Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG

How Much Are My Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards Worth?

Two copies of the same Yu-Gi-Oh! card can sell for very different amounts, because the price follows the printing, the edition, the condition and any grade. This guide shows how to identify each one, where the market price comes from, and how to value a whole collection in TurnZero HQ.

Start with the exact printing

A Yu-Gi-Oh! card's name tells you what it does, not what your copy is worth. Staple cards are reprinted across many sets and rarities, and each printing has its own set code, the short code under the artwork such as LOB-EN005. The passcode identifies the card, and the set code identifies the printing, so two copies with the same passcode can still be worth very different amounts.

Before you price anything, read the set code, the rarity and the edition off the card. Where to find each one on a card →

What sets a card's value

Demand matters most. A card that is played in current decks, or wanted by collectors, holds a price that a card nobody plays does not. The factors below decide how that demand splits across copies of the same card, and they do not weigh the same for every card.

FactorWhat it meansHow much it usually matters
PrintingThe set and rarity of your copy, identified by its set code.Large. One card can have dozens of printings at very different prices.
Edition1st Edition, Unlimited or Limited, marked under the artwork. Each is priced separately.Large for older sets, where 1st Edition copies usually sell for more. Often small for recent cards.
RarityCommon, Rare, Super Rare, Ultra Rare, Secret Rare and others. Rarity is read from the foil and finish, not from a printed symbol.Depends on the card and set. A higher rarity of a played card is not always the highest price.
ConditionNear Mint down to Damaged: whitewear on the edges, surface scratches, bends.Large. A price is quoted for a condition, and lower conditions sell for less.
GradeA third-party grade, such as a PSA 10, sealed in a slab.Can add a lot to a scarce card in high grade, and little to a common one. Grading costs money.
LanguageThe language the copy is printed in.Depends on the card. A price quoted for one language may not apply to a copy printed in another.
Era and playHow old the set is, and whether the card is played or its Forbidden & Limited status has changed.Often the biggest driver for a recent card. Age alone does not make a card valuable.

Edition is the factor people miss most often. Two copies with the same set code, rarity and art can sell for very different prices when one says 1st Edition under the artwork and the other doesn't. 1st Edition vs. Unlimited, explained →

Where the price comes from

Yu-Gi-Oh! prices in TurnZero HQ are TCGplayer market prices, collected through TCGCSV once a day, for each printing and edition: 1st Edition, Unlimited and Limited. TCGplayer's market price is drawn from recent sales of that listing on its marketplace, so it follows what copies have actually sold for rather than what sellers are asking.

About 89% of printings have a price. The rest are mostly promos and prize cards that TCGplayer does not list, so there is no market figure to show. A price is also a snapshot: the value you see is at most about a day old, and cards that see play can move.

Market price vs. what a store pays

The market price is roughly what a card sells for between players. It is not what a store will hand you across the counter. A store that buys your cards has to resell them at a profit, hold stock that may sit for months, and check and sort what you bring in, so its buy offer is normally a fraction of the market price. How large a fraction depends on the store, the card and how much they want it, and some stores offer more as store credit than as cash.

Neither number is wrong. Use the market price to see what your collection is worth to other players, and ask a store for its offer if you want to sell to it. A collection value in any app, TurnZero HQ included, is a market figure and not a promise of what you would receive.

Pricing your cards in TurnZero HQ

Your Yu-Gi-Oh! collection lives in My Library, behind the game switcher, on iPhone, Android and the web. Every row is a card, optionally narrowed to the printing and edition you hold, and the app values it from TCGplayer's market price for that printing and edition.

  1. Add each card by printing. Search by name and pick the set code and rarity from the card's printing list, scan the set code with the camera on iPhone or Android, or import a CSV from the TCGplayer app, a spreadsheet or a TurnZero HQ export. An import shows a preview of every row before anything is added.
  2. Set the details that change the price. Each row can carry an edition, a condition (NM, LP, MP, HP or DMG), a language and a grade.
  3. Read the collection value. The total at the top of the collection adds up every copy. A row with no printing picked is valued at the card's cheapest printing, so choosing the printing matters.
  4. Open a card to see its price history. Every printing keeps a daily price history on the card's page, so you can see whether a price is steady or has moved.
  5. Override the number when you know better. A custom value on a copy replaces the market price for that copy, which suits a graded slab or a card TCGplayer does not list.

The collection's total is recorded every day. Seeing that history as a chart of your collection's value over time is a Premium feature. The collection itself, each copy's value, each printing's price history and 3 binders are free. How the collection tracker works → How the scanner reads a card →

What the number doesn't tell you

A collection value is a useful estimate, and it has limits worth knowing before you act on it:

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It is a market price, not a buy offer, and not a guarantee of what a sale will bring

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It is not a forecast. TurnZero HQ shows what a card has sold for, not what it will sell for

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A copy with no printing picked is valued at the cheapest printing, so it can understate a rare one

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Cards TCGplayer does not list have no price until you set a custom value

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A graded copy is priced as the card unless you set a custom value for the slab

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find out what my Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are worth?

Identify the exact printing first: the set code under the artwork, the rarity, and the edition mark. Then look up the market price for that printing, edition and condition. Looking up the card's name alone can show a different printing's price. In TurnZero HQ you add each card by printing and edition, and the collection is valued from TCGplayer's daily market prices.

Are old Yu-Gi-Oh! cards worth anything?

Some are, and many are not. Older sets can carry real value, and 1st Edition copies of early sets usually sell for more than Unlimited ones. But many old cards were printed in large numbers, and a card's price depends on the specific printing, its edition and its condition, and on whether it is played today. Check each card instead of assuming an age premium.

Is a 1st Edition card always worth more?

No. For older sets the 1st Edition copy usually sells for more, sometimes many times more. For recent cards the gap is often small, and play demand can matter more than the edition mark. The current price of that edition of that printing is the only reliable answer.

What is the difference between market price and what a store will pay?

The market price is TCGplayer's figure for what the card has recently sold for. A store buying from you has to resell at a profit and carry cards that may not sell quickly, so a buy offer is usually a fraction of market. How large a fraction depends on the store, the card and how much they want it. Use the market price to value a collection and the store's offer to decide whether to sell there.

Does condition change the price?

Yes. Prices are quoted by condition, and a copy with whitewear, scratches or bends sells for less than a Near Mint one. TurnZero HQ lets each row carry a condition (NM, LP, MP, HP or DMG), and the row's own condition and custom value are there for the cases the market price does not describe.

Are graded Yu-Gi-Oh! cards worth more?

Often, but it depends on the card, the grade and the company. A high grade can add a lot to a scarce card and little to a common one, and grading has its own cost. TurnZero HQ records a grade such as PSA 10 on a copy. The market price is for an ungraded card, so set a custom value on a graded copy if you know what similar slabs sell for.

How often are the prices updated?

Once a day. Yu-Gi-Oh! prices in TurnZero HQ are TCGplayer market prices collected through TCGCSV. About 89% of printings have a price. The rest are mostly promos and prize cards that TCGplayer does not list, and you can give those a custom value.

What is free and what is Premium?

Adding cards, seeing each copy's value and the collection total, and each printing's price history are free, as is a set of 3 binders. Premium raises the binder limit to 50 and adds the chart of your collection's total value over time.

Find out what your Yu-Gi-Oh! collection is worth.

Add your cards by printing and edition and TurnZero HQ values every copy from daily TCGplayer prices. Free on iPhone, Android and the web.

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Yu-Gi-Oh! card names and images are the property of Konami Digital Entertainment and their respective owners. ©Studio Dice/SHUEISHA, TV TOKYO, KONAMI. TurnZero HQ is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Konami. Card data comes from YGOPRODeck, and prices from TCGplayer via TCGCSV.