First Edition Pokemon Card Set Sells for Over $100,000

You know that dusty box of old Pokemon cards you have in your parent’s basement that you plan on one day cashing in for an insane amount of money? Well here’s a little motivation to actually go check how much they’re worth: someone just sold a mint condition collection for a cool $107,010.Last weekend a complete set of 103 first-edition Base Set Pokemon cards were sold on Goldin Auctions for six figures. And yes, that includes the coveted first edition holographic Charizard.

First Edition Pokemon Set Sold for $107,010

What sets this collection apart from the one in your dinged up middle school binder is how they were kept in perfect condition. Every card was graded to be in “Gem Mint 10” condition, according to TMZ, who first reported on this insane Pokemon auction sale. It’s extremely rare for a card to receive a perfect Gem Mint rating because even fresh out of the booster pack a card can have minor defects that diminish the quality, like uneven color printing or little white chips on the border. So it is truly a remarkable feat to have the entire collection of the first English Pokemon set from all the way back in 1999 still in pristine condition.

This is yet another report of old Pokemon cards selling for an jaw-dropping amount. Back in August 2018 an unopened booster box of Pokemon Base Set sold for $56,000.

For more from the world of Pokemon, be sure to keep an eye on IGN this weekend as we report from the 2019 Pokemon World Championships where players will compete to win over $500,000 in prizes in tournaments for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Pokken Tournament, and of course the Pokemon Trading Card Game.

Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.