How Much Are Pokemon Cards Worth

Rayquaza Gold Star Holo Ex Deoxys

• Release Date: 2005
• Grading: PSA Gem Mint 10
• Pokemon card value at auction: $45,100

An early favorite of Ruby & Sapphire, Rayquaza has seen an uptick in popularity over the last decade. So it makes sense then that its cards would also start to climb up in value over time. In 2005, The Pokemon Company released the Ex Deoxys TCG expansion featuring the Flying / Dragon-type.

As a gimmick to get Pokemon card collectors interested in the set, the Japanese company introduced Gold Star Pokemon cards into the hobby. As mentioned earlier, the incredibly rare Pokemon cards featured a special symbol next to the name of the mon. Of course, the king of these marked collectibles is the Hoenn Legendary itself.

In December 2020, a perfectly graded Gold Star Rayquaza sold at auction for $45,100. Given the Legendarys continued popularity in the franchise, and just how little of the gold Pokemon cards were actually produced, we expect this item to increase in value as time goes on.

Cost By Pokemon Card Type

There are several types of Pokemon cards and different Pokemon. While the Pokemon does have a factor in price, its the type of card that makes it valuable.

Were no Pokemon card expert, but here is how we filtered our extracted data:

To no surprise, at the bottom, you had common Pokemon cards that had the lowest average sold at $3.47.

The highest priced common Pokemon card was a “POKEMON CHARMANDER 50/82 TEAM ROCKET SQUIRTLE PIKACHU COMMON CARD NM/MINT LOT sold for $23.46

2nd lowest was uncommon Pokemon cards with an average cost of $15.86

At the top, we got Secret rare Pokemon cards with an average cost of $231.30.

The lowest secret rare Pokemon card was sold at $6.58 which was Pokemon Card Champions Path Drednaw V 069/073 Secret Rare Holo Full Art NM/M

The highest secret rare Pokemon card was sold at $1,120.92 which was PSA 10 Pokemon Champions Path Secret Rare Shiny Charizard V Card 79/73 079/073

Coming in 2nd and 3rd are shadowless / 1st edition Pokémon cards with an average of $135.05 and Pokémon legend cards with an average of $130.79

1st edition cards had both the lowest and highest item sold which was the 1st Ed English Venonat 63/64 Jungle Set Nintendo WOTC Card Pokemon 1999 sold at $0.01 and a 1st Edition Dark Charizard Holo Team Rocket Pokemon Card #4/82 – PSA 10 sold at $2,084.14

The highest Pokemon legend card was a 2004 EX Hidden Legends Kyogre ex GEM MINT PSA 10 Holo Card Ultra Rare for $782.03

Pokemon Neo Summer Battle Road #3 Trainer Trophy Card

Sold in July, 2020 for $18,600

As an award for finishing in third place in the 2001 Neo Summer Battle Road Tournament, contestants would receive this number 3 trainer card that came in a special case.

Trophy cards like this one are some of the rarest and desirable Pokemon cards in the hobby.

Just under the “No. 3 Trainer” text is a fantastic image of the main protagonist of the Pokemon anime, Ash Ketchum, flanked by Growlithe and Pikachu.

Below the image is a text box that reads: “The Pokemon Card Game Official Tournament “BattleNeo Summer Road” third place winner is recognized here, and this honor is praised.”

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The Rarity Of The Pokemon Card

Pokemon cards come in a number of different rarities. Different Pokemon card rarities can be seen from the rarity symbol, which is normally displayed in the bottom left or bottom right corner of the card.

Common: the card has a circle symbol.

Uncommon: the card has a diamond symbol.

Rare: the card has a star symbol.

Ultra rare: the card has a holographic star symbol, possibly gold or silver in colour.

There are many different types of ultra rare Pokemon cards, including EX, GX, Prime, Level X, and V cards. Normally these types of Pokemon cards will have this distinction next to their name.

