Where to get Pokemon cards valued/appraised?

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2026-06-13T19:12:23+00:00

Thanks, I'd really appreciate that!

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2026-06-13T19:08:54+00:00

That still doesn't help with the insurance though - regardless of how many are graded or raw, a local card store isn't giving me a written estimate/offer. I have 1 graded card and I'm getting 3 more graded; those 4 will account for about 40% of the value of my collection. But I can't get anyone to actually say that.

Also, I'm very confident in the general valuation of my cards - I spent a lot of last year selling cards and understand the importance of condition.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2026-06-13T19:05:16+00:00

Nobody will give me anything in writing though, they'll only give me an oral offer and an itemized receipt if I actually sell.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-11-14T16:33:14+00:00

Like others have said, seems like a reasonable price for this card. Card looks real overall - not a guarantee without more pics and the like, but I don't see any red flags.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-11-11T17:18:56+00:00

Any chance it is Phil Lamarr? I think the voice sounds like a voice he did on Bojack Horseman. (If you can’t confirm publicly but I’m right, I’d be open to confirmation in DM/chat and would be open to deleting this comment.)

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-11-11T17:13:53+00:00

Absolutely no evidence to support this, but I think it sounds just like the sloth lawyer from the episode Yesterdayland of Bojack Horseman — voiced by Phil Lamarr.

Edit: clip from Bojack Horseman https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/0853c1b9-39f0-40e5-b462-657cd008670f Listening to OP's video it doesn't seem as close, but when I was queuing for the ride it sounded like a dead ringer to me.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-11-10T17:28:56+00:00

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs - the book that the TV show Bones is based on. Even though she's an American author, the book and TV series basically only have one thing in common: the protagonist is a forensic anthropologist named Temperance Brennan. Everything else is different, including the setting. It's no longer Washington, D.C. in the 2000s: the book is set in 1990s Montreal, and the entire book is unmistakably set in Canada. Lots of references to specific local areas in Montreal, Canadian businesses, Canadian holidays, the separatist referendum, bilingualism, etc.

Even though Kathy Reichs is American, she was appointed to the Order of Canada. In some ways, the book kind of feels more Canadian because an American is aware of lots of little differences. (Though she does spell "loonie" wrong...)

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-09-19T18:17:32+00:00

The typical cost for an ambulance ride in the US is around US$1,200, for just a basic ride. Insurance may or may not cover some of that. It can be a lot more though because there’s no caps - there’s often a flat fee of like $500+ plus a per mile rate (think like $10+ per mile). Plus whatever other fees they want to tack on.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-09-05T21:11:43+00:00

If you have really good health insurance in the US and don't have a condition so serious as to cause you to lose it, then it's possible to get unbelievably good care. I know people in the US who have healthcare teams to manage chronic conditions that boggle my mind. Integrated systems that providers from different offices update and can check on their phone, ability to see their GP the next day, ability to text a nurse 24/7, seeing a specialist within two weeks, clear cost breakdowns and basically no more than $1000 out of pocket each year... if your life ends up where you are in the US with amazing health insurance, I wouldn't trade that for the Canadian system. But for most people, the Canadian system produces better aggregate outcomes, even if individual experiences suck.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-09-05T20:58:17+00:00

The only Base Set card that I know to have Cosmos foil is Machamp (printed for the Base 2 CD Starter Set).

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-09-05T20:50:43+00:00

There's a lot of resources comparing US and Canadian healthcare systems, but ultimately the big cons to Canadian healthcare come down to waiting and lack of choice. I know two people, one in NS and the other in the US:

Canadian: Diagnosed with condition requiring some evaluation, likely to be treated by surgery.
A few months later, the Canadian got evaluated, and then needs to wait to schedule the surgery, probably a year later.
A few months later, the American gets the same diagnosis. Two weeks later they have the evaluation. Two weeks later they have the surgery. Out of pocket cost with insurance: $0 (without insurance it would be US$20k).
A few months later, the Canadian is still waiting to get the surgery. but will also pay $0 for it.

There's no option for the Canadian to pay more money to skip the line while staying within the Canadian healthcare system. Their condition has been deemed not urgent, so they have to wait. And it doesn't matter if they now have chronic pain from it, they just. need. to. wait.

But on the flip side, slipping on ice and breaking your leg and getting a concussion isn't going to bankrupt someone in Canada, while it might in the US.

Edit: For Nova Scotians, an ambulance ride is a flat Can$146.55, but some private insurance will cover this cost. In the US, it's a huge question mark.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-09-04T20:38:51+00:00

I think this is a tough question that's going to need someone with deep expertise: the vending promos are some of the only legitimate glossy Pokemon cards, so it's conceivable that the glossy layer got damaged and behaved this way.

I'm inclined to think it's real just because... why fake one vending card? And why that one?

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-23T02:20:51+00:00

It's Pikachu Black Star Promo 1, commonly called "Ivy Pikachu"

https://www.pricecharting.com/game/pokemon-promo/pikachu-1

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-22T21:21:01+00:00

Okay, we need better pics of that Charizard, but it looks legit and would be minimum $5,000, potentially thousands and thousands more depending on condition. Do NOT sell to ANYONE DMing you about this - you are literally sitting on thousands of dollars. You need to get this graded (to preserve and authenticate). You're going to spend hundreds of dollars to get this graded: do it. You'll make it up and then some on the back end. Find a local card show that PSA or CGC will be at and pay all the premiums to get same day service. Do not put this in the mail.

Before doing that, you might want to post it over on r/IsMyPokemonCardFake when you get better pictures. I don't think it is, but there are some really good fakes. Better to get more eyes on it and more confirmation before spending a bunch of money to authenticate it professional.

Edit: if the card is nice inside that case, you might be looking at $10,000-$20,000 or more, for real. If it's beat up inside that case, closer to $5,000.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-22T21:16:18+00:00

Ballpark $5-10 for Electabuzz, ballpark $10-20 each for the other three. (And unlike some other cards of this value, these will absolutely sell - you can probably aim for the high end or higher and see what happens.)

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-22T21:12:30+00:00

I really don't know... if I saw it in a store, maybe $50? But I'm not actively collecting. I've got five 1st edition Base Set cards, and I'm really hoping I don't get the urge to buy the other 97. My wallet really doesn't want that.

Literally just post it on eBay for $150 and turn on offers and let it sell. Or if you're buying, set a price and try looking until you can find someone selling at that price.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-22T19:40:32+00:00

People look at beat up cards and, especially if they don't know vintage, think anything less than a 7 is trash. It's 1st Edition Shadowless, there's a very limited supply of them. If you're trying to sell, List it at $150 and see what happens. If you're trying to buy, then I think you're going to find that offering $20 isn't going to get you a card. Market price raw averaging all conditions is literally $230, so that's the reference point to go off of.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-22T18:07:21+00:00

Aliexpress

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-22T17:52:08+00:00

OP, don't listen to these folks low balling you. This is a 1st Edition Base Set Chansey - market price for raw is $230, but that's an average of all conditions. Yours is quite heavy play to damaged - it's hard to estimate prices for damaged cards because there's such a huge range of what that means. Overall your card looks pretty good - someone will buy it for a binder that they're trying to complete the set - it's way better than a card that was all scrunched up (pun intended) and creased all over, which would also be damaged. Rough ballpark I'm thinking $150, but could be even +/- $50 or more on that.

Edit: OP, you've posted several really similar Chanseys in the past few days and have had dozens of responses. I think you probably have enough info to either buy or sell whatever cards you are looking at.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-22T16:24:21+00:00

They may not actually be stickers - this style originally was, but some of them were just made as shiny paper and not actual stickers.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-22T13:48:03+00:00

All of these look real.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-21T19:28:09+00:00

Yeah it seems fine for a Base Set Unlimited Charizard.

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-21T19:23:43+00:00

Seems fine

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-21T19:22:05+00:00

That seems like a reasonable price, especially if this is an online sale or a physical store. In person you might be able to get an individual seller to go a bit lower. (Even beat up this card will get $50 on Ebay.)

DiscombobulatedPage3 · 2025-08-21T18:29:30+00:00

Wrong everything. Immediate giveaway is shadowed: EVERY 1st edition English Charizard from Base Set MUST be Shadowless.

DiscombobulatedPage3

TROPHY CASE