15 Most Expensive & Rare Pokémon Cards of All Time
Pokémon is considered the most successful media franchise ever, with best-selling video games, movies, plushies, and more. Perhaps one of the most fascinating parts of the story is the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG).
Over the years, rare Pokémon cards have surfaced online, and collectors have paid thousands to take them home. But with valuable cards often comes the challenge of distinguishing real vs. fake Pokémon cards. So, what Pokémon cards are worth money? In this guide, we’re looking at 15 of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever sold, as per Sports Illustrated.
1. 1998 Pikachu-Holo Illustrator
In 2022, this Pikachu lllustrator card became the priciest Pokémon card when YouTuber Logan Paul purchased it for a whopping $5.275 million. These cards were given out in the 90s as part of a Japanese magazine contest, and only 39 were made. This one was rated PSA 10 (perfect condition), making it even more valuable.
2. 1999 Pokemon Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Holo Charizard
First-edition trading cards are always sought after. As one of the most valuable Pokémon cards ever, this classic shadowless Charizard card is worth at least $420,000 in mint condition.
3. 1998 Pokemon Commission Presentation Galaxy Star Holo Blastoise
This holographic Blastoise card is pricey because it was never publicly released. It was a test pressing made when the Magic: The Gathering company tried to win the rights to the English Pokémon trading card game. It’s worth a staggering $360,000.
4. 2017 Black Star Ishihara Signed GX Promo Card
The Ishihara promotional card is notable for not featuring a Pokémon. The person on the card is the founder of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara. It was made to celebrate the man’s 60th birthday, and after he signed one, it sold for $247,230.
5. 1998 Kangaskhan-Holo #115 Family Event Trophy Card
This Japanese edition was given out as a tournament prize. What makes this card valuable is the tournament itself: It was a Parent/Child Mega Battle, as indicated by the Kangaskhan with a baby in its pouch. This exclusive Pokémon TCG card is valued at $150,100.
6. 2000 Pokemon Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia
With the legendary Pokémon Lugia featured, this beautiful card is already worth holding onto. But when you consider that a mint-condition version sold for $144,300, you can understand why every collector wants this valuable card.
7. 1998 Trophy Pikachu Gold
Another Japanese tournament card, this one was handed out to the top three players in the Pokémon Lizardon competition. Only seven are known to exist, making these exceptionally rare and worth $128,900, particularly if you get these Pokémon cards graded.
8. 1999 Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer
This isn’t just a Pokémon card—it was a key to a secret battle. Given to regional tournament winners in 1999, the card acted as an entrance ticket to a tournament held in 1999. One recently went up for sale at $90,000.
9. 1998 Pokemon Japanese Promo Tamamushi University Prize Magikarp
This special promotional card was given out as a reward during the Tamamushi University Hyper Test, so it’s incredibly rare. If you can get your hands on one, you could sell this rare Pokémon card for $78,000.
10. 2005 Umbreon Gold Star Holo
As far as Pokémon cards that are worth money go, this is one of the coolest. It was awarded to players who earned over 70,000 XP points in their fourth season. A PSA 9.5 version of this card sold for $70,000.
11. 1999 Pokemon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind Trophy Card
This Psyduck card was gifted to competitors in a Honolulu tournament, and only 50 were made. It’s delightful to look at—and even better to own, since it’s worth $65,100.
12. 1999 Japanese 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Chansey
No card has a more intriguing photo than this Chansey card. Taken by a Pokémon Snap player for a contest, the winning image was printed just 15 times. For that reason, there’s a $63,000 price tag.
13. 2006 EX Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Charizard
Many cards are valued for their rarity. This one is not only one of the rarest Pokémon cards, but it’s also plain cool. With only 59 known PSA 10 cards in existence, it’s no surprise this rare Pokémon card has a card value worth $60,066.
14. 2000 Pokemon Topps Chrome Series 1 Tekno Charizard
An outlier in this list, the shiny Topps Chrome Charizard is unique because it’s not a playable card. That hasn’t stopped collectors from shelling out $60,000 in the past, though.
15. 2003 Victory Orb Mew Trophy
Yet another tournament card, this one was given out to the top three players in the 2003 and 2004 Japanese Battle Road Summer events. Only 14 of these have ever been graded, making this valuable card worth at least $60,000.
Find Rare Pokémon Cards and Much More at ShopGoodwill.com
Whether you’re a longtime Pokémon lover, a recent fan, or simply a card collector, there’s no denying the value of all Pokémon cards. But these specific cards—and others like them—are the cream of the crop when it comes to Pokémon card collecting.
While rare and expensive Pokémon cards are hard to come across, you can still score some great cards to add to your collection with trading cards for sale at ShopGoodwill.com. Whether you just started collecting Pokémon cards or are an avid collector, you can discover a variety of donated Pokémon cards up for auction.
Sources:
Statista. Revenue of selected media franchises worldwide as of August 2021. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1257650/media-franchises-revenue/
Sports Illustrated. The top 20 most expensive and rare Pokémon cards. https://videogames.si.com/guides/rare-pokemon-cards
Yahoo! Finance. Rare Pokemon card’s wild multi-million dollar price tag. https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/rare-pokemon-cards-wild-multi-million-dollar-price-tag-223013920.html?guccounter=1