A POKEMON card collector has revealed that there is a key sign to look out for to spot cards worth thousands.
Tord Reklev, 28, from Norway is the world’s number one-ranked player of the Pokemon Trading Card Game and often cashes in his spoils.
2
2
After coming in second-place at this year’s World Championship event, Rekev auctioned off his unique ‘No.2 Trainer Card’ for £70,000.
Experts had estimated the card to be worth up to £120,000.
And while super rare cards such as Rekev’s are of course worth a fortune, for most cards there is one factor which makes them more desirable.
Roy Raftery, managing director of Baldwins’ entertainment department says that for the trading card collector or investor, “condition is everything”.
Read More in Money
Rekev’s “No. 2 Trainer” card sold at auction for a whopping fee received the coveted PSA-10 grade, having been judged to be in “gem mint” condition.
Experts forensically examine the card under various lights and microscopes in a lab to determine its quality.
They painstakingly hunt for indents, scratches or factory errors before sending it back in a perspex case.
Collectors must also pay a fee depending on the value of the card with Rekev’s coveted card costing £3,000 just to grade.
Most read in Money
This is an insurance in the event the card is lost or damaged in transit, and the grading company has to pay out.
Baldwins has now taken to offering collectors free valuations and will act as a mediator should they want cards to be graded.
But Raftery warns that some customers are disappointed to discover their childhood toys are worthless due to the condition.
He told the Telegraph: “I get given old cards and people tell me, ‘these have not been touched in 25 years – they’re near mint’.
“But when they were touched 25 years ago they were battered. You kept them in your pocket with an elastic band tied around them and you played with them on the ground without sleeves.”
Raftery adds that the market for cards with iconic Pokemon such as Charizard and Blastoise is booming.
But some cards can command high prices if they feature the fiery orange dragon.
Three versions of the card sold for between £400 and £550 on Saturday, despite none of them being first edition.
He adds: “It’s the nostalgia factor as well. People like buying the things they bought as a kid – things that make them happy.
“Then there’s the genuine collectability and monetary value of Pokémon cards in today’s day and age. They are a collector’s item – they are something to invest in.”
Raftery says the rise of Pokemon cards at auction is not stopping anytime soon with the franchise having “stood the test of time”.
He added: “There was a touch-and-go period around 2003 when they thought it was going to die out; it’s just gone from strength to strength.”
After selling his card, Rekev said that only six exist, three for each division across the card game and video game tournaments.
Reklev continues: “I usually sell the trophy cards because they’re worth so much money it trumps the sentimental value.
“Especially because I do this for a living, it seems pretty fair to sell it. You get a lot of stuff from the World Championships if you are doing well – and I’ve already got a gigantic Pikachu trophy.”
In 1998, an illustrated ‘Pikachu Illustrator card’ was sold for £4.9m – the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold.
Read More on The Sun
Earlier this month, a Pokemon Neo Discovery Set containing a whopping 60 packs that were released in 2000 was sold for more than £10,000.
Meanwhile a grandad who nearly threw out his Pokemon cards is now hoping they’ll fetch £20,000.
