Pokemon card values: Key factors that determine what your collection is worth

As Pokemon garners the attention of venture capitalists , social media stars, scalpers and even underworld figures, industry experts say now’s the time to dig up and dust off your own collection of cards to learn exactly what value they hold.

The franchise inspired by bug collecting launched in the 1990s and exploded to become the highest-grossing media juggernaut in history, continually churning out new video games, TV shows, toys and sets of its famous pocket-sized cards adorned with colourful monsters.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: The real reason fans line up for the beloved trading cards

The pandemic, nostalgia, limited-edition sets, and interest from celebrities have been credited with driving a fresh wave of popularity that has taken the trading card hobby once dominated by kids well beyond the playground.

Jonathan Marin, a certified trading card valuer who appraises them under his business TCG Valuations, said his team is seeing more and more collections pulled from storage as people shift to treating them as an investment .

“That’s driving growth at two ends. On one side are people who want to understand what they’ve actually got. On the other are collectors who know exactly what they have and want it insured, particularly with the rise in theft ,” Marin told 7NEWS.com.au.

Influencer Logan Paul set a Guinness world record when he offloaded his Pikachu Illustrator card for $23.3 million earlier this year.

While that sort of return on investment will not be enjoyed by all, Marin said people continue to “underestimate what they own”.

“I’ve sat in storage warehouses going through boxes with people and had to tell them, ‘this is worth $100,000, this is worth $200,000. What’s it doing in a storage shed?’,” he said.

Marin, who himself has been collecting since he was eight, said every valuation comes down to three things: “Authenticity, condition and market value.”

Marin said “rarity” is a key factor particularly in English-speaking markets where pull rates of Pokemon’s “chase” cards — the most sought-after and valuable cards from a specific set — are not printed.

“Here, collectors only know these cards are hard to find, and that scarcity drives demand,” he said.

“The same principle applies to vintage. Older cards, holographic cards, popular Pokemon and unusual sets all tend to carry more value, although old doesn’t automatically mean valuable. “The second factor is population, which means how many copies have achieved each grade. A perfect grade can be dramatically rarer than everything below it.

“The Pikachu from the 2021 25th Anniversary set is a great example. Up to a 9.5, it’s worth around $70 to $80. In a 10, it jumps to around $1700. The print quality of that set wasn’t great, so perfect copies are genuinely scarce.”