Although it may be surprising to those who didn’t grow up in the late nineties, old Pokémon cards are definitely not Junk!

By this point in time, no matter how old you are, you’ve probably seen one of the cute fanciful characters known as Pokémon. It’s even quite likely that you have some Pokémon paraphernalia somewhere in your belongings if you’re among the current college-aged generation.

What is Pokémon?

Pokémon exploded into mainstream popular culture in the late 90s, first with the release of a video game for the Gameboy gaming system, then later with the release of the television show and collectible battle card game.

The cards gained massive popularity with children of the aforementioned era, and continue to be popular to this day.

How do you tell if the ones in your collection are valuable?

The first identifier for a rare Pokémon card is a symbol on the bottom right corner of the card. This symbol could be a black circle for ‘common’, a diamond for ‘uncommon’, or a star for ‘rare’. Any card with a star will be considered valuable by a collector of the cards and might be worth a fair amount of money.

The second identifier is foil or a ‘shiny card’. With a holographic addition to the illustration, these cards are considered super rare and were limited in their release, marking up their value.

The third indication of value will be on the bottom left corner of the card, where they print the year that card was released. Any card released during the 90’s will be sought after by those with nostalgia for the game. Nostalgia is a big buying factor for a lot of people, and many are willing to pay extra for a piece of their childhood memories.

Finally, and probably most importantly, the card must be in good condition. Any damage or wear on the card will greatly depreciate its value, and in some cases, render it completely worthless. It’s highly recommended that you store your Pokémon cards in individual plastic sleeves and keep them out of extreme light or humidity. You can find everything that you need for Pokémon preservation at your local hobby shop or office supply store. There are tons of resources available online to help you find the treasures in your collection.

Make sure you do your research and don’t throw away a first-edition Charizard. Any damaged or mass-produced cards, however, can be sent to us at Junk It!