The year was 1996 when Ash Ketchum and his trusted companion Pikachu hit our television screens. Pokemon had arrived and it took the world by storm! TV series, movies, a highly addictive Trading Card Game and Gameboy games were some of the many ways we used to love Pokemon. This year, they celebrate their 20th Anniversary in style.
After several years, the Pokemon hype did die down but it never went away. To this day, there are still new Pokemon being created which feature in new TV series, Nintendo games and of course, the Trading Card game. This year has been huge for Pokemon and with the release of Pokemon GO, people that had once loved Pokemon, love it again. The game made headline news and put Pokemon back on the map. Unfortunately, the game has been receiving some bad rep, as people were able to cheat and the end game is non existent right now. They do continue to update it and I’m sure it will become everything we want in a game.
The anniversary has been celebrated in many ways around the world but perhaps the most exciting thing, after Pokemon GO, is this year’s new Pokemon Cards. Starting in January, a new set of cards were released, named ‘Generations’, which was a completely new set, not following any other series (XY series is the current series). Unlike other sets, you cannot buy a 36 pack booster box for this but instead, get a number of unique multi pack/promo boxes. Each month, a different promo box was released, including two booster packs, a promo card and a pin. Each box revolved around a different Pokemon and by releasing one a month, the promos and pins have become very collectible. On top of that, there is also a larger, quarterly box, including four booster packs and two promo cards. These four boxes were the initial starter Pokemon. We first had the Charizard box, then Blastoise, Venasaur and then Pikachu. The set included some of the original 151 Pokemon, plus a few of the newer ones. Nostalgia level at 50%. It’s a great set to collect, with some beautiful artwork.
Today, the final set in the XY series of cards got released, XY Evolutions and this is by far, the most anticipated set ever! This set includes reprints of the original base set from 1996. Remember opening a pack and pulling the highly desirable holo Charizard? Well you can do it all over again with this set! The set has 108 cards in total, including many of the original cards (with a few minor changes i.e. attacks/HP etc), several EX and full art cards and five secret rares (109->113). Booster boxes are available for around £90, booster packs are available from £2.50 to £4 and there is also a variety of tins, deck boxes and blister packs. I’ve seen some of the pre release cards and they look so good and bring back so many good memories from my childhood. Nostalgia level 100%.
Now with the release of Pokemon GO, you may have re-found your love for Pokemon and also dug your old card collection out of the loft? If so, you may be wondering how much they are worth. You may have seen other publications stating they’re worth hundreds and thousands but realistically, they aren’t and the chances you have that one card that is, then I’m very jealous. Below are current prices, gauged from a collector’s point of view:
- Complete original base set (mint condition) – £100 – £150
- Holo Charizard (mint condition) – £30 – £40
- Holo Charizard shadowless (mint condition) – £60 – £80
- Holo Charizard 1st edition and shadowless (mint condition) – £100 – £150 [If you have this card, PSA graded to 10, you would be looking at £1500+
- Other holos from the original base set go for between £3 – £15
I’ve fallen back in love with Pokemon, finding my complete base set from when I was a kid, amazing! I remember having to save up my pocket money, just to get a booster pack or two and would regularly return home from school, hoping my Mum saw some at the newsagents and thought she’d treat me! I was lucky, it did happen a few times. Im now 27, have not thought about Pokemon for years, until now and it’s all come flooding back to me. Huge respect for the Pokemon brand and its fruitful 20 years of business. Now let me spend hundreds of pounds to complete the Evolution set and I’ll come back in 20 years to write this all over again!
