Graded copies of vintage Pokemon games are selling for big bucks online. Graded copies of Pokemon Red and Pokemon Yellow both recently sold for over $75,000 at Heritage Auctions. A 9.8 Wata Games certified copy of Pokemon Yellow sold at auction for $78,000, while a 9.8 Wata Games certified copy of Pokemon Red sold for $84,000. Both were given Wata’s highest grade, which may explain why they both went for such high costs online. Both games come in their original boxes with the cellophane wrapping still intact.
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The games are just the latest pieces of vintage Pokemon paraphernalia to sell for jaw-dropping prices. The graded Pokemon card market has also recently exploded, with graded First Edition Charizard cards selling for as high as $180,000 online. Although the market has been driven upwards by celebrity purchases, it’s also a sign of the Pokemon franchises lasting popularity among its fans. After all, the Pokemon franchise turns 25 years old tomorrow, which means that all of those 10 year kids playing Pokemon games in the back of buses have a bit more spending power than they did back then.
If you have a copy of a classic Pokemon game that you want graded, you can send it to Wata Games to have it officially slabbed and graded. Grading costs as low as $45, and you can get just about any game graded. You can even have your cartridges or manuals graded, although those seem to be selling for significantly less online. Additionally, even “high graded” Pokemon games (such as an 8.0 copy of Pokemon Red) sell for significantly less, so you’ll need a near-perfect copy if you’re hoping to get rich by selling your old Pokemon games.
