In the collectors world, First Edition Pokemon Cards are what will make your cards valuable. Although this little mark on your Pokemon Card doesn't make it a goldmine for collectors, it certainly is much more rarer, and depending on the type of card and age, this sticker could be a thousand dollar difference. Before we continue on, if you are using Ebay and reading this review right now, you probably are old enough to live through the generation of the start of Pokemon Cards, and the short living of the 1st Edition Stamp on Pokemon Cards. The most valuable cards come from 1999-2000 or, the Base Set. Although not having cards from the base set doesn't make your cards valuable, it is certainly where most expensive Pokemon Cards come from. But then again, having a base set card doesn't mean your card is a goldmine, unless it is a desired card to this day. However, the most fundamental part to finding whether your cards are worth dollars or pennies, is if it has the First Edition Stamp or not. Look at the picture of the two Charizard's on the left. The only way to find out if the card is First Edition or not, is to look at the middle left of your card, if it is in the older set. If you noticed, the card on the left has a 1st edition stamp on it. Obviously, you can tell the card pokemon cards worth money First Edition. However, looking on the right card, on the left there is no 1st Edition stamp, therefore it is not First Edition. The text on the Charizard on the left is smaller, this is not how to find a 1st Edition card, but a pokemon cards worth money card, which I will not be getting on topic right now. While owning this stamp doesn't mean you have a goldmine, like before, again, it means that your card is much more valuable than the standard card without this stamp, as it is rarer than the usual. But for the newer sets, post 2001, 1st Edition cards were abolished, so don't expect to find a 1st Edition card post 2001. Moving on to what makes your Pokemon Card valuable. We've already covered the 1st Edition stamp, but what about other cards. It is, if your cards are real or fake. Some people would think their fake cards are a rare misprint, and wonder if they are worth hundreds of dollars. This is the biggest destroyer to your cards' value. You could have a fake 1st Edition Charizard, and it may be worth about nothing, again. But how are you going to distinguish fake cards before buying them. Like in those fake booster packs, at those markets. The first telltale sign is that the cards are very cheap. While some shops have massive discounts due to low demand, there are shops which sell fake cards, although they seem like a bargain. The second sign is that, where are the booster packs bought from. If they are bought from major retailers, they are definitely not fake. If they are bought in small shops, which are placed in cheap pokemon cards worth money containers, beware. Notice the picture, again on the left. The left card is fake, and the card on the right is real. The way I distinguish my cards for sale, is all on the back. The card on the right however looks very detailed, and is made with quality materials, hence the heavy price. On the left card, on the front, I have highlighted the signs on the picture. On the left, it is faded and looks very cheap. Now, to another way to find whether your card is valuable or not is whether it is in good condition or not. If your card is in flawless condition, no scratches or anything, but not a desirable card, it will still be more valuable than the same card not in good condition. But that's beside the point. That's why your desired cards are probably in horrible condition, making the very good condition, old desirable cards extremely valuable. That is how strict the scale is. Now, let's move on to the next type of card that can make your cards valuable. Is your card a shadowless card. Shadowless cards are just as rare as 1st Edition cards, and unlike 1st Edition Cards, they were only printed in one set, the Base Set, and has mor e w ays of being distinguished. This picture has been enlarged to explain the difference. Look at the Charizard on the left, and ignore the 1st Edition Symbol. As you can see, the picture of the Charizard itself is much darker than the one placed on the right. A more distinguishable way is th e text on the card attack itself. Notice on the shadowless card that the text is much smaller than the regular base set pokemon cards worth money. Now, moving on to the most distinguishable way to figure whether it is shadowless or not. Look at the bottom of the card. See the 1995,96,98 and 99 on the bottom of the Shadowless Charizard. Shadowless cards only have t his production date. Normal base set cards however only have 1995, 96 and 98. I'm putting this out again, simply having a shadowless card isn't that valuable, but it is more looked out for in the Pokemon Trading Card World.
