How to invest in Pokemon cards – three steps to spotting ones worth up to £250k & why you SHOULDN’T use AI to help

When it comes to Pokemon, they say you’ve got to catch them all – but actually, you only need to find one to make a mint. Find a winning card and your investment could BEAT the stock market… but how do you spot one? Here’s three steps to hunting down a card, and exactly WHEN and where to sell it to cash in an eye-watering return. Not every Pokemon card will make you a fortune Pokemon first hit our screens in the 90s, but it wasn’t until 2020, during the Covid pandemic, that the value of cards really began to soar as fans rediscovered old cards while locked down at home. The Trading Card Game is a game in which you collect cards featuring information and artwork about the different characters from the series. New packs can be picked up on the high street in stores such as WH Smith and Currys for about £4.99. But cards may be worth considerably more. Roy Raftery, head of pop culture at the auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwins says some Pokemon cards, like Charazard, that were worth £180 in 2019 sold for £4,500 by the summer of 2020. And the Pokemon company itself has been savvy. It releases new sets of cards to collect every year to maintain interest, ensuring there is a “golden ticket” rare card in each set, that is instantly worth about £500, Roy says. That means people starting a collection now can still potentially make money by buying new packs. This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of Pikachu and the gang, and hype around the global franchise has never been more intense. But fans could be sitting on a small fortune if they play their training cards right. Here’s what you need to know. How much money could you make? InfluenInfluencer Logan Paul set a new record this year when he sold a rare card for £12 million Credit: Getty It all depends on what cards you find. Influencer Logan Paul set a new record this year when he sold a rare Pikachu Illustrator card for £12 million at auction. He had bought the card in 2021 for £3.9 million. There are only around 39 in existence, according to Roy. Other examples of highly valuable cards include a 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard, which sold in 2022 for £308,000, and a 1997 Trophy Pikachu No. 2 Trainer which sold this year for about £325,000. But there are no guarantees your set will be worth a fortune, warns Dave Spence from Potteries Auctions. “You might have 200 cards and 197 are not valuable,” he says. “The early base packs of the late 90s and early 00s are often the most desirable.” How to spot a winner worth up to £250,000 There are tricks to spotting a valuable card and its condition is critical to the value Credit: The Times The condition of a card is key to its value. The ones that sell for the most have been “graded” by a reputable company – more on that later – on a scale from 1 (worst) to 10 (best). There are tricks to spotting a valuable card. Research the latest sets and upcoming ones. The 30th anniversary Pokemon set, due to be released mid-September, is widely anticipated by fans across the globe. Look out for characters like Charizard and Pikachu, as these cards can be particularly sought after, says Rebecca Crisp, gaming expert at Currys. Check the rarity symbol – a small symbol in the corner of the card indicating how rare it is. A black dot indicates a common card while stars can indicate it is harder to find and could be more valuable. Cards with holographic finishes and full-art designs – where the picture covers the whole face of the card – are also in demand. Limited or promotional release cards could be worth more too. Among the most valuable cards out there are: 1999 1st Edition Charizard Holo – retail price £2.50 a pack in 1999, expected to fetch £250,000+ – a rise of 9999900per cent Pikachu Illustrator – £200,000+ 1st Edition Blastoise & Venusaur Holo – £30,000 – £50,000 Shadowless and First Edition cards – anything from £5,000 – £100,000 Special Promo and Tournament Cards – £1,000-£5,000 Apps such as Collectr and TCG Collector are useful, letting you scan a card to see what it is currently worth based on its condition. Older cards tend to be the most sought after. Roy says: “They’re rare. It’s very hard to find a Grade 9 or 10 version of a card that might be 25 or 30 years old, and it’s not like they’re making any more of them.” Get it graded and when to sell Sending a card to a grading company can increase its value when you come to sell Credit: Getty Think you’ve potentially got a hidden gem? Sending a card to a grading company can increase its value, says Ben Powell, who owns the trading card shop Full Fire TCG in Gloucester. But be sure only to use established, reputable companies. Ace Grading and PG Grading are well-regarded in the UK. Trading card shops such as TCG Full Fire will offer you an independent examination and can also recommend a grading firm. Apps like Collectr and Pulse can also help. Alternatively you could contact a local auction house, which can use databases to see what other lots have sold for. Next, you’ll want to know how to sell yours on to make cash. Dave suggests it’s best not to wait too long if you do have a valuable card to sell: “It’s not like an investment where you know that if you sit on it for a long time, the price will rise. With trading cards, the peaks and troughs are less predictable and things go out of fashion, so it’s best to act now.” The mistakes to avoid when investing in Pokemon cards Even if you think you’ve got a valuable card make sure you avoid simple mistakes Credit: AFP How you store your cards is important. Keeping them in a binder or individual “penny sleeves” will help to protect and preserve the cards, meaning they are more likely to retain their value. Be wary of using sites like Ebay and Amazon, or even AI, to assess the value of your cards because the values are unlikely to be based on expert information. When it comes to buying cards, Roy says: “Don’t get caught up in FOMO and feel you have to buy every product on the shelf.” Only buy from reputable shops and dealers – fakes and scams are rife online. Rebecca says: “Look out for unusual fonts, spelling mistakes, poor alignment, incorrect colours and cards and that feel unusually glossy, thin or flimsy. “Missing or incorrect set symbols and energy icons can also be warning signs.” If you’re selling cards, going through a shop such as TCG might be easier but you will always get less than the retail price, as they need to make a profit when they sell it on. Selling at auction may fetch a greater profit, but keep in mind that you’ll need to pay the auction house fee. Stanley Gibbons Baldwins charges 5% of the sale price. Avoid selling through online marketplaces such as Facebook and Ebay, where sales above a certain amount are not usually protected. The risks of Pokemon as an investment It’s best not to view Pokemon trading cards as an investment. When you invest in the stock market, the price is determined by the “fundamentals” – factors you can measure like profit, revenue and cashflow – and even if the share price falls, you might still get paid a dividend. Trading cards can’t pay you an income like some traditional investments such as bonds, so the only way you can potentially make money is by selling for a higher price than you bought for. Something else to bear in mind if you do find a valuable card in your set is whether it could land you with a tax bill. If you sell an individual possession for more than £6,000, it becomes liable for Capital Gains Tax of up to 24%. Be sure to check the rules and make sure you understand how much you may need to pay.