Pokémon's popularity is on the rise again. Especially the old-school cards are very popular. In addition to the nice memories of your childhood, these also bring in a nice pocket money if you have succeeded.
After some nice reports about Pokémon collectors, it turned out that your old Pokémon collection can generate a lot of money. The prices of some cards can range from several hundreds of euros to even thousands of euros. Unfortunately, it's not for everyone and most are disappointed to learn what their old collection is really worth. Of course there are also a number of lucky ones. Who knows you are too! But how do you know what your collection is really worth?
This manual contains all the tips and tricks that will help you in valuing your own Pokémon cards without the help of experts.
This manual is divided into 4 steps:
Step 1: Sort the cards by set
Step 2: Sort the cards by rarity
Step 3: Assess the condition of the cards
Step 4: Look for the prices
We'll go into more detail on each step below.
A number of important points in advance:
- The condition of the cards determines the value, the better the condition, the higher the value
- Not everything that shines is necessarily of high value
- Prices change quickly in the current market, so it is wise to check it regularly
Step 1: Sort the cards by set
It is helpful to start sorting the cards by set. This way you know how old your card is and you can also find it more easily online. For an overview of all sets and to know which set your card belongs to click here.
Step 2: Sort the cards by rarity
After you have sorted them by set, you can divide the cards into three categories: common, uncommon, and rare. This by means of the so-called rarity symbol. In the world of collecting, the terms of rarity are usually expressed in English as: common, uncommon and rare. The rarity symbol is always next to the number of the set, see the picture below.
You should now have sorted out a stack of rare and beloved cards. Now you can proceed to step 3.
Mint (M)
Perfect condition. The card has no scratches, white spots, discoloration, print lines or other defects. The front and back of the card are therefore not damaged.
Near Mint (NM)
The map looks almost perfect. It has not been played with, but it may have a print line or a white spot on the back due to a factory error. The damage is minimal and has no scratches.
The card has limited damage, scratches and white spots. But has no major scratches, creases or discoloration.
Good (GD)
Light Played (LP)
The card is very damaged: it has clearly been played with and it has obvious scratches, white spots and even a crease.
Poor
The card is badly damaged: it has deep scratches, creases and discoloration.
It is best to judge the cards on a black background without the case. Be critical when evaluating the cards to avoid confusion in case of a sale.
The last step is to look up the prices per card. This will ultimately give you insight into the value of your collection. It is important to keep in mind the condition of your cards. There are a number of websites where you can look up prices. You can divide them into websites that represent the European market and those that represent the American market. Because there are many more collectors in America than in Europe, prices may differ because of this.
This is the European marketplace for card games. Here the cards are bought and sold by private individuals as well as business users. The condition, language and prices are easy to see. The search function and filter options also make it easy to find the right card quickly.
This is a global marketplace for all kinds of products. This can make it difficult to find the right card quickly and get a good overview of the prices. It is important to use the filter functions and set it to sold products. This way you can see what collectors really pay for it. This is important because the asking price is not always the selling price. You can also filter on the global or European market.
Tcgplayer.com
This is an American marketplace for card games. This site is comparable to cardmarket: private individuals and business sellers can also offer the cards here.
Trollandtoad.com
This is an American webshop that offers cards from other business sellers in addition to its own individual cards. The prices of the cards here are usually slightly higher than the actual market value due to the profit margin of the sellers.
By following these steps you can now appraise all your cards yourself and estimate the value of your collection. Good luck!