Pokemon cards have gained a lot of popularity and monetary value in the last few years as people have literally spent millions of dollars on them. Here's a list of the 21 most costly and rarest Pokemon cards ever sold on the market.
In 1996, the first Pokemon trading card was issued, and over 43 billion cards have been sold worldwide since. The value of these cards has also increased, with some cards selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions.
From rarity to condition, there are many factors that make a Pokemon card special. While the majority of cards in the world aren't expensive at all, a few of them can help the seller make millions. This is why celebrities like Logan Paul and Logic have spent huge sums adding rare Pokemon cards to their collections.
Here's a list of the 21 most costly and rarest Pokemon cards ever.
In 2023, these are the 21 most expensive Pokemon Cards.
- Release date: 2006
- Highest value of the card at auction: $25,400
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
The Charizard Gold Star from the 2006 Pokemon EX Dragon Frontiers was sold for more than $25,000 in an auction. According to PWCC, it is one of the only 91 cards that received a 10 PSA rating during grading.
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Ash's unique bond with his Charizard has resulted in a higher price, allowing the card to remain popular for decades after. Some Legendary Pokemon are a close second.
- Release date: 2010
- Highest value of the card at auction: $26,900
- Grade: BGS 9
Only 36 Master Key trophy cards were made for the 2010 Pokemon World Championship, and one of them somehow made it to an auction. According to the PWCC, the card sold for $26,900.
The 2010 Pokemon World Championship Mastery Key card is of exceptional quality, although it is only a decade old. It has a BGS 9 rating and is comfortably in a Beckett 9 holder.
- Release date: 2002
- Highest value of the card at auction: $34,100
- Grade: BGS 7.5
Fukunishi Tomoki won the Junior Kanto Battle Road tournament in 2002 and received the Neo Summer Battle Road Number 2 Trainer trophy. Interestingly, this was the only prize card to have the winner's name and region printed on it.
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The Neo Summer card has received a BGS 7.5 rating, which is too good to be true for its age. For all of these reasons, it sold for over $34,000 in a 2021 auction.
- Release date: 2010
- Highest value of the card at auction: $35,200
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
The Daisuki Club organized a promotion event in 2010, where people could earn points and redeem rewards. The finest item in the prize pool that you could get by redeeming 8,600 points was the Holo Masters Scroll promo card. Yes, this card is as rare as it sounds.
The 2010 Daisuki Club Master's Scroll Promo trophy sold for $35,200 at auction in November 2021.
- Release date: 1999
- Highest value of the card at auction: $36,877
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
Chansey's Shadowless Holo version is one of the most oldest cards on this list, and it belongs to the Base Set from 1999 and features the most popular TCG artwork.
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Chansey has appeared frequently in the Pokemon anime. Even though it isn't as well-known as Blastoise, Charizard, or Pikachu, the Pokemon has always been Nurse Joy's constant companion, and fans are enthralled whenever they see it.
The Chansey card from the Base Set in GEM Mint 10 condition is undoubtedly a rare find. Therefore, it sold for $36,877 in a 2020 auction by PWCC.
- Release date: 1999
- Highest value of the card at auction: $45,100
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
A Shadowless Blastoise 1st Edition card from the Base Set sold for $45,100 in an auction, and finding one in PSA GEM Mint 10 condition increases its value.
The Blastoise 1st Edition Shadowless card, which was sold for such a high price, has been a fan favorite for years.
- Release date: 2005
- Highest value of the card at auction: $45,100
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
A Rayquaza Gold Star Holo card from the Pokemon EX Deoxys series was enough to enthuse a large crowd at a 2020 auction. It sold for $45,100, increasing Rayquaza's popularity.
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This is one of the best-looking Pokemon trading cards in history with its Masakazu Fukuda artwork. Of course, the PSA GEM Mint 10 quality is like a cherry on top.
- Release date: 1999
- Highest value of the card at auction: $50,300
- Grade: PSA Authentic
The Tropical Mega Battle No. 2 Trainer is ungraded, unlike other cards on this list, and the PSA has only verified its authenticity. Regardless, it is one of the most valuable cards in TCG's history.
