Summary
One extremely fortunatePokemon TCGfan found a reverse holo Dark Blastoise #4 from the originalLegendary Collectionin a garage sale binder that they bought for just $50. In doing so, they made an immediate return on their investment, while also adding to the ever-growing list of online anecdotes aboutPokemon TCGfans finding ridiculous deals at yard sales.
The first English version of Dark Blastoise (#3) dates back to the 2000Pokemon:Team Rocketset. That expansion was reprinted two years later as part ofPokemon: Legendary Collection, which is where Dark Blastoise #4 comes from. The 2002 set also comprised reprints of three other expansion:Base Set,Fossil, andJungle. And whileLegendary Collectionis perhaps best-known as the source ofone of the rarestPokemon TCGCharizard cards in existence, that’s far from its only highlight.
A copy of another extremely valuable card from that set was recently discovered by Reddit user azdfg1, who spent $50 on a garage sale binder that contained a reverse holo Dark Blastoise #4 surrounded by a bunch of Eevees. Historical eBay data reveals thatPokemon TCGcard to be worth anywhere from $160 to $3,200, depending on its condition and grade, or lack thereof. ThePSAonly graded around 900 reverse holo Dark Blastoise #4 copies over the last 21 years, making this card quite a rare find.
Although the card obtained by azdfg1 is clearly ungraded, its front does appear to be in good enough condition to attain a PSA grade of 8 or even 9. Assuming its back is undamaged, the card could easily net its owner up to $600, not accounting for the grading costs, which would be in the ballpark of $75 in this instance. Even thenear-mint copies of a regular holo Dark Blastoise regularly go for hundreds of dollars.
Why Is Reverse Holo Dark Blastoise #4 So Valuable?
The fact that the reverse foil variant of this card is such a rare find may be the main factor contributing to its high valuation, but it’s not the only one. Its value as a collector’s item is also helped by Blasoise being an immensely popular Pokemon in general, as tends to be the case with many Generation 1 creatures, especially starters that boast intrinsic nostalgia value.
Finally, this particular variant of Blastoise is widely considered to be among thestrongest Dark Pokemon in the entirePokemon TCG. That’s largely because of its Rocket Tackle move, which packs a decent punch and has a 50% chance of preventing all incoming damage to Dark Blastoise on the following turn. Alternatively, the Pokemon also knows Hydro Cannon, which is one of the most flexible attacks in the entire game that allows the player to do between 30 and 70 damage, depending on the amount of Energy cards attached to the creature.
Pokemon TCG
Pokemon TCG (Trading Card Game) is a collectible and strategy based card game based on Nintendo’s Pokemon franchise. Two players face off against one another, battling one Pokemon at a time and attempting to knock them out to claim one of six prize cards. The cards have also become highly collectible with some in particular selling for thousands of dollars.
