A short answer: Yes, Gold Pokémon cards are real but are typically promotional or limited edition items rather than standard trading cards.
While card games date back to the early 1300s, collectible cards and associated games started at the start of the 20th century with baseball cards being the most loved collectible item for kids and baseball fans.
However, in 1993, these cards were completely revolutionized with the advent of a game called Magic: The Gathering. Suddenly, these collectible cards were not just a game but were scaled to a level that they were being treated as stocks. They were now being traded, thus the name changed from collectible card game (CCG) to being called a trading card game (TCG). So we are here to figure out the types of Pokemon cards out there and among them, are gold Pokemon cards real or fake?
Are gold plated Pokemon cards real? Pokemon cards as an investment.
Since they are traded cards, there must exist a mechanism of earning money in this as well. Well, you guessed right! TCGs are not just any games but valuable assets in which you can invest. This is where our beloved Pokémon comes into play.
The Pokémon company introduced Pokémon trading cards in 1996. Since its inception, their prices for first-edition cards have appreciated by over 10,000%. Even with the above figure being probably the biggest profit margin in any industry, still only a handful of people actually know what makes some Pokemon cards excellent investments.
Apart from experts of the industry, it is even above one’s wildest imagination what the best cards are worth in 2023. The true collectibles cards are just gold as they guarantee their value to increase.
Pokemon cards are not a regional love affair now as they have a global market. However, even with such enormous fame at the world stage, it is still not easy to figure out what the best cards for investment are. While one can check the price of vintage cards on card trading websites, the rare cards are known only to the collectors who are willing to pay anything to get their hands on one of them.
Why so valuable? Are Pokemon cards worth money?
If you have followed the article so far, you must wonder about the scheme on which these Pokemon cards are based and what makes them so interesting. The cards were originally based on the Pokémon manga series that included Pokémon anime and video games.
So by the turn of the new century of Y2K, the Pokémon manga series had sold over 7.25 million tankobon volumes in the United States, with over 1 million copies of their best-selling single comic book: Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu.
Are gold Pokemon cards real? Factors that determine the value of Pokemon cards.
The key factor that determines the value of the Pokemon card is the most primitive human psychological instinct called Nostalgia. The game taps on this basic human need of bringing their childhood back to life.
Nostalgia, alone, is the biggest contributor to increasing the value of Pokemon cards with collectors willing to spend a fortune just to relive the moment that made them Pokemon fans in the first place.
Other various factors include the rarity of the cards, especially those which were printed as the first edition. Finding these Pokemon first edition cards is the trickiest thing which naturally makes them super expensive.
Moreover, demand and supply play a pivotal role in increasing the value of certain cards as their supply is limited with respect to their demand.
Lastly, the uniqueness of the cards is a major factor in determining its worth as cards with printing mistakes are rare and in high demand particularly because of their uniqueness.
The uniqueness also includes crimped cards with defects thus making crimped cards a rare breed and much more valuable.
Price of a Pokemon card. How much does it cost to get a card graded?
To answer the million dollar question, the answer is no, the tcg of pokemon is not an investment strategy, but an art for collectors.
That, however, being said, it is true that the rarest cards have earned in seven figures in usd. While on an average, unique cards can go from anywhere from a few hundred dollars to 10,000 usd, the rarest can certainly earn some lucky collectors a brand new car.
You can also get your card graded by different grading companies. The cost of getting Pokemon cards graded is based on the type of service, the card’s value, and the desired turnaround time. The most notable grading companies for Pokemon TCG are PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), BGS (Beckett Grading Services), and SGC (Sportscard Guaranty).
Gold cards! Real or fake?
Yes the GOLD Pokemon cards are as real a thing as they can get. Printed for the first exactly a decade ago, gold cards are a niche subset within the Pokémon card-collecting hobby.
Appearance. These cards have specially embossed gold holofoil. So as the name indicates, they are actually gold foiled cards.
Category. Gold cards are categorized as a ‘secret rare’ category. Each set of Pokemon cards has a numbered setlist and the cards which surpass that total number fall into the secret rare category thus coining them the term: Gold Cards. For example, the Black & White- Legendary Treasures set from 2013 contained two gold cards for the first time namely Reshiram numbered at 114/113, and Zekrom 115/113.
With their world wide fame and hunger, Pokemon card sets contain multiple gold cards printed for every set these days. Their collectible search remains still very valuable as they are very difficult to find.
How much does Pokemon card cost? Do free Pokemon TCG exist?
As the name and fame both confuse large audiences, general fans tend to think that gold cards may cost a fortune. While the same is true for some popular Pokemon such as Pikachu and Charizard, most gold cards with less popularity come at a very affordable price range of $2-$10. If you are lucky you can also get your hands on free Pokemon TCG codes available on various sites.
Best App for Pokemon card prices.
Some of the best apps for Pokemon card value that you may consider in 2023 are:
- TCGPlayer: Best website for Pokemon Card Prices (as per user reviews)
- Pokémon TCG Price Guide: Pokemon card price checker app
- Other recommended websites for Pokemon card value scanning are eBay and Reddit.
Golden Pokemon cards. How many are there?
Pokemon now launches gold cards as a promotional stunt in every set and at the time you are reading this article, there are almost 230 gold cards out there waiting to be collected.
The Card Sets with the Most Gold Cards. Chilling Reign and Evolving Skies have the most gold cards available boasting 12 gold cards each.
Conclusion
The Pokémon company introduced Pokémon trading cards back in 1996 and their fame has grown exponentially since then. The Gold Pokemon cards are a subset of these cards which burst onto the world stage a decade ago and will rule for quite some time – if not forever.
These rare collectibles are a piece of art and to hold these shiny gold artifacts is a thing of both beauty and fortune. If you have joined this art form and are ready to get addicted, the best place to buy these is ebay. Otherwise, look out for some like-minded friends for plain old simple trading from where it all began – the TCG.