Because only 21 of the original Tropical Mega Battle cards were created almost two decades ago, collectors will have to spend thousands on the purchase of these Exeggutor features. Only one player from each of the seven regions in Japan's Mega Battle tournament has gotten these Exeggutor features, enabling you to win over $50,000.
- Release date: 1996
- Highest value of the card at auction: $55,000
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
Venusaur has always been a well-known Pokemon as the second evolution of a starter Pokemon, Bulbasaur. It is one of the first Pokemon introduced to the world, and the Venusaur Holo No Rarity Symbol set is one of the first Pokemon cards ever created.
Only five of the Japanese 1st Edition Base Set have a PSA GEM Mint 10 rating, and the card's case has been signed by artist Mitsuhiro Arita.
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In a PWCC auction, the 1996 Pokemon Japanese Base Set No Rarity Symbol Holo Venusaur sold for $55,000.
- Release date: 1998
- Highest value of the card at auction: $60,000
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
The Mew Victory Orb trophy card was a prize for the top players in the 1998 Summer Battle Road championship. Only 16 of these cards have a PSA GEM Mint 10 rating. In a December 2020 auction, the card's final price came up at $60,000 after 51 bids.
- Release date: 1999
- Highest value of the card at auction: $65,100
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
The Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind promotional card is extremely useful for several reasons. First, it features fan-favorite Psyduck playing ukelele on a beach alongside Jigglypuff.
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A Tropical Mega Battle tournament in Hawaii in 1999 invited fifty players from across the world to take part in a wide variety of Tropical Wind cards as prizes. The Tropical Wind featuring Psyduck
In a 2020 PWCC auction, the card was up for grabs for $65,100 and sold for $65,100 in GEM Mint condition.
- Release date: 1998
- Highest value of the card at auction: $66,100
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
Shogakukan's Magazines organized a contest for Japanese school students in 1998. The ones who scored the highest scores received an invitation to a Pokemon card battle tournament, and the winners received the Tamamushi University Magikarp card promotion.
The 1998 University Magikarp is one of the most rare TCG cards. It was presented at a PWCC auction on February 28, 2021 and was sold for $66,100.
- Release date: 2005
- Highest value of the card at auction: $70,000
- Grade: BSG 9.5
The Pokemon community has always been enthused by Eevee's eight evolutions, and we've already demonstrated how rare Gold Star cards are. This is why a $70,000 Umbreon Gold Star card is now worth $70,000.
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Trainers had to earn 70,000 XP Points by winning matches and attending events in the fourth season of Pokemon Player Club. Only a few players in the world have the original card, let alone in BGS 9.5 Mint condition.
- Release date: 1999
- Highest value of the card at auction: $90,000
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
In 1999, the Pokemon Company held regional competitions in Japan, and their winners met for the final battle in a secret location. To access this location, the trainers received a Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer card featuring Mewtwo's hologram.
The PSA has only graded seven of these cards, making them extremely rare. As a result, getting it in mint condition is a dream for every trophy card collector.
The Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer promotional card sold for $90,000 in July 2020.
- Release date: 2006
- Highest value of the card at auction: $110,000
- Grade: PSA – 9
Three trophy cards for winners were issued at the 2006 Pokemon World Championship in California, and only one of them has been available until February 2023. To get this card, you had to compete in a ton of elimination rounds and win the 32-player single-elimination main tournament.
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The PSA-9 rating on such a rare card is almost unbelievable. The photograph shows Pikachu holding a Silver trophy, and the message underneath invites the winner to the 2007 Championship.
The Pokemon World Championships No. 2 Trainer card finally sold in a PWCC auction in February 2021. It sold for a staggering $110,000.
6.Lugia Holo Neo Genesis 1st Edition
- Release date: 2000
- Highest value of the card at auction: $144,300
- Grade: BGS Pristine – 10
Lugia is one of the most popular Legendary Pokemon and its introduction to the Trading Card Game did not go unnoticed. Over the past few years, the Neo Genesis 1st Edition Lugia cards have seen an increase in their value.
