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24th September 2024
01:35pm BST
The Antiques Roadshow often showcases items that were around long before most of us were born, from rare 18th-century dresses to Shakespeare’s notebook.
However, imagine people’s surprise when a popular childhood game from the 90s ends up being appraised on the show.
In an episode from 2023, the owner of a collection of Pokémon cards took them on the show explaining that their mother had bought the cards off the internet in the late 90s for around $35.
Pokémon cards were published in Japan between 1996-2000 and in the States between 1998-2003.
Appraiser Travis Landry explains that the continued popularity of Pokémon as a media franchise led to an explosion of card values during the pandemic.
Landry analysed the cards which turned out to be the 1999 base set, which is the first 102 cards.
The set, which was nicely presented in a binder to help maintain their condition, also included 16 original holographic cards which were among the most valuable.
Landry also explained that there was a brief period of time where cards were printed without shadows, which resulted in "shadowless" cards that are highly prized by collectors.
The shadowless Mewtwo card is estimated to be in the region of $800 to $1,200 range, and that the shadowless Charizard could be worth $2,000 to $3,000.
However, Landry noted that the market for Pokémon cards is "extremely volatile," and that shadowless Charizards sold for up to $15,000 in early 2021.
Landry estimated the ladies collection to be in the region of $5,000 to $10,000 which left the collector flabbergasted.
Though the staggering estimation shocked viewers, the main talking point for many was the fact the cards made it on the Antiques Roadshow in the first place.
You were having a fine evening. Feeling youthful, energetic. Then you saw Pokémon cards on Antiques Roadshow. pic.twitter.com/GdnHR8K3JO
— Jesse Case (@jessecase) April 27, 2023
One X user said: “You were having a fine evening. Feeling youthful, energetic. Then you saw Pokémon cards on Antiques Roadshow.”
The television show responded with, “Our bad” to which the original poster said: “It’s okay, this was inevitable! The first ‘oh no I had that’ of an Antiques Roadshow is a big moment in life.”
Meanwhile another viewer said: “Pokémon cards on Antiques Roadshow is a direct hit, and it’s super effective.”