As a general rule, most common/uncommon Pokemon cards arent worth much typically less than $0.10 each. As a result, theyre normally sold in bulk. There are exceptions to this rule though, especially with very old first gen Pokemon cards.

Rare and ultra rare Pokemon cards can vary in what theyre worth quite dramatically. For example, a typical non-holo rare from the latest set will normally be worth $0.50 – $1.00 or so. But a holographic Base Set Charizard could be worth $500 or more.

Holographic Shadowless Venusaur: $3260

Just like its Kanto starter counterpart Charizard, Venusaur’s Shadowless, holographic, first edition version is a coveted card among Pokemon fans. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of Charizard’s $500,000, but Venusaur always was slightly less popular compared to the other Kanto starters anyway.

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Nonetheless, these cards were rare even in their original late-1990s heyday, so you can imagine how sought-after they are now. Buying one through Troll and Toad right now can cost you as little $390, but the compilation site Pokemon Prices has records of them selling up to $3260.

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Pokemon Play Third Season Jolteon Gold Star 20000 Pts

Sold in June, 2021 for $20,000

Beginning in 2003, the Pokemon Players Club replaced the Pokemon Fan Club and with that change came the release of several exclusive Pokemon PLAY cards.

As players completed certain actions, such as attending an event, hosting an event, winning a battle, or placing in a tournament, they could accumulate experience points.

Once a player had acquired a certain number of points, he or she could receive a prize promotional card

Between January 2003 and January 2006, there were just four seasons in which players could participate, so time was of the essence in working to obtain these special cards.

If a player accumulated 20,000 points, he or she could earn this exclusive Pokemon PLAY Jolteon Gold Star.

Pokemon Japanese Bandai Carddass Vending Prism Red Charizard

Sold in January, 2021 for $30,100

Founded in 1950, Bandai is a Japanese toy maker that produced a series of Pokemon cards in September 1996 that pre-dated the official launch of the Pokemon Trading Card Game that followed in October 1996.

To distribute the cards, Bandai utilized a network of vending machines, or carddass, as they called them.

There are hundreds of Bandai carddass Pokemon cards to collect, but the most desirable of them all is the prism Charizard.

In one of the earliest appearances of the iconic character, Charizard roars and breathes fire, creating an image that really pops.

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Pokemon Japanese Play Promo 50000 Points Espeon Gold Star

Sold in June, 2021 for $25,700

Earlier, we had a look at the 2005 Pokemon Japanese Play Jolteon gold star card that required 20,000 EXP Points to redeem and explained how difficult it was to achieve.

As Pokemon Players Club members completed specific actions, such as attending an event, winning a battle, or placing in a tournament, they could accumulate experience points.

As if accumulating 20,000 EXP points for the Jolteon wasn’t hard enough, those who had the endurance and capability to press on even farther could unlock the Espeon after earning 50,000 EXP points.

The holographic element mixed with the gold star designation and incredible design from Masakazu Fukuda resulted in a breathtaking card that few ever have the chance at holding.

Japanese Promo Pikachu Illustrator

Sold in February, 2021 for $375,000

During the late 1990s, CoroCoro Comic, a Japanese manga magazine, held a series of illustration contests in which entrants submitted their own unique Pokémon designs and attacks.

Little did they know then that these contests would give rise to one of the rarest and most valuable of all Pokémon cards: the Pikachu Illustrator.

Not only did contest winners receive multiple copies of a card that featured their very own winning design, which was exciting in its own right, each of them also received a copy of the Pikachu Illustrator card as an additional prize.

On the card front, contestants received a special message:

“We certify that your illustration is an excellent entry in the Pokémon Card Game Illust Contest. Therefore, we state that you are an Officially Authorized Pokémon Card Illustrator and admire your skill.”

Just 39 copies were distributed to the contest winners, but anyone is welcome to guess how many still survive today.

Considering this example graded PSA 7 sold for $375,000, it’s highly likely we’d see a price tag north of $1 million for the one example in the hobby graded PSA 10.