This card has 41 copies with a PSA 10 rating. However, only three cards in the world have a BGS Pristine rating. One of them sold for an unbelievable $144,300 in a PWCC auction.
Trophy card for the Kangaskhan Family Event
- Release date: 1998
- Highest value of the card at auction: $150,000
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
A Pokemon card battle in 1998 required parents and their children to participate in a special tournament in Japan. The winners received a sweet holo trophy card with a Kangaskhan and its baby in the pouch.
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The PSA GEM Mint 10 graded version is evidently rarer, according to reports. Two of these cards were sold in 2020 for a total of $150,000.
Ishihara GX - Promo signed by Ishihara
- Release date: 2017
- Highest value of the card at auction: $247,230
- Grade: PSA 7 and Autograph PSA 9
The fourth most expensive Pokemon card doesn't even include a Pokemon; instead, it contains artwork by The Pokemon Company's CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara.
The Ishihara GX- Promo was reportedly given to every employee who attended the CEO's birthday party in 2017. Naturally, not a lot of these cards are in circulation, and a non-signed version sold for $50,000 in 2020.
The real show-stealer was a PSA 7 version with a PSA 9 autograph of none other than Tsunekazu Ishihara, who sold the card for $247,230 at Gauldin Auctions after 31 bids.
Presentation of Wizards of the Coast from Galaxy Star Holo Blastoise
- Release date: 1998
- Highest value of the card at auction: $360,000
- Grade: CGC 8.5
To appreciate the value of the Galaxy Star Holo Blastoise Wizards of the Coast presentation, we may have to go down memory lane. Before Nintendo transferred the publishing rights to The Pokemon Company in 2003, the first Pokemon cards in the United States were published by Wizards of the Coast.
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What makes this Blastoise card so special is the fact that it is a presentation variation. It was created only to provide retailers with an idea of how a TCG card would appear after its final printing.
According to reports, only two Galaxy Star Holo Blastoise cards exist in the world, and both have different backs. This makes them the rarest cards ever, and when one of them appeared at Heritage Auctions, a collector could not help but purchase it for $360,000.
Base Set for Charizard 1st Edition
- Release date: 1999
- Highest value of the card at auction: $420,000
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
Premium Pokemon card collections often include a 1st Edition Charizard card from the Base Set. However, over the years, the price of this card has reached new highs, thanks to celebrities like Logic spending $226,000 on it.
Logan Paul, a well-known YouTuber, flaunted his BGS 10 Pristine Charizard card before meeting Floyd Mayweather, which further increased the card's enormous popularity.
Logan Paul claimed that his $1,000,000 variant was purchased in a PWCC auction in 2022, for $420,000. There are over 3000 copies of a 1st Edition Charizard, only 121 of them have a PSA 10 rating.
Japanese promo for Corocoro Comics Illustrator
- Release date: 1998
- Highest value of the card at auction: $6,000,000
- Grade: PSA GEM Mint 10
The Pikachu Illustrator card is the rarest and most expensive Pokemon card ever by a mile. In 1997, CoroCoro awarded the winners of an art competition this card.
The Pikachu Illustrator Japanese promotional card has seen a dramatic rise in its value in the last few years. So much so that a PSA 7 card sold for $375,000 at a PWCC auction.
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Logan Paul wore the card on his Wrestlemania debut, claiming that he paid $6,000,000 for it, and it's unlikely we'll see a bigger Pokemon card deal in the near future.
Only twenty Pikachu Illustrator cards exist in the world, and owning one can make you a millionaire.
Well, these are the most costly and rarest cards in the world. For similar content, check out the strongest Pokemon ranked list, the best attackers in Pokemon Go, and the best Eevee evolutions in Pokemon Go.
Nintendo / The Pokemon Company / PWCC / PSA (Professional Sports Authority) / Beckett Grading Services