My younger sister recently asked me if she could look at or have my pokemon cards that I collected when I was younger. I wanted to know the value of these cards before I made any decision. Almost all of them are Base Set, Base Set 2, Jungle, Fossil, and team Rocket. I also have some from the Gym Heroes, Gym Challenge, Neo Genesis, Neo Discovery, Neo Revelation, Neo Destiny, Legendary Collection, Expedition, EX Ruby and Saphire, EX Dragon, EX Sandstorm, and a few Promo cards. Many of them are in English, however I have a handful of Japanese and German cards, including a Rare Holo Ninetales from the Base Set in German. A small amount of these cards are 1st edition, and I am not entirely sure what shadowless is, but I have seen that term in some of my research. Does anyone have any advice for determining these cards value? Most of them are in good condition with only slight fraying along the edges and very few of the common/uncommon cards have tearing. I am currently at my college dorm, so I do not have access to the cards themselves, but I took an inventory in an excel spreadsheet which notes everything except for whether it is shadowless or not (because I am not certain what it means). I started my search on many smaller websites, then I started looking at Troll & Toad, but I am not certain how valid those prices are. Could I please get some assistance? I could attach the spreadsheet if that would help.In most cases, value is determined by the condition of the cards, more than merely the cards themselves. (Unless it is a crazily rare card)
I suggest you take pictures/scans of the better cards when you have access to them again. I’ve found that its hard to sell even job lots for a lot of money unless they are graded and people know what they’re getting. But I may be wrong, just my experience selling on eBay so far.
Ok, thank you. What is the process to have them graded like? How can I determine if any of my cards are really rare?
Many of the rare cards from that era are obscure errors and may not be obvious at first.
One of the easiest cards to look for include the Shadowless cards you mentioned. Take a look below:
On the left, you have a Shadowless Blastoise. Note the right side of the artwork. There is no shadow. On the right picture, you have a normal Blastoise. Again, take a look just right of the artwork, except note this time that there is a shadow. That is the difference between Shadowless and normal Base set cards. The latter is incredibly common, but the holos still have some value. Only cards from Base set can be found in a Shadowless variant. Furthermore, there are 1st edition Base cards that are worth much more than either of these two examples. That is a good place to start with analyzing your collection.
Second, take a look to see if you have any 1st edition holo cards, from any set. Mint 1st edition holos (without edge wear, scratches, bends, etc.) can be worth a nice amount. Cards from Jungle and Fossil are hard to find in mint condition, and the holos are sometimes worth up to $15. Note: some Jungle cards lack the set symbol and look just like Base set cards. These are errors, and are also worth more.
Finally, check to see if you have any “Ultra Rare” cards. These include Shinings from Neo Revelation and Neo Destiny. These also include “Crystal Type” cards from Aquapolis and Skyridge, or the EX cards from the sets that follow. Those are all the chase cards in a nut shell.
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Thanks a lot, I will have to look for that when I have access to the cards this weekend. I will try to post the he spreadsheet on here when I can. I am not sure if it will be helpful, but I don’t think it could hurt.
Edit: it will not allow me to attach the file even though it is only 31kb.