Gotta cash ‘em all: Set of mint-condition Pokemon cards auctioned off for over $148k

Pokemon Trading Card Game players (you know who you are), dust off that old binder of collectable cards because the time is ripe to cash ‘em all. If they’re kept properly in mint condition, that is.

TMZ Sports reported that a complete set of Pokemon cards — including that ultra-valuable first-edition Charizard — was auctioned off last weekend for a whopping total of US$107,010 (S$148,573), officially the biggest amount of cash plonked down in the history of Pokemon TCG.

For that sum of money, the buyer purchased a set of 103 Pokemon cards from 1999, all of which are of Gem Mint 10 quality. What that means is that the cards are of the highest grading standard, as verified by card condition authority Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA).

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Of course, the one that held the biggest value within the deck is the most coveted Pokemon card in the world: a holographic first-edition Charizard with a Gem Mint 10 grade. According to Goldin Auctions, it’s worth tens of thousands by itself.

The minimum bid started at US$25,000 but the 12 bidders managed to eke up the value to US$107,010, a good US$7,000 higher than a similar-condition complete set that got sold back in 2017. Guess Pokemon diehards can be filthy rich too.

In any case, if you’re sitting on a full set of cards of your own, it’s always worth trying your luck to see if they can make the grade. Speaking to Kotaku, Goldin Auctions’ consignment director Dave Amerman mentioned that similar sets have gone up nearly 10 times in value since 2016. 

ilyas@asiaone.com