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Poliwrath No Rarity Base Set

• Release Date: 1996
• Grading: PSA Gem Mint 10
• Pokemon card value at auction: $25,015

Rounding out the top 21 of the most expensive Pokemon cards list is Poliwrath from the Japanese version of the Base Set. While the Water-type mon has traditionally been one of the weaker valued cards from the 1996 and 1999 releases, this item is actually special.

Similar to the English version having a 1st Edition run, the very first print of the Japanese set featured no markings at all. Due to there being extremely limited amounts even printed, barely any of them survived three decades later.

Consider this THE earliest version of the iconic card, and you can see why its value has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2020, one appeared in a PWCC auction selling for $25,015. If you think that is a lot, we are only getting started!

Gold Star Espeon And Umbreon

These cards are scarce and one in a million. There are just a few cards imprinted with the Gold Star. So if you were fortunate to come across one then, youd become the talk of the town. Moreover, the Star is found directly on the right-hand side of the cards name, which awards respect to its owner.

These unique cards are rare because their creators initially gave them only to the Pokemon Players Club members. But, this also came at a hefty price the members had to trade 50,000 points to have it in their possession.

Nevertheless, these cards are now available for the sum of $5,000 and $6,000 each.

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Pokemon First Edition Blastoise

Sold in November, 2020 for $45,100

One of the coolest-looking of all Pokémon with its twin water cannons that retract from the shell on its back, Blastoise received a massive boost in popularity after serving as the cover mascot of the Pokémon Blue video game.

1st Edition Blastoise cards feature a first edition stamp to the lower left of the holographic image and no shadowing effect behind its right and bottom borders.

Out of the 2,070 first edition Blatoise cards submitted to PSA as of this writing, 100 of them have been given the PSA 10 distinction or roughly 4.8% of them.

Reasons To Invest In Rare Pokmon Cards

Why adding collectibles to your portfolio makes sense in 2020 and 2021.

Entrepreneur

Pokémon cards were introduced in 1996 as part of the franchises trading card game. Less than 25 years later, some of these first-edition Pokémon have appreciated in price at over 10,000 percent.

Alongside the limited supply and extremely high demand, there are plenty of reasons why Pokémon cards make for excellent investments.

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Holo Gold Star Rayquaza

This exquisite Rayquaza is a rare Pokemon card thats gotten from the Ex Deoxys set. This Pokemon card highlighting the Gold Star makes it extremely powerful in your deck of cards.

Its subtle colors and artwork make it classic and standard, and as a result, its price tends to vary massively. For example, its price on Troll and Toad is precisely $4,500, which could also be more or less.

Its rarity and excellent standard are precisely what make it invaluable amongst the original Gen 3 cards. The best part is, it is amongst the first shiny cards to hit a record-setting price.

Most Expensive Pokmon Cards In Review

Clearly, the non-sports card collecting world is every bit as hot as the sports card hobby.

Passionate collectors are obviously willing to shell out big bucks to land any one of the prized possessions on this list.

The video games, television shows, and the cards themselves transformed Pokémon into a worldwide phenomenon with an enormous fan base.

And many of those kids who grew up with these cards are now adults with more spending power able to pay big bucks for them in top condition.

It doesn’t look like that trend will slow anytime soon as these cards have found their place as one of the most popular non-sports sets in the hobby.

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Pokemon Japanese Promo Daisuki Club 7200 Points Holo Umbreon

Sold in June, 2021 for $18,100

The Pokemon Daisuki Club started in 2004 and provided many benefits to its members, such as mini-games, contests, and special offers.

One of those cards was this holographic Umbreon card, and to earn it, the player needed to acquire 7,200 action points, which was no easy task.

Umbreon is one of eight different characters into which Eevee, a normal-type Pokemon, can evolve when leveled up with high friendship during the night in certain areas.

