one another using the cards they’ve collected. The game is played by two players, each with their own deck of 60-cards (or more). A player’s turn consists of drawing a card from his or her deck and then playing that card on the table in front of him/herself; this play might be nothing, an attack against enemy Pokémon, or setting up new trainers for later use.

Pokémon cards have been around since 1996, with the first series released in Japan. Cards are most commonly found and traded at hobby stores or through online retailers like eBay; however, they can also be collected by opening packs of cards purchased from a store.

The first Pokémon card game was released by Wizards of the Coast on October 20, 1999 in North America. In 2002 Nintendo took over the production of the trading card game from Wizards and renamed it to simply the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

2.A Brief History of Pokémon Cards

Pokemon card investing started in 1996, when the first series of Pokemon trading cards were released in Japan. Cards are most commonly found and traded at hobby stores or through online retailers like eBay; however, they can also be collected by opening packs of cards purchased from a store.

Ways to invest in Pokémon include: buying genuine rare Pokemon card collections on sites such as eBay, buying graded cards, Otis, and others. YouTuber Logan Paul created a video about investing in Pokemon cards and how it can be “the most fun you will ever have.”

A 1st Edition Charizard Sold for over $300,000

One of the most expensive cards is a 1st edition Charizard, which sold for over $300,000 in 2016. There have been two known sales of a Charizard card at this price, but the most expensive trade was for $330,000 in 2013.

A very rare Pokémon is also all-pink-called “Pikachu Illustrator,” which has only been seen twice and sold for up to $40,000 each time. Remember graded cards tend to go for more.

Logan Paul recently bought $200,000 worth of Pokemon cards in order to start his own card company. He has also said that investing in Pokemon cards is the “most fun you will ever have.”

Rapper Logic has also mentioned a few times on social media his love for the card game. The newest part of his collection is a Charizard card, which he tagged on Instagram.

3. Types of Pokémon Cards

1st Edition

A few of the most sought cards are first edition cards, which are not available in packs and can only be bought from previous owners. 1st edition cards are in limited supply and can be worth a lot of money since they were released years ago.

Other 1st edition cards that are valuable include the first-ever print of the Pokémon Pikachu Illustrator Base Set card, which was printed in 1998.

Japanese Raichu Cards

Japanese Raichu Cards were printed without the words “Raichu” or “Thunder Shock.” This is one of many reasons Japanese Pokémon cards have higher values. The lack of an English name on the card also makes it more valuable and considered a rare card.

Japanese Raichu Cards are great for collecting.

There are several reasons why Japanese Raichu Cards have a higher value. One of the main reasons for their increased worth is that they do not include an English name on them, making it more difficult to understand how to play with them. Another reason these cards are so valuable is because there were few printed and released in Japan before the Pokemon Trading Card Game.

Base Set

Some of the more common types of cards are from the Base Set. This includes cards like Pikachu Illustrator, Charizard, and Blastoise. Collectors consider these cards to be highly valuable because they are the first to come out, and were mass-produced.

The supply and demand of Base Set cards will vary depending on the popularity of Pokémon. For example, if everyone is playing “Pokémon Go,” then the demand for cards from the Base Set would be higher because people are looking to play and buy more packs.

One of the most valuable cards is the Pikachu Illustrator Card, worth around $12-$15.

In general, some of the most valuable cards from this set to collectors are those that were never reprinted or released in later sets. For instance, Charizard is not as common anymore because it was re-released with a holographic front and back design in 2013’s Evolutions Expansion Pack.

4. Pros and Cons of Pokémon Card Investing

Pokemon card investing is a great way to make money. If you’re looking for a hobby, Pokémon card investing might be perfect for you because it’s not too time-consuming and can actually yield some big rewards in the long run.

Pros

There are many different strategies that one can use when they want to invest in Pokemon cards such as buying to resell them at a later date, buying cards that are rare or hard-to-find, and trading Pokemon cards. One can also buy popular decks in order to have the opportunity of making money off of their purchase when they sell it for more than what they paid for it. Getting your rare card graded is a good way to keep it in good condition and valued appropriately. Card grading can cost anywhere from $50-$200+ depending on how fast you want it graded and the value of your card.

The most important thing is knowing which strategy will work with the different types of cards that one has.

There are also different firms to buy Pokemon card packs from including Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, and many more which all offer a wide range of high-quality Pokémon products for reasonable prices.

Cons

Some of the cons involved with Pokémon cards investing are that one can only make money if they are lucky and find the right card at a low price. There is also another risk where theft of cards could happen which would cause a person to lose all their investments in Pokemon cards.

Another con of investing is the lack of liquidity for your investment, meaning that it may be difficult to turn around the cards into cash for those who want to make a quick profit. Although you may have a high value card, you still need to find a buyer.

5. How to start investing in Pokémon cards?

It is important to know what cards are worth investing in by reading the guides on this site or other sites about Pokémon card values. These will give you an idea of how much money can be made for a certain Pokemon card before it has been sold at market value. Knowing which cards to invest in may save you hassle.

Where to buy Pokemon cards?

Places to buy Pokémon cards include companies like Walmart, Target, and Amazon. Make sure to know what the card is worth before you buy it.

Other things to know before buying Pokémon cards include looking at the card’s condition, whether or not it is rare and has potential for high value if you are buying a set of Pokemon cards from an individual seller on eBay. You can also buy unopened packs that have the potential to have a valuable card inside.

Where to sell Pokemon cards?

Some of the best places to sell Pokémon cards are eBay, Facebook, and Craigslist.

When selling Pokémon Cards on these sites it’s important to know that you will be going up against other sellers so make sure your pricing is competitively priced and consider using a higher percentage of profits when calculating how much you want for each card.

Reaching out to buyers is very important because buying cards is a very personal process. Personal contact can give you insight into the buyers’ needs and wants before they even have to ask for it!

After reading this post, readers should understand why investing in Pokémon Cards is worth their time.

6. Tips for buying and selling Pokémon cards

Some tips for buying and selling Pokémon cards:

  • Consider using a higher percentage of profits when calculating how much you want for each card.
  • Reaching out to buyers is very important because buying cards is a personal process – it’s worth your time (and money) to make the buyer happy and satisfied with their purchase!
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Conclusion on Investing in Pokemon Cards

With Pokémon Cards now in their second decade, investing and selling them has become a multi-billion dollar industry. The best firms to buy Pokémon cards are online companies like A&A Card Shop or the PSA/DNA card grading company. These two companies offer services that range from buying your old cards on eBay for you once per week to providing an assessment of the value of your cards with pricing estimates based on rarity and condition. If you’ve never invested in any kind of collectible before then this is definitely worth looking into! You might be surprised at how much money you can make off these little pieces of nostalgia if they just happen to have been printed during peak popularity periods like 1999 when Pokèmon first came out.

As you can see, there is so much to know about investing in Pokémon cards. I hope this article helps you make an educated decision and realize that the process of selling and buying them doesn’t have to be complicated! In fact, it could just be a very lucrative hobby or side gig for anyone who might need some extra cash.

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Nick Dingler
Die Hard Creator & Collector