Are Japanese Pokémon Cards Worth More Than English? (Which Pokémon Cards Are More Expensive?)

I’ve been collecting, buying and selling Pokémon cards. For appraisal and resale, I find only two languages are significant to consider: Japanese and English.

I realized that collecting Japanese cards is enjoyable rather than playing the game while collecting English cards is challenging.

I keep my cards as an alternative means for my investment and I love achieving the best out of it.

Let’s dive in to have a better understanding of whether Japanese Pokémon cards are more expensive than English Pokémon cards 📚.

How much are Japanese Pokémon cards worth in America?

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Most common and uncommon cards have a value of less than $1, and even rare cards are worth less than $5.

On the other hand, holographic rarely seen Pokémon cards may sell for as much as $15, especially when they are older and are in the self-storage unit for a long time 💰.

The different publishing companies in both countries have led to variations in the availability and rarity of certain cards, increasing their value as collectors fight to obtain cards that are rare in their regions.

via GIPHY

Why are some Japanese Pokémon cards worth more than their English version?

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Pricing fluctuates with the availability of Pokémon cards, both in Japanese and English. Japanese cards are more expensive than English cards, especially the unique cards. 

This is because Japanese cards are trickier to get and are scarce for collectors outside of Japan. I used this table to distinguish which one is more valuable 😊:

	DESCRIPTION	JAPANESE POKÉMON CARDS	ENGLISH POKÉMON CARDS
	Quality	Card quality and materials are superior to English	Card quality is inferior to Japanese
	Time	Sets come out earlier than English	Sets come out months after the Japanese
	Rate of Pull	Have a higher rate of pull thus makes the cards “cheaper” to get	Have a lower rate of pull, thus making the cards “difficult” to get (Very expensive).
	1st edition prints	Yes, still does 1st edition prints for Japanese	It’s a rare occurrence, most are old cards.
	Cost	Are cheap	Are expensive
	Print	Are well-printed and this increases their potential worth	They ruin their potential worth because their print is bad.
	Market	The restriction of presence is mainly in Japan.	Has a global presence
	Promo and event releases	Usually is the first to receive promotional cards and the exclusive cards can fetch a premium price in the market.	Most cards are already in the market, so its collectors are at a disadvantage.
	Base Set comparison	Features different artwork and card design. Its aesthetic value is appealing to its collectors.	The artwork and card design are not as per to the Japanese cards.
	Higher-quality card stock	Its higher quality is sturdier, thicker and more durable, as well as has a premium feel to it.	The card’s lower quality makes it prone to creasing and bending, causes the writing to be off-centre, and makes it challenging to cut the borders neatly, resulting in its spoilage.

Are Japanese Pokémon cards considered rarer than English Pokémon cards?

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Yes, Japanese Pokémon cards frequently possess a higher value than English cards do. Because of the high exclusivity of their Japanese counterparts in the West, vintage Pokémon cards take the spotlight on this list 📈.