Pokémon Payday: Old Cards in Texas and Louisiana Worth Money

Hey everyone, let's take a trip down memory lane for a second. If you grew up in Texas or Louisiana (or anywhere really) in the late 90s and early 2000s, you probably remember a time before everyone had a cell phone glued to their hands. We were rocking dial-up internet (that 56k screech, anyone?), school dances were the social events of the year, and, if you were like me, you were totally obsessed with the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Think back to the good old days were you trading Charizards on the playground in Dallas? Maybe battling your friends with a Blastoise deck in Shreveport? If you were anywhere near middle school age in 1999, chances are you were right in the thick of the Pokémon craze.

Like a lot of folks, I was buying those cards like crazy. I was playing, trading, and trying to be the (very) best trainer around. I wasn't completely clueless, though...I knew some of those cards were special. But, like many of us, I ended up selling, trading, or just giving away most of my collection.

And now? I'm kicking myself.

Because some of those cards we used to have, the ones we traded on lunch breaks in Houston or Bossier City, are now selling for the price of a brand-new truck...or even a house! We're not talking about those ultra-rare, brand-new cards either. We're talking about the original 1999 cards, the ones you probably had tucked away in a binder somewhere.

While the market has cooled off A LOT since 2020, these original Pokémon cards can find crazy values on the secondary market. But there are things you're going to need to be aware of when (or if) you uncover your old collection. Not ALL old Pokémon cards are worth massive amounts. And even if you do find one of the cards that can fetch a large sum of money, you will have to make sure its in pristine condition before you can land that big payday.

Usually, this means you're going to have to protect the card, and send it to a card grading service, who will determine HOW mint the card is. They will seal it, and give it a numerical grade. If you hit a top grade, now you're in the money.

But that doesn't mean there's not value in a lesser quality copy for some of the heavy hitters in the classic Pokémon card world. You're just not likely to be able to buy a house with a lower quality version.

Here are the big dogs you need to search your collection for:

You want to look for the "First Edition" logo on the card, at the lower left corner of the picture on the front of the card. If you find that on a Raichu, Blastoise, or Charizard, you might have something there.

Not to say those are your only chances to cash in, but if you're only going to look at your old collection to find hundred dollar bills, you need to be looking for these types of cards. There are still decent values on other old cards, but you might have to sell a high volume to get to the type of money a single Charizard first edition in high grade can bring you.

So, if you're from Texas, Louisiana, or anywhere else where Pokémon fever hit hard back then, you might want to dig through those old boxes in the attic. You might just find a hidden treasure.

Always keep in mind, the value of each card varies, especially based on condition and specific variations. So don't make assumptions on your hunt.