12 Insanely Valuable Pokemon Cards That Your Parents Probably Threw Away Years Ago
Holographic Japanese Poliwrath (No Rarity Symbol): $3,220
The Pokemon Company
Some Japanese cards omitted the rarity symbol usually in the bottom-right corner, which now, ironically serves to indicate their extreme rarity.
Holographic Japanese Venusaur (No Rarity Symbol): $7,107
The Pokemon Company
Another valuable blunder from the run without rarity symbols, but featuring a slightly more beloved Pokemon, makes for a nice payday.
First-Edition Mewtwo: $8,550
The Pokemon Company
You don’t get to be the star of the first Pokemon movie without a price tag to match.
First-Edition Charizard (Mysterious Mountains): $8,700
The Pokemon Company
That weird barcode on the side is a testament to the failure of e-cards, which were scannable by a Game Boy Advance Attachment. Not a great idea, but one that turned out to be a great investment.
First-Edition Shining Charizard: $10,273
The Pokemon Company
Clearly, people’s love for the O.G. fire-spitting starter evolution has held up, with it making multiple appearances on this list.
Gold Star Torchic: $13,689
The Pokemon Company
Look, I understand that Torchic is adorable. But I’m not going to lie, I don’t totally get how this thing is this close to the top of the list.
Gold Star Charizard (Dragon Frontiers): $17,700
The Pokemon Company
They keep saying Pikachu is the mascot, but he’s not the one with the power to wipe out credit card debt.
Holographic Gold Star Rayquaza: $30,331
The Pokemon Company
A legendary Pokemon, and a legendarily bad thing to spill soda on.
First-Edition Chansey: $31,206
The Pokemon Company
In Pokemon, Chansey is associated with luck, and if you’ve got a pristine one of these sitting around, I would say it tracks.
Holographic First-Edition Neo Genesis Lugia: $50,000
The Pokemon Company
A PSA 10 version of this card is exceedingly rare, for the simple reason that there were a ton of manufacturing issues with this set. If you were lucky enough to get one where everything looked right, you had a legitimate treasure on your hands.
Holographic First-Edition Charizard (Base Set): $313,444
The Pokemon Company
Here he is, the big not-dragon himself. I was always disappointed as a kid that I never got a Charizard, and it turns out I should have been even more disappointed.
Topps Tekno Charizard: $35,000
The Pokemon Company
Our last card isn’t technically related to the trading card game at all. If you were a kid during the height of the Pokemon craze, you may have gotten a pack of Topps Pokemon cards, not the TCG variety, from a well-meaning grandparent. Turns out maybe it shouldn't have gone straight into the trash.