Its red eyes and the yellow markings on its slender black body give the dark-type Umbreon an unmistakable appearance giving this card tremendous eye appeal.

First Edition Holographic Zapdos

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $1,400

Together with Articuno and Moltres, this electric and flying creature is one of the three Legendary birds of Kanto.

Only seen during thunderstorms, Zapdos will create lighting bolts and loud cracking sounds as it flaps its wings when airborne alerting everyone in the area to its presence.

The yellow and black spiked feathers that surround its body make Zapdos look just like the blasts of electricity it creates.

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Pokemon Trainer Deck B Blastoise

Sold in March, 2021 for $20,000

This Blastoise card is one of the rarest in existence that was originally part of the Trainer Deck B or “Misty’s Deck” given out as a promotional piece to Pokemon League members ahead of the official launch of the Pokemon TCG in North America.

The Trainer Deck B theme deck contained sixty base set cards in all, with the most desirable of them being Blastoise.

Had Charizard been included in the Trainer Deck B set, it would have been the most desirable, but that’s beside the point.

An easy way to recognize a Trainer Deck B Blastoise is that it is the only non-holographic base set Blastoise.

And, if you’re still not 100% sure, you can flip the card over and you’ll see that the card’s reverse is printed with a distinct red border and “Misty’s Deck” verbiage.

Standard Deck

Pokmon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Venusaur #15

Now were getting somewhere. The final evolution of the starter Pokémon Bulbasaur, Venusaur had a massive part to play in both the games and the anime as one of the mainstays in Ashs party.

It featured on-the-box art for the original Japanese version of the game, although the Green edition was never released worldwide.

With over 137 PSA 10 copies in existence, the original holo Venusaur is clearly a coveted card.

It may pale in comparison to the likes of Blastoise and Charizard, but its still a member of the original trio that players got to choose from.

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The Masked Royal Prize Promo

This piece is unquestionably one of the most current and rare cards available today, simply featuring the Masked Royal character. This character is from the Pokemon Sun and Moon and was released in 2017.

It was a promo card that was initially issued out to players in an invitation to the pre-release of the Shining Legends set in Japan.

This card was tough to get, and Japanese Trading sites like Miyabi Hobby sold it at the rate of ¥2,000,000, which is approximately $18,000.

Find The Set Number Of The Pokemon Card

Look at the bottom right or bottom left corner of the card for a number, typically in the format ###/###.

In this case, the set number is RC21/RC25. Note that the set number does not normally contain letters, but it can sometimes. As long as theres a / symbol, or a number on its own, then thats the set symbol.

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Why Are Pokemon Cards Suddenly Popular Again

Pokemon card collecting has always been popular, as evidenced by the 34 billion cards now in circulation.

But even the makers of Pokemon cards were caught off guard when demand began skyrocketing in mid-2020. In addition to being fun, addictive, and nostalgic, collecting Pokemon cards during the pandemic even promised a potential form of economic relief each $4 booster pack could contain a Charizard GX SV 49 worth $1,800.

Soon, celebrities and influencers picked up on the resurging popularity of Pokemon cards. In early October, Logan Paul live-streamed an event where he opened a rare box of cards worth $200,000 in front of his 22 million subscribers. Pokimane and other influencers quickly followed suit, offering a Pokemon-flavored version of the ever-popular unboxing videos.

Things came to a head on October 13th, 2020 when rapper Logic bought a first-edition, holographic Charizard for an eye-watering $220,574.

Pokmon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Gyarados #6

This spot on the list could easily have been taken by the likes of Zapdos or Poliwrath, who are a duo of holo cards from the original set of 102 that just missed out.

The base Gyarados gets the nod instead, as one of the most powerful evolutions from the original trading card game.

Evolved from the otherwise useless Magikarp, the blue foil surrounding the Pokémon gives a nice water effect.

As of now, there are 86 gem mint copies on the PSA registry, so its not especially rare even when looking at pristine copies.

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