Espeon And Umbreon Gold Star Pop Series 5
A pair of Gold Star Pokémon cards from one of the most valuable Pokémon sets of all time
Sold for $22,000 in February 2021
Gold Star Pokémon cards are among the most valuable sets of Pokémon cards in existence and command an incredibly high value as a result. The cards are named after the gold star that appears next to the Pokémons name at the top of the card, which signifies that the card features alternative-colour artwork different from the common version. Only 27 Gold Star cards were released from 2004 to 2007, making them some of the rarest Pokémon cards available.
While all of the Gold Star Pokémon cards are rare, only appearing once in approximately every 88 booster packs for certain Pokémon TCG expansions, the very rarest are the Eeveelutions – the many evolutions into which basic Gen 1 Pokémon Eevee can evolve. And the rarest of the rarest are the original Japanese-language versions of the cards offered to members of the Pokémon Players Club, who could spend points earned by participating in official organised play and tournaments to obtain exclusive cards.
While Eeveelutions Flareon, Jolteon and Vaporeon could be acquired in the EX Power Keepers set released in 2007 via the Pokémon online store, their psychic and dark elemental siblings Espeon and Umbreon could only be picked up by players who collected enough Pokémon Players Club points. The Espeon 025/PLAY card required 40,000 EXP points earned, while Umbreon 026/PLAY was even most pricey at 70,000 points.
The Most Expensive Pokemon Card Ever Sold
Back in 2013, a Pokemon Illustrator Pikachu card sold for $100,000. In 2019, an Illustrator Pikachu card was sold for $195,000. This card was graded a 9 out of 10 by the Professional Sports Authenticator meaning that it’s exceptionally close to being mint. A few years ago, infamous vlogger Logan Paul got his hands on a PSA 9 Illustrator Pikachu card.
In July 2021, Logan Paul traded his PSA 9 card for a PSA 10 version, a completely mint, undamaged card. On top of trading his PSA 9 card, which was estimated to be worth around $1million, Paul also paid out $4million to the seller, resulting in the PSA 10 version costing just over $5million.
In a pretty shocking move, Logan Paul wore the PSA 10 Illustrator Pikachu card around his neck during his WWE debut, taking it off just before he entered the ring. Backstage, Paul was handed a Guinness World Record for the “Most Expensive Trading Card Sold at a Private Sale.” Right now, Logan Paul is the sole owner of a PSA 10 Illustrator Pikachu trading card.
Pokmon World Championships Promo No 2 Trainer
One of the rarest Pokémon cards of all time, with only 3 known to exist
Sold for $110,100 in February 2021
Image: PWCC
Like its equally rare and expensive Trainer trophy cards, the 2006 No. 2 Trainer is one of the rarest Pokémon cards of all time, with only a small handful of cards ever made.
Given as a trophy card to finalists of the Pokémon World Championships held in Anaheim, California during August 2006, in order to claim the card, players had to gain entry to the tournament by collecting enough points to qualify and then make it into the finals of their divisions.
Just three copies of the 2006 No. 2 Trainer are believed to exist, easily making it one of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence. Its rarity also means it commands a high price, with a copy graded at Mint 9 condition by PSA selling for just over $110,000 in February 2021.
The card itself features fan-favourite Pokémon Pikachu holding aloft a silver trophy, finished with a holographic pattern. The card reads: If you won this card at the 2006 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships, you may return to battle the best in 2007.
No. 2 Trainers rarity and value put it close to the legendarily expensive No. 1 Trainer in terms of rare Pokémon cards – making it one of Pokémons most sought-after cards.
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Celebrate The Stunning Art Of The Pokmon Tcg With An Art Exhibit You Can Enjoy From The Comfort Of Your Own Home
There are many ways to engage with the Pokémon Trading Card Game, including appreciating the distinctive artwork on each card. From , Pokémon fans can enjoy the magnificent and diverse imagery of the Pokémon Trading Card Game: Online Illustration Exhibition.
The exhibition features three distinct themes that fans can explore: Life, History, and Artist. As indicated by the name, Life provides a glimpse of the habitats and routines of Pokémon History traces the evolution of Pokémon TCG illustrations since their beginnings in 1996 and Artist shows the different approaches that artists take to capturing a single Pokémon.
