Guide · 4 min read

How much are my Pokémon cards worth?

Published 6 March 2026 by Chasing Cards

If you’ve just found an old binder in the loft, you’ve probably already asked the question: how much are these actually worth?

Fair question, and the answer varies a lot. Some cards are worth pennies. Others are worth a surprising amount, depending on exactly what you’ve got. It usually comes down to four things: rarity, condition, which set the card is from, and whether it’s been graded. Here’s what collectors look at.

Rarity makes a big difference

Most cards have a small symbol in the bottom corner that tells you how rare they are. A circle is common, a diamond is uncommon, and a star is rare. Commons were printed in huge numbers, so (for the most part) they’re not worth much on their own.

Rares, holos and secret rares are where it gets interesting, especially cards featuring the big names like Charizard, Pikachu or Mewtwo. If you’ve got vintage holos, they’re definitely worth a closer look.

Condition is very important

Condition can make an enormous difference to value. Collectors look for:

Clean, sharp corners
Minimal wear on the edges
No creases, dents or bends
A clean surface with few scratches

Cards that lived in sleeves or binders tend to hold their value much better than ones that spent the 90s in a pocket. Even a rare card can lose a lot of its value with heavy wear.

Older cards are often worth more

Some of the most sought-after cards were printed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the early days of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Collectors call these vintage cards.

Base Set, Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket are the most recognisable, and holo or 1st Edition versions from those sets can be very valuable. Modern cards can be worth money too, though, particularly chase cards that are hard to pull from packs.

What about graded cards?

You may have seen cards sealed in a plastic case with a label and a number. Those are graded cards. Companies like PSA, CGC and ACE inspect a card and give it a condition score from 1 to 10.

A high grade can make a huge difference. A vintage card graded PSA 10 can be worth many times more than the same card in average condition.

Cards worth more than you’d think

Some types of card attract more attention from collectors than others. Keep an eye out for:

Vintage holographic cards
1st Edition cards
Secret rares
Full art and illustration rare chase cards
Popular or cult-classic Pokémon

If you’ve got an old binder, it’s worth going through it carefully. You never know what’s hiding in there.

Thinking about selling?

If you’re still wondering what your cards are worth, the easiest way to find out is a proper valuation. We regularly look through collections for people who’ve rediscovered their old cards, whether it’s one childhood binder, a few graded slabs or a full collection.

Get a free, honest valuation

Send a few photos and we’ll tell you what you’ve got and what it’s worth. If you’d like to sell afterwards, we’ll make you a fair offer. If not, that’s completely fine too.