Japanese trophy card prices

[dogma]

Let's try again :)

This was the original list that FrostyFluxy proposed. My comments in bold. Please remember I've not checked prices for several months which might explain my surprise

*Please Note,
This is an average amount in my opinion, these cards are Mint condition but not necessary graded.


1997 Trophy Pikachu
" No. 1 $3,000 - $4,500
" No. 2 $2,000 - $3000
" No. 3 $2,000 - $2,500

1998 Trophy Pikachu (Lizardon Mega Battle)
" No. 1 $2,750 - $4,000
" No. 2 $1,750 - $2,500
" No. 3 $1,500 - $2,000

1999 Trophy Pikachu (Kamex Mega Battle)
" No. 1 $2,500 - $3,000
" No. 2 $1,750 - $2,500
" No. 3 $1,500 - $2,000

I think these are rather low... I mean I've seen offers that exceed the high ranges get rejected.

1999 Tropical Mega Battle
" No. 1 $3,000 - $4000
" No. 2 $2,500 - $3,000
" No. 3 $2,000 - $2,500

1999 Super Secret Battle
" No. 1 $3,000 - $4,000
" No. 2 $2,500 - $3,000
" No. 3 $2,000 - $2,500

1998 Pikachu Illustrator $10,000 - $? (This no doubt will spark a debate, so I will leave it)

1998 Kangaskhan Family Event $1,500 - $2,000 Looks like I picked this up at the right time. I got mine a few months ago but for a lot less than your low range. I'm genuinely pleased that this card is getting attention, but prices have shot up from a few years back. Think this is because we hadn't seen many until recently, people are jumping at the chance to buy before they disappear

1998 University Magikarp $500 - $1,000 $500 would seriously tempt me into an instant buy I think...

1999 Challenge Road Tropical Mega Battle $3,000 - $4,500

2003 Victory Orb $400 - $500

2003/04 Victory Ring *No Pikachu* $60 - $80

2005/06 Victory Ring *With Pikachu* $750 - $1,000

2005 Mew Victory Orb $1,000 - $2,000 No... really? Jeez that has really increased in price. Its something I've wanted but never had enough money for as there's always other priorities!

2006 Battle Road Tournament Dialga vs. Palkia $90 - $120

2007 Champions League $1,750 - $2,250

2007 Mysterious Pearl $450 - $700 I got mine for $250 (although several years back). Are there really people paying $700?

2007 Miracle Diamond $450 - $700

Here are Scott's comments on those prices (condensed, sorry! )

1) If you see the 1997 pikachu No. 1 trainer on ebay it is not available for international buyers. This completely closes off a vast majority of the market. There are very serious collectors/buyers in the UK, Europe and Japan that have expressed interest in that exact card listed. The point of this is to show that when you see that card listed at $5,000 and say, "well it is not worth that much", that is not entirely true.

2) The Illustrator will never go as low as $7,000. Also, the pika trophies can earn more than that estimate. There was a 98 no. 2 that sold for $6,500 awhile back. It was a buyer who pays top dollar for every card, but most people don't know that there was another offer that was more than reasonable that was passed. Also, I know a japanese buyer that was offering $10,000 for the entire 98 set. Not having access to paypal limited his bid.

3) Your prize card estimates are pretty much spot on. The trophy khan earns more than the University Magikarp. It is definitely one of the most sought after cards at the moment. I get a lot of questions about those two, I think the illustrations just appeal to every collector! Also, I think your SSB and TMB prices are pretty accurate as well.

4) Just some advice on dealing with high end trophy/prize cards, it is more about knowledge and research than any other type of card. The problem is that most of the sales for these items are private. This makes the general collecting community ignorant to private prices but unfortunately aware of public advertisement on ebay. Which again, will influence most people to believe that since a card is listed at a price it is not worth that amount.

And finally, some advice before we start discussing: there most definitely is a lot of mis-information out there. I would consider myself a serious collector, but I had never bothered to look up how many Illustrators actually exist. I've been told some ridiculous stories, but actually a very simple check shows that most of them can't possibly be true - just look at the artists of the cards used in the Vending series, you will see that only four of the cards were illustrated by non-professionals (OK you need to know vaguely who the artists are but Bulbapedia helps with that). Even more simple, doesn't it say in red text that these cards were drawn by contest winners?

I have a slightly different opinion than Scott about card values at this level - ultimately it is up to the buyer what they are willing to pay and in my experience of buying trophy cards (yes, it's nowhere near as Scott's obviously!), its a lot of negotiation. Or maybe that's just the way I prefer to do it. So for me, card prices are very subjective, do change a lot over time and therefore these lists are benchmarks at best.

Having said that, I absolutely take my hat off to Scott for the amount of work and research and dedication he shows. I can't do that! And one of the trophy cards I bought directly from Scott, the other I asked his advice. I feel privileged to have a connection with the world's elite collector. Do not underestimate his importance in the collecting community. He really does talk to collectors all over the world, some of whom I don't even know. You might not agree with his stance, but you can't disagree with the facts he has. Most importantly, lets treat him (and everyone else on this board) with some respect.

OK, start debating! Or... there are other very rare cards that can match some of these in price, do we want to chat about those too?