Just yesterday I saw a meme where a son is asking his mother where his Pokemon cards are as they could be worth thousands of dollars, and the mother sighing because she threw them! Well, as funny it was to me for some people it is no less than a nightmare. Gold Pokemon cards value can be worth thousands, especially because they belong to the expensive type of these cards.
To give you an idea, the 1998 Illustrator CoroCoro Comics Promo (Pikachu Illustrator card) is worth $5,275 000, which is the highest value of such a type of card.
Not to lower your excitement, but not all Pokemon gold plated cards value the same. Some common ones go as low as $5.
So, in that case, how do you determine the value of a gold Pokemon card? What are some expensive ones that you should be aware of?
All of these questions and more, regarding to gold foil pokemon cards value, we will cover in this article in detail.
Table of Contents
What Are Gold Pokemon Cards?
Gold Pokemon cards are a subset of the secret rare category of collectible Pokemon cards. These cards have a special gold holo foil of gold and are considered to be the most sought-after by collectors.
There is a numbered setlist to each set of cards, but a secret rare card is where you find them surpassing that number.
Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) prints a limited number of special edition cards to attract collectors or to promote their card game.
Gold Pokemon cards was first appeared as the part of Black & White – Legendary Treasures in 2013. This was the set which had two gold cards as secret rare cards: Zekrom 115/113 AND Reshiram 114/113.
What Are Gold Pokemon Cards Worth?
The first thought you might have after hearing about Gold Pokemon cards is that they have to be expensive.
Well, that’s not always the case.
Gold Pokemon cards value varies depending upon factors like card condition, featured Pokemon, rarity and others.
They do not necessarily need to be expensive. In fact, there are many gold Pokemon cards worth in the range of $2 to $10.
Having said that, there are indeed Gold Pokemon cards that are more on the expensive side as well.
In fact, if you have a couple of high-value rare Gold Pokemon cards, you can make a real fortune there.
The gold Pokemon cards featuring famous Pokemon like Pikachu have higher value and are more desirable amongst collectors.
Here are a few of the most valuable Gold Pokemon cards to give you an idea of how much these are worth:
| Gold Pokemon card Name | Price Range | Highest Sale Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pokemon Pop Series 5 Umbreon-Gold Star #17 (2006) | $400-$15,000 | $20,000 |
| Pokémon-EX Dragon Frontiers Charizard-Holo Gold Star #100 (2006) | $120-$22,000 | $60,064 |
| Pokémon-EX Holon Phantoms Pikachu-Holo Gold Star #104 (2006) | $350-$6,000 | $15,000 |
| Pokémon Ex Dragon Frontiers Mew-Holo Gold Star #101 (2006) | $150 - $4,000 | $7,000 |
| Pokémon EX Legend Maker Regirock-Holo Gold Star #91 (2006) | $40- $2,000 | $1,999 |
List Of The Expensive Pokemon Cards
| POKEMON CARD NAME | GRADE | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Pokémon Japanese Promo Summer Battle Road Miracle Diamond | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $32,000 |
| 2018 Pokémon Promo World Championships Holo No. 3 Trainer | PSA 9 | $32,400 |
| 2004 Pokémon World Championships Ken Sugimori Pokémon Cut AUTO DNA | PSA 9 | $33,000 |
| 2002 Pokémon Trophy Card Neo Summer Battle Road Number 2 Trainer | BGS 7.5 NRMT+ | $34,100 |
| 2010 Daisuki Club 8,600 Pts Master Scroll Holographic | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $35,200 |
| 2005 Pokémon Japanese Promo Spring Battle Road Victory Ring | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $36,000 |
| 1995 Pokémon Japanese Topsun Holofoil Charizard #6 | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $37,600 |
| 2000 Pokémon Topps Chrome Series 1 Sparkle Charizard #6 | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $38,400 |
| 2000 Pokémon Tropical Mega Battle Lucky Stadium Trainer Promo Trading Card | CGC NM/Mint 8. | $38,400 |
| 2010 Pokémon Japanese Design Promo 4th Grade Winner Illusion’s Zoroark | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $40,800 |
| 2005 EX Deoxys Gold Star Rayquaza Holographic | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $44,400 |
| 1999 Pokémon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Chansey #3 | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $45,000 |
| 1999 Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle No. 3 Trainer | CGC NM/Mint+ 8.5 | $49,854.00 |
| 2004 Pokémon EX Team Rocket Returns Holo Gold Star Torchic #108 | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $50,000 |
| 1999 Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle No. 2 Trainer | Authentic | $50,300 |
| No Rarity Holographic Venusaur signed by Mitsuhiro Arita | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $55,000 |
| 2000 Pokémon Topps Chrome Series 1 Tekno Charizard #6 | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $60,000 |
| Venusaur 1999 Pokémon Base 1st Ed Shadowless 15/102 | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $60,000 |
| 2005 Japanese Summer Battle Road Mew Victory Orb Trophy | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $60,000 |
| 2006 Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Holographic Charizard | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $60,066 |
| 1999 Pokémon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind Trainer Card | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $65,100 |
| University Magikarp Tamamushi Univ. Prize 1998 Nintendo Pokémon Japanese Promo | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $78,000 |
| 2005 Pokémon Japanese Play Promo 70,000 Pts Holo Umbreon Gold Star #26 | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $78,000 |
| 1999 Pokémon Game 1st Edition #2 Blastoise – Holo | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $80,000 |
| Pokémon Super Secret Battle “No. 1 Trainer” Trainer Promo Hologram Trading Card (1999) | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $90,000 |
Top 10 most expensive Pokemon cards
| 2006 Pokémon World Championships No. 2 Trophy Trainer Card | PSA 9 | $110,100 |
| 2000 Pokémon Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9 | BGS 10 Pristine | $144,300 |
| Kangaskhan-Holo #115 (Family Event Trophy Card) | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $150,100 |
| 1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Bronze 3rd-2nd Tournament Trophy Pikachu #3 | PSA 9 | $192,000 |
| 2017 P.M. SM Black Star #TPCi01 Tsunekazu Ishihara Signed Pokémon GX Promo Card | PSA NM 7 | $247,230 |
| 1996 Pokémon Japanese Base Set Holo Charizard No Rarity, Arita Autograph | PSA 10 | $324,000 |
| Pokémon Blastoise #009/165R Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Hologram | NM/Mint+ 8.5 | $360,000 |
| 1999 Pokémon Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Holo Charizard #4 | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $420,000 |
| 1995 Pokémon Japanese Topsun Charizard, Scarce Blue Back | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $493,230 |
| 1998 Illustrator CoroCoro Comics Promo (Pikachu Illustrator card) | PSA 10 Gem Mint | $5,275,000 |
How To Determine Pokemon Card Value?
Card’s Condition
One of the simplest yet most significant factors determining a Pokemon card’s value is its condition.
The better your Pokemon card’s condition or state, the more valuable it is. The condition factor applies to any form of the card, from least rare to ultra rare.
So, what determines the condition of the card? Well, there are some central bodies like Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) to officially grade the condition of the cards in terms of quality.
This rating is from one to ten, where a higher score means least or never used, new, and mint condition card.
Card Edition
You can easily spot the card’s edition and print date on any Pokemon card. It is one of the essential factors in determining gold Pokemon cards value or any other Pokemon card.
The older the edition is, the higher the demand it has. So the earlier date of release you find on the card, the more sought-after card that will be.
This means the first edition cards have the highest value, and you will get the highest prices on them.
First-edition cards are easier to identify since you can spot them in a circle at the artwork’s bottom left corner.
Collector Number
One way to identify any secret rate Pokemon cards or figure out Pokemon gold cards value is to look at their collector number.
Each Pokemon card has a unique number in a xxx/xxx format. A secret rare Pokemon card always has its first number in its collector number format higher than the second number.
Also, if you can see an “SH” in front of the collector number, then it is considered even more special and desirable among enthusiasts.
The shining Pokemon and special artwork is an additional factor that signifies the rarity of the Pokemon card.
Card Rarity Symbol
Finding a rarity symbol on a card is the easiest way to spot a rare Pokemon card or determine a gold Pokemon card value.
If you can see a circle on your Pokemon card, then it is just a typical card. And that’s what you usually will find in a Pokemon card.
However, cards with a diamond symbol are uncommon Pokemon cards. Then, there are some rare cards which are denoted by a star.
Beyond these, you will also spot some ultra-rare Pokemon cards, which are very rare and are more of a special releases. To spot these, you will see some unique and more amazing art with some holographic shine to it.
Finally, only a few rare secret Pokemon cards are most challenging to find. You will hardly find them in a booster pack.
Since visually, they are not much different from the Ultra rare Pokemon cards, so it becomes harder to spot and identify them.
One simple method to identify them is to check their collector number as it will be much higher than a set number.
Card Level
Some editions of the Pokemon cards also feature the card’s level number by its name.
The card level actually denotes the power level of the Pokemon. Now, it can be a symbol, a number, or even a letter abbreviation or combination.
Apart from this, if you can see the stylist SP on the card’s artwork, they are special Pokemon (SP) that increase the card level.
Misprints
When it comes to misprints and mistakes in collectible Pokemon cards, it makes them even more valuable, rare, and, hence, desirable.
So, if you spot any misprints that include any spelling mistakes or any missing element in the card’s design, those are highly collectible and rare for sure.
Usually, such misprints are identified early and fixed, even before they get to the public. But some of them managed to slip through and never get returned, and that’s what makes them highly unique and rare to collect.
Holo
Another way to identify the value of a Pokemon card is the shine of the artwork. The shinier the card or artwork, the more valuable it is.
Checking this holographic shine of the card is one of the easiest ways to determine gold Pokemon cards value.
You will spot some Pokemon cars that have this holographic foil over the artwork, creating this additional reflective layer of shine.
Such cards are known to be rare holos, and since they are not common, it increases the value of the card.
The more usual or much more commonly found cards have this matte artwork, but the rest of the card has this holographic shiny touch.
Then, finally, there are some ultra-rare cards or special cards that have both shiny artwork and a shiny border.
Final thoughts
Gold Pokemon cards are these special gold embossed holofoil cards considered the most sought-after card type amongst collectors.
Any gold plated pokemon cards value depends upon its rarity, condition, level and other few factors. They are a subset of secret rare Pokemon cards.
It is essential to understand that a Gold card isn’t necessarily expensive. They can be around five to 10 dollars. And then the most expensive ones go up to $50,000 or even more.
FAQ
1. What Is Gold Pokemon Cards Value?
Gold Pokemon cards value depends upon its rarity, card condition, card level, featured Pokemon and other factors. Usually they are expensive ranging from $1,000 to $50,000. However, some are affordable, as low as $5.
2. Are Gold Pokemon Cards Rare?
Yes, Gold Pokemon Cards are considered to be rare and hard to get in a rooster pack. However, its value depends upon other factors such as featured Pokemon, card condition, etc.
3. Which Is The Most Expensive Gold Pokemon Cards?
The most expensive gold Pokemon card is the Umbreon Star.
4. Where To Buy Gold Pokemon Cards?
If you are lucky, you might find Gold Pokemon cards in any Pokemon TCG booster pack. Some come with a particular product as promotional cards. The best place to buy Gold Pokemon cards is from eBay.
