12 Insanely Valuable Pokemon Cards That Your Parents Probably Threw Away Years Ago
Wondering if any of your old Pokemon cards are worth serious scratch?
Next time you’re home for Christmas, head up to the attic in search of rectangular treasure. Unlike other lists of this nature, this one doesn’t include promotional cards, but only cards that were theoretically obtainable by the public through sheer dumb luck. All prices listed are for mint condition, PSA 10 cards according to Pricecharting.com.
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.
