I’m an OG pokemon collector. As a kid I tried to keep the ones I got in as pristine condition as possible. I only took them out of the sleeve if I were to trade them at the back room at Toys R Us back in the day for pokemon events.
As a kid I loved Pokemon back in the day (still do!). Now I’m married with 3 kids and love my family more, so I’m considering selling some of these so we can maybe save up enough for a down payment on a home one day, or pay some medical bills.
Some of these cards have additional cards behind them. Most do not.
I’d really appreciate it if anyone can share some advice for these questions:
I have a holo 1st edition Chansey. Mine is in French (Leveinard). I think that’s worth something but I can’t find a sale for years. Does anyone have an estimate?
Is there anything in this set that stands out as worth grading? The cost is a lot-- $15 per card with PSA. I don’t think it makes sense to grade them all since the cost of the PSA might be worth more than the card itself. Right?
Where is the best place to sell cards? Any tips on selling?
I’ll leave more specific advices for those who grade more but i’ll say that here’s probably a bunch of people interested in seeing the condition of your french 1st ed chansey since it has been a topic for conversation more than once
Love seeing these old collections! You’ve got a lot of cool stuff here. Nothing too crazy, but worth a little bit of money.
The most valuable cards should be the Neo Genesis Lugia, the Japanese Umbreon, Shadowless Base Set Gyarados, and Unlimited Base Set Venusaur.
Condition will be the key thing for value. If the cards are in near mint condition (limited edgewear, no creases or dents, few holo scratches) that will increase their value. Excellent to good condition cards (creased, dented, significant edgewear or holo scratches) will decrease the value.
I am not fully up to date on the market for these cards so someone else may be able to help, but I’d say if you wanted to sell the collection as is, assuming conditions are mixed, you may make $250 or so. The only cards I would consider grading would maybe be the Lugia and Shadowless Gyarados, but only if they are in near mint or better condition. At that point you are probably better off just selling to someone who will deal with the grading themselves and maybe make a bit of profit.
In terms of selling, eBay is always your best bet. Take clear pictures of the front and back of important cards so people know what they’re bidding on. If you just want to let it go, set it as a 99c auction for 7 days.
I will say that most older collections are not very valuable. Mainly perfectly preserved cards carry large premiums in today’s market. Given this, I often think it’s better to just hold on to your old collection, the value you get by selling is minimal. This collection certainly won’t make a big dent in a home down payment, so just enjoy the cards as they are!
Wow y’all are quick! I was expecting to check back end of day or in a few days and hope someone would respond. Thanks for all of the help so far! I really appreciate it.
@fourthstartcg
Conditions for all are pristine and untouched barring a select few cards (<5). I read that it doesn’t mean it’s a PSA 10 because it depends on printing, but they’re all pristine/unbent/unscratched/untouched.
Hi pfm. Thank you. Were the 297 in perfect condition from the user, and just downgraded because of printing issues? Or were they slightly damaged at submission?
It’s based on a lot of factors. The centering of the border, the back should have little to no whitening on the edges. The fromt should be pretty free of scratches especially on the holo. Light colored holographic cards are the hardest to grade because the scratches tend to stand out.
Yeah, i’m aware it’s not likely but still every raw one could be one op said they tried to keep their cards in pristine condition so i’m guessing it’s worth a better look at least
Just putting it out there OP. If the chansey grades a 10 there’s a member here willing to pay $20k for it. The Neo Genesis Lugia could also be worth $10k+ if graded a 10.
It’s high unlikely but I’m rooting for you. As I’ve seen a few people with similar stories like yours hit the jackpot with PSA before.
I think we should moderate our expectations a bit since we are talking about achieving an extraordinarily difficult grade from a card shoved into a binder without sleeves by a child.
Even if they are perserved in pack fresh condition, the expectation would still be PSA 9. Which would probably net you around $1500 for both of them.
That’s not to say that it can’t get the 10, but it is a bit of a moonshot
I would agree with @pfm. We should temper expectations here. Everyone who rediscovers their childhood cards thinks that they are in pristine condition, when that likelihood is near zero.
The more likely scenario is that the binder is worth <$500 at auction.
I would just keep your childhood cards right where they are. It’s unlikely you’ll see any significant money with these. It likely won’t be worth the inevitable trouble of grading and selling.
Bingo! I’ve bought countless collections like this over the years, and turned down even more. The number one thing I tell people is your collection most likely has more sentimental value than monetary value.