Want a closer look at the artwork? Select the card youre interested in to better view details you might not previously have noticed. And to get a better understanding of what the artist was thinking when they created the card, the exhibition features comments from the creators who designed each piece on display. With 50 artists each commenting on one of their illustrations, its a rare and exciting opportunity to learn more about the talented minds behind the art. The exhibition includes pieces from artists including Megumi Mizutani, Akira Egawa, and many more.
Dont miss the Pokémon Trading Card Game: Online Illustration Exhibition on display August 10 through October 22.
Pokmon Japanese Base Set No Rarity Symbol Holo Venusaur
A very rare Pokémon card made ever more valuable by its artists autograph
Sold for $55,000 in November 2021
Image: PWCC
Many of the rarest Pokémon cards date from the trading card games early days, with first edition cards released in the 1990s ranking as among the most valuable Pokémon cards today.
While the first edition stamp on cards is highly sought-after in the English edition of the Pokémon card game, the rarest Japanese Pokémon cards are instead identified by their lack of a stamp. Specifically, a missing black star in the bottom-right of a Japanese-language card is whats known as No Rarity – meaning that the card is missing the common symbol used to signify a Pokémon cards rarity.
No Rarity Pokémon cards are among the rarest Pokémon cards in existence, and few come rarer than the Venusaur Pokémon card from the games first print run in 1996. Just five copies of the Bulbasaur evolution – famous for appearing on the original video game Pokémon Green – have been graded at a perfect Gem-Mint 10 by PSA, making a flawless copy of the card extremely rare.
While a No Rarity Venusaur card commands a high price by itself, a copy sold in November 2021 set a new record for the rare Pokémon card by fetching $55,000 at auction. Helping the record sum was the signature of the cards illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita – the legendary artist behind many Pokémon cards from the last 20-plus years – on the cards case, making the already rare Pokémon card truly one-of-a-kind.
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First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard #4
A very valuable version of a classic fan-favourite
Sold for $420,000 in March 2022
Shiny Charizard has been one of the Pokémon card games most popular cards since it first released in 1999, so theres no surprise that 20-plus years later, it remains one of the most sought-after cards for collectors and fans alike.
While a number of first-edition cards from the Pokémon TCGs early days are worth some money – assuming theyre still in good nick – due to their limited availability and age, this specific version of the holographic Charizard absolutely stands out as one of the rarest and most valuable Pokémon cards ever released.
A PSA 10 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard just sold at auction with an ending bid of $183,812.00 via @IconicAuctions. Including the 20% buyer’s premium, the total transaction value exceeds $220k. As of now, this is the highest known sale of the card.
Extremely expensive, extremely rare – the Holy Grail of Pokémon cards
Sold for $5.275 million in July 2021
The Pikachu Illustrator is the most expensive Pokémon card in existence, and is the true Holy Grail of Pokémon card collecting – only one PSA 10 is known to exist, and was snapped up by YouTuber Logan Paul for a whopping $5,275,000 in July 2021.
.@LoganPaul wearing the most expensive @Pokemon card in the world right now at #WrestleMania!
Best Pokemon Card Illustrators
A major draw in collecting Pokemon cards comes from the beautiful artwork that graces each one, and here’s a look at their best illustrators.
Without a doubt, one of the biggest driving forces in how the heck Pokemon cards got so popular is that beautiful artwork. It’s what made everyone on the playground want that illustrious Base Set Charizard and it’s what makes old fans look back fondly at their collection. It seemed that everybody had that one card that wasn’t anything special but they absolutely adored and refused to part with it. Quickly scanning Pokemon TCG online communities finds that this is still the case. Jungle Butterfree. Base Set Diglett. Team Rocket’s Dark Charmeleon. The love of the cards rested foremost on the art over the viability or rarity of the piece.
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Despite the series only starting with three illustrators , they were talented enough to produce art that struck a chord with thousands of fans. The number of illustrators began to increase more illustrators meant more fantastic art styles which meant more beautiful cards to collect. If it wasn’t for these talented artists, the card game may well have died before Gen 2.
