Are Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards Worth Anything? Check Your Collection

The card game that took Japan and North America by storm, Yu-Gi-Oh!, is still around today over two decades later. However, the game's popularity may not be rooted in actually playing, but in buying cards as collectors' items. If you ever stocked up on the cards, your cards could be valuable. Are Yu-Gi-Oh! cards worth anything today?

The Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card game launched in 1999 in Japan, finding its way to North America in 2002. A manga artist created a fictional game called Duel Monsters, which Yu-Gi-Oh! is based on. In 2011, the Guinness Book of World Records named it the top-selling trading card game after over 25 billion cards had sold worldwide.

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a basic card game, where each player draws cards from their deck and then plays cards to "the field." Players begin with Life Points and seek to use monster attacks and spells to reduce the Life Points of their opponents. (Reaching zero Life Points means you lose.)

As far as the reason for the card game's popularity, it's anyone's guess. It's much like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering. In 2013, the game broke the Guinness World Record for the largest trading card game tournament with 4,364 participants.

According to TheGamer.com, factors that increase the value of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards include being in a first printing of that card or printed in limited amounts. Older cards are also more valuable than newer cards. As with valuable coins, Yu-Gi-Oh! card values go up with age and rarity.

Here's a rundown of five of the most valuable Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in existence:

• Tyler the Great Warrior: Priceless
• Black Luster Soldier (Stainless Steel): $10 million
• Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon (T3-01): $400,000
• Tyr, the Vanquishing Warlord (WCPS-EN801): $198,888
• Crush Card Virus (SJCS-EN004): $115,033

Only one of each of these top three were ever created, adding to their value.

Let's look in more detail at the top five most valuable cards, according to TheGamer.com.

• Tyler the Great Warrior was a card made in honor of a young man named Tyler who was facing cancer. It was a Make-A-Wish promo card, and reportedly Tyler still has the card despite receiving offers to buy it.

• A stainless steel version of Black Luster Soldier was presented to the first winner of the Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament Duel Monsters 1, and its owner put it up for sale for $10 million.

• The rarest Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon card was last sold for $400,000, and it had been signed by the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Kazuki Takahashi.

• Tyr, the Vanquishing Warlord, was a prize card in the 2008 Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships. It's rare and apparently last sold for nearly $200,000.
• Crush Card Virus' Prize card version is the rarest Trap Card, and the Shonen Jump version was recently worth about $115,033.

There are some ways to find if your cards are rare or valuable. "Rare" cards use silver or black holofoil for the card name letters. "Super Rare" cards have the artwork printed in holofoil. There's also "Holofoil Rare," which means the card art is in holofoil, plus the card is coated in holofoil.

You can try to buy and/or sell Yu-Gi-Oh! cards at local gaming stores or via online retailers. eBay is one of the top platforms for selling your collectible trading cards. Other collectible selling platforms are Heart of the Cards, Card Market, TCG Player, and Sell2BBNovelties.

Of course, if you're hoping to get some cash for any valuable Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards, you want to keep the cards in good condition. Storing collectible cards like these in plastic card sleeves is always a good idea. Within these sleeves, you can keep your trading cards in binders or storage boxes. Keep them cool and dry, above all.