The popularity of Pokemon has been rising recently with the new Pokemon TCG Pocket app. This app allows users to open digital packs and collect virtual cards. This encourages players to collect the physical cards as well. With some cards being more valuable than others, ensuring the condition of them is kept pristine is a must for collectors and sellers looking to maximize their value.
Ways to protect cards
There are multiple ways to protect your valuable pokemon cards. “The easiest way to protect your cards is to put them in a card sleeve then in a top loader,” said senior Joseph Chang.
Sleeving your cards prevents scratches, bending and edge wear, while the card is being used. By double sleeving, it greatly reduces the chances of the card being damaged by liquids. Top loaders or semi-rigid protective sleeves which makes the cards resistant to bending. This makes it useful when storing your cards or shipping them.
How to know if a card is valuable
With any collectible, there are those that are more valuable than others. Some signs to tell if a card is valuable is “it looks pretty cute or cool,” said senior Choko Tan Zhao. Some other signs are symbols on the bottom left of the cards. A circle indicates a common card, a diamond indicates an uncommon card, and a star Indicates a rare card. Other factors that can influence a card’s value is the condition, the set and Edition it came from, and popularity — with Cards with Charizard often selling for more. To find the price of a card, search the price up online. Some sites to use are TCGplayer and pricecharting which shows the current market price and value fluctuation.
Displaying valuable cards
With valuable cards there must be a way to display them to show off their value and artwork. The best way to display the cards is to put them in a card “Binder” which is what senior Shyera Mark, uses for her card collection.
Card Binders are a portfolio with pages designed to hold cards. This makes collecting your cards organized and easy to go through. To showcase individual cards on a surface, acrylic card stands provide a clear view and offer stability and protection.
While dealing with high-value cards, consider getting them graded by PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator). PSA is a service that evaluates the cards and assigns it a score, which can significantly increase the value if graded highly. Once graded, the card is fully encased in a tamper-proof case, further providing protection against damages.
