Vintage 1st Edition Pokemon Cards Are Skyrocketing in Value
Have any vintage 1st Edition Pokemon cards lying around? If so, you might want to check their market prices. Demand for vintage 1st Edition Pokemon cards has been shooting through the roof lately, and it’s not just being contained to the typical elite cards like base set Charizard. Indeed, we’re seeing 1st Edition cards gaining value that previously would have been simply overlooked. Cards like the 1st Edition Cubone have dramatically increased in value, while other cards from the earliest days of the Pokemon TCG are also seeing incredible increases.
Below, let’s take a look at a few examples and also dive into what is fueling the fire for this new trend.
1st Edition Kabuto went viral
Market price: $28
It seems that the 1st Edition buy-up craze all started with the “Kabuto King’s” viral attempt to collect every single 1st Edition Kabuto out there. That’s seen the price of Kabuto skyrocket to nearly $30. However, while most of the stories stop there, what few have realized is that this crazy attention to how valuable a seemingly undesirable Pokemon card can be has had a resounding impact. Prices for seemingly under-the-radar 1st Edition Pokemon cards are shooting up all over the place. Below, I’ll share a few examples of these cards.
Other 1st Edition vintage Pokemon cards increasing in value
Market trends via my partners at TCGPlayer reveal a startlyingly similar trend in the upswing in market value for old 1st Edition Pokemon cards. Not too long ago, nobody really wanted these cards, even though they were “1st Edition.” Indeed, I remember attempting to sell some of these cards via my eBay store years ago and I couldn’t even find buyers. As of December 2025, the below Cubone has shot up to a phenomenal $15 in value, up from a mere $1 late November.
Market price: $15
Another 1st Edition card I came across with yet another similar upswing is Brock’st Rhyhorn from Gym Heroes – one of the first sets to ever feature Trainer’s Pokemon – a trend that was revisited in many prominent Pokemon TCG sets in 2025 including Journey Together and Destined Rivals. Brock’s Ryhorn is collecting an impressive $17 on TCGPlayer currently.
Market price: $17
While these are just a few examples of nondescript 1st Edition Vintage Pokemon cards gaining new traction on the secondary card market, look around at all kinds of listings and you will see a general uptick in value for these cards.
Vintage 1st Edition Pokemon cards – fad or future?
While you never know for sure what’s going to happen on the Pokemon TCG singles market, I for one would not be surprised to see this general increase in value for vintage 1st Edition Pokemon cards continue. I’ve been somewhat surprised in the past to see these cards not gain more traction with collectors. After all, we won’t be getting reprints of these exact cards again, and the 1st Edition stamp is pretty unique to the earlier days of the Pokemon TCG, indicating a limited print run that should be valuable in-and-of-itself.
As more Pokemon TCG fans like Kabuto King come to realize the innate limited supply of these particular cards, I could imagine them continuing to fare quite nicely. So, once again, check your old 1st Edition Pokemon cards and see what they are currently going for!