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Pokmon World Championships No 1 Trainer
Every copy of this rare and valuable promo card is one-of-a-kind
Sold for $31,200 in April 2021
The first of two rare and valuable Pokémon cards called No. 1 Trainer on this list, this particular card was awarded to winners of the regional Battle Road Spring tournaments held in Japan during early 2002.
The regional tournaments were held as qualifiers for the Pokémon World Championships, with the small number of No. 1 Trainer cards produced for the few winners making them some of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence.
Adding to the card’s rarity is the fact that each No. 1 Trainer card was customised with the name of the tournament winner printed onto the card, making each card one-of-a-kind. According to auction house Heritage Auctions, the personalised aspect of the cards also mean that they rarely appear at auction, making them an even rarer sight in the world of Pokémon cards.
The 2002 No. 1 Trainer card was illustrated by Ken Sugimori, best known as being one of the original artists and designers for Pokémon’s first generation of 151 Pokémon. The text on it reads: “The Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament Battle Road Spring 2002 champion is recognised here, and his honour is praised.” Sugimori’s No. 1 Trainer artwork – featuring fan-favourite Pokémon such as Pikachu, Chansey and Marrill – is exclusive to the card, making it especially unique.
Pokmon Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9
A legendary Pokémon on a legendarily rare Pokémon card
Sold for $144,300 in May 2021
Lugia is one of the most iconic and popular Pokémon in the entire series, having starred on the front of early Game Boy game Pokémon Silver and its Nintendo DS remake SoulSilver. A legendary bird Pokémon from Gen II, Lugia is one of the most powerful and hard-to-find Pokémon that players can catch in the video games – so its only fitting that its Pokémon card is also extremely rare.
The Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9 Pokémon card is described by auction house PWCC as one of the most difficult Pokémon cards to grade, as the result of a number of errors and misprints that were included in the early runs of the Neo Genesis set for the Pokémon TCG. Later print runs were corrected, but many of the cards from the expansion remain more common in their earlier uncorrected forms.
As of May 2021, PWCC claims that only 41 Gem Mint 10 condition Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9 cards have ever been graded by PSA, with just three earning the maximum BGS 10 Pristine rating from grading company Beckett Grading Services. The Lugias rarity means that it ranks almost as highly as the legendary first-edition Charizard when it comes to the most valuable Pokémon cards.
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What Is The Most Expensive Pokmon Card
As of August 2022, the most expensive Pokémon card is a Professional Sports Authenticator grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card that social media personality and boxer Logan Paul purchased for $5.275 million, according to Guinness World Records.
A PSA grade of 10 means the card was in perfect condition. There is only one known PSA grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card in the world, according to Guinness.
In June 2021, Paul purchased a PSA grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card for $1.275 million. He traded this card, along with $4 million, to obtain the PSA grade 10 card he now owns.
According to Guinness, Paul wore his PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card on a chain around his neck to his April 2022 appearance at WrestleMania 38, where he was presented with a certificate for the world record.
Here are some of the rarest and most expensive Pokémon cards, according to Dicebreaker:
1. Pikachu Illustrator
In April 2022, it was confirmed that Logan Paul paid $5.275 million for a PSA grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card. The Illustrator card, given out to 39 winners of the 1997 and 1998 Pokémon illustration contests, is extremely rare. Only 23 have been certified by the PSA, and only one has been given a PSA rating of 10.
2. 1999 First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard #4
This card sold for $420,000 at auction in March 2022, after breaking numerous records in the past. According to Dicebreaker, only 121 copies of the card have been rated as Gem Mint 10 by the PSA.
13. Masters Key
Logan Paul To Turn $52 Million Pikachu Illustrator Pokmon Card Into Fractional Nft
The holy grail of Pokémon card collecting will be available in “tokenized portions” via Paul’s co-founded marketplace.
Fans will soon be able to own a portion of a one-of-a-kind Pokémon card in possibly the most outlandish way possible: through a digital token created by Logan Paul.
The card in question is arguably the most valuable Pokémon card in existence, a PSA-graded 1998 Japanese Promo Pikachu Illustrator that is currently the only PSA 10, which Paul acquired for a combined $5,275,000.
Paul debuted