Pokémon is big business. Not only are the video games still selling well, but the trading card game is one of the most popular of its kind. According to the Pokémon website, the card game is available in eleven different languages and 74 countries, and the company has shipped over 25 billion cards to date.

The game was first released in Japan back in 1996 and made its way to The West in 1999. These initial cards are now known as the "first generation," and they can go for a lot of money. Of course, as with any hobby or collectible, the price on each card varies depending on rarity and condition. You can have an extremely rare Pokémon card, but if it's ripped at the edges and stained with coffee, it obviously won't be as valuable.

Different Pokémon have different values, usually depending on their rarity. Common cards obviously don't go for much money, whereas rare cards can sell for thousands, or perhaps even hundreds of thousands of dollars. All this is to say that prices greatly vary, even within the first generation.

In this article, we'll be looking at 25 first generation Pokémon and ranking them based on value.  If you have any old Pokémon cards laying around in the basement, you may want to take a look at what you've got. You may be surprised to find just how expensive and valuable some of these cards are. Granted, they have to be in near-mint condition, but hey, you never know. If you've taken particularly good care of your cards, you could be sitting on a goldmine.

25 Pikachu ($169.95)

Unfortunately, poor Pikachu isn't going for much money. Well, relatively speaking, at least. This 9.5-rated first edition Pikachu is selling for $169.95 on eBay, and while that's certainly a lot of money for a card, it's close to nothing when compared to other first generation Pokémon cards. And to think, this was rated a 9.5 by Beckett Grading Services (BGS), which denotes "gem mint" condition. A worn and used Pikachu would obviously go for much less. As cute as Pikachu is, they are next to worthless in the Pokémon sphere.

24 Himonchan ($249)

Hitmonchan is slightly more expensive, but certainly not by much. For example, this first edition holo Hitmonchan is selling for $249, and that's on the expensive side. It was rated an 8 by the PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator,) which signifies "near mint" condition. You may have thought that Pikachu would be more expensive, but you were wrong! In fact, this Hitmonchan is in worse condition than the Pikachu! Granted, they were rated by different companies, but their criteria is similar. It just goes to show how no one values poor Pikachu.

23  Jungle Snorlax ($885)

Turns out this sleeping giant is actually pretty valuable. There are a few first edition Jungle Snorlax's circulating on eBay, many of them professionally-rated by the PSA. This gem mint holo Snorlax is priced at a comparatively modest $500, whereas this similar card has been priced at a more exorbitant $885. It's clear that a mint condition, holo Snorlax can go for hundreds of dollars, and that's definitely not something to sleep on! Granted, things are about to get much more expensive.

22 Blastoise ($2,200)

This holo, shadowless first edition Blastoise is currently selling for $2,200 thanks to its 9 rating from the PSA. For those who don't know, "holo" refers to the holofoil effect in the picture, and "shadowless" refers to the lack of shadow between the gold border and the blue background (later cards added a "shadow" to give the card depth.) Both of these properties make the card more valuable, and when combined with the 9 rating, you get the $2,200 price tag.

21  Misprinted Krabby ($3,000)

Someone messed up, but someone else is making a lot of money. This misprinted Krabby card is currently selling for $3,000 on eBay, which is a heck of a lot for boring old Krabby. In most Krabby cards, the "fossil" on the bottom right of the gold border is intact and looks like a fossilized footprint. However, this particular card's fossil is incomplete, like the card-printing machine was running out of ink. And that white line breaking up the fossil is worth $3,000.

20 Black Triangle Error Packs ($3,500)

If Bob Ross taught us anything, it's that mistakes can often be molded into magic. Case in point - the famous black triangle/1st edition packs. These are very rare and misprinted booster packs that are worth a lot of money within the Pokémon community. The error stems from the black triangle in the bottom right corner not completely covering the "1st edition" stamp. This mint condition collection of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise packs is currently selling for $3,500 on eBay.

19 Zapdos ($4,000)

You may be shocked to hear the value of a Zapdos. Get it, shocked? Zapdos? Yeah, it was stupid. A first edition, holo, shadowless Zapdos is currently selling for $4,000 on eBay. It was given a perfect 10 rating by the PSA, which denotes perfectly sharp corners, a sharp focus, and the full original gloss (not to mention free of stains, but that kind of goes without saying.) The Legendary Pokémon were always very rare, and it's clear that they are also very, very valuable.

18 Mewtwo ($5,000)

Mewtwo was always one of the most popular first generation Pokémon. Everyone loves a good villain! It also helps that it is incredibly valuable, as a mint condition Mewtwo will sell between $4,000 and $5,000. This Mewtwo is going for $4,000, whereas this one is going for $5,000. Both cards are holo and shadowless, and both were rated a perfect 10 by the PSA, denoting gem mint condition. In other words, it doesn't get much better than these cards, and their values reflect that.

17 Nidoking ($5,000)

Weirdly enough, Nidoking is priced exactly the same as Mewtwo. For example, this Nidoking is currently selling for $4,000, and this one is going for $5,000. And it's not like these cards are better than the Mewtwo cards. Both cards are holofoil and shadowless (just like Mewtwo,) and both were rated a perfect 10 by the PSA. If you had $5,000 laying around, would you rather go for Nidoking or Mewtwo? We would rather a nice, shiny Mewtwo, but that's just us.

16 Clefairy ($5,000)

You may not think it, but Clefairy is one of the most valuable first generation Pokémon. Well, certain Clefairy cards, anyway. Over at trollandtoad.com, a holo rare, shadowless Clefairy is going for just $37.99, which is a very affordable price all things considered. However, things get very different over on eBay when professional ratings come into play. For example, this Beckett-rated Clefairy is selling for $3,000, and this card in mint condition is going for $5,000. Things get expensive once they're validated!

15 Italian Jungle Fearow ($6,982)

Yep, that IS a weirdly specific price, but hey, we didn't set it. The Jungle Fearow was released as part of the Jungle expansion pack, which was the very first expansion released for the Pokémon trading card game. This Italian Jungle Fearow is used and slightly worn, but still selling for nearly $7,000 on eBay (although it remains to be seen if anyone will actually buy it.) To put that into perspective, this English Jungle Fearow is selling for $1.50. Just a BIT of a price discrepancy.

14 Giovanni's Gyarados ($7,000)

Giovanni's Gyarados was included in the Gym Challenge expansion pack, the seventh expansion of the trading card game. This Gyarados obviously belongs to Giovanni, the head of Team Rocket and the secretive gym leader of the Viridian Gym. Most Giovanni's Gyarados cards aren't very valuable... unless, of course, it's been rated a perfect 10 by the BGS. This card is a pristine holo first edition and is currently selling for $7,000 on eBay, making it far more expensive than a typical Giovanni's Gyarados.

13 Bulbasaur ($7,000)

Bulbasaur cards are fairly common, and therefore not worth very much. You probably have a wrinkled and faded Bulbasaur sitting in your closet. However, this particular card was rated a pristine 10 by the Beckett Grading Services and comes equipped with a $7,000 price tag. Compare that with the 9.5-rated Pikachu that was priced at a measly $170. Take that, Pikachu! Bulbasaur for the win! Either the Bulbasaur card is worth much more money, or someone has vastly mis-priced their card.

12 Venusaur ($7,500)

Venusaur was always a sought-after Pokémon, and it's nice to see that it is still very valuable. There are many professionally-rated Venusaur cards currently circulating on eBay, and many of them are going for thousands of dollars. The most expensive card seems to be this one, a first edition, holofoil, shadowless Venusaur selling for $7,500! Not only is it very rare, but it was rated a perfect 10 by the PSA, making it one of the nicest Vensaur cards on the planet. Now we're getting into the truly outrageous.

11 University Magikarp ($8,000)

No one cares about Magikarp. But everyone cares about University Magikarp. This card was released exclusively in Japan for the Tamamushi University Hyper Test, a Pokémon tournament for primary school children. Winners of the tournament were given this card as a prize, and only 1,000 cards were printed for "intended distribution." Naturally, these are a rare and valuable commodity, and one is currently selling on eBay for $8,000. It's even been rated by the PSA, which awarded it a score of 7, denoting near mint condition.

10 Sabrina's Alakazam ($9,000)

Sabrina's Alakazam was also released as part of the Gym Challenge expansion. This specific Alakazam belongs to Sabrina, the gym leader of the Saffron Gym who specializes in psychic Pokémon. And her Alazakam puts Giovanni's Gyarados to shame (at least in terms of monetary value.) This BGS pristine-rated Sabrina's Alakazam is selling for an astounding $9,000 on eBay, making it much more expensive than this "moderately played" version that costs $3. It's amazing what a BGS rating will do to a card's value!

9 Erika's Venusaur ($10,000)

As you can see, pristine cards belonging to the Gym Challenge expansion are worth a pretty penny. This Venusaur belongs to Erika, the leader of the Celadon Gym who specializes in grass Pokémon. Naturally, her Venusaur is a powerful piece of business. And it's also worth a lot of money. This pristine Erika's Venusaur is selling for $10,000 on eBay, which is absolutely insane. But if you think five figures for a card is insane, you haven't seen anything yet.

8 Machamp ($15,000)

When you think of the most valuable first generation Pokémon, Machamp is probably not one of the first to come to mind. Nevetheless, it is worth a ridiculous amount of money. For example, this gem mint Trainer Deck Machamp is selling for $7,400, but that's nothing. This BGS pristine-rated card is literally double the price at $15,000. It's amazing to think that Machamp is worth more than the likes of Mewtwo and the various Gym Challenge Pokémon, but there you have it.

7 Charizard ($35,000)

And to think, Pikachu is going for a measly $170. You may not think it, but a first edition shadowless Charizard is incredibly valuable within the Pokémon community. They range in price, but a professionally-rated shadowless Charizard is easily worth between $30,000 and $35,000. For example, this 9.5-rated Charizard is going for $30,000, THIS 9,5-rated card is going for slightly more at $33,000, and THIS gem mint (10) card is selling for $35,000. Can you imagine that? A Charizard costs as much as a brand new car.

6 "For Position Only" Charizard ($35,437)

It seems as if collectors can't get enough of Charizard. According to the seller, "this Pokémon card was a test card for the Expedition set before it was officially released. It was meant to be destroyed but was saved by a former Wizards of the Coast staff member." The Expedition set was the first of the e-card era. The physical card was officially labeled by the PSA and is currently selling on eBay for $35,437 (the weird number comes from the conversion, as the seller is Australian).