Pokemon TCG
Pokemon Sets
Pokemon Product Type
All Pokémon Products
Why Choose Pokemon TCG
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Pokemon Cards Worth Anything?
Yes, they are, but the value generally depends on how rare the card is and how popular the card is. The majority of Pokemon cards will typically have a value of less than 25p, which are common cards that are very widely available. These are typically normal Pokemon that have the normal border found regularly in packs. The more valuable cards are cards that typically have special artwork that covers most of the card such as the special illustration rares. This rule of thumb isn’t always true though, as sometimes you can find rare and valuable cards that have the regular border, so it is usually worth looking up the price on a trusted marketplace.
Do Pokemon cards lose value?
Yes they can. But they can also increase in price. Various factors contribute to the value of a Pokemon card including how widely available the card is and how popular the card is. When a new, very popular chase card is released, it will typically have a very high price. The price generally drops after a few weeks, as more people get hold of the card from cracking open packs which means more copies of the card are available to buy.
Cards will often then increase in price after some time, as sets will only have a fixed print run. Once the set is out of print, the card will become less available, driving the price of the card up again.
How do I know if my Pokemon card is worth a lot of money?
You can check the value of your card by looking at reselling sites such as eBay, CardMarket.com in Europe or TCGPlayer in the US. They will all show listings of most valuable cards that will give you an idea of the value of your card. You can also go to your friendly local game store, where they would probably look at similar websites to value your cards.
How can I tell if a Pokemon card is fake?
While there is an alarming number of fake Pokemon cards in circulation, it can often be quite easy to recognise fake cards from real cards. As Pokemon cards have matured, so have the way they are printed. More recently, real cards use special textured foiling on the most valuable cards printed. This becomes very difficult to imitate, hence most fake Pokemon cards will not have any texture in their foiling and instead look more ‘flat’ in comparison. There might be other tell tale signs too, such as a misspelt card name or incorrect details on the cards, such as the HP. It might look cool to have a Pokemon card with over 1000HP, but this is very unlikely to ever exist.
Other signs you can look for are the colours of the ink on the card compared to real cards. The Pokemon Company takes great care to print consistent looking Pokemon cards. Washed out colours or cards that have different shades compared to real cards probably suggest the card is fake.
In the UK, the largest distributor of sealed Pokemon cards is Asmodee UK, hence the majority of local game stores will receive their Pokemon TCG from Asmodee UK. They have an online portal of registered local game stores on their website. If a store is listed there, it’s probably safe to say that they are selling genuine Pokemon cards.
What Pokemon cards are banned from tournaments?
You can find the complete list of banned cards on the official Pokemon website. Generally speaking, card bans are rare for the Standard and Unlimited formats, though there are some cards banned in the Expanded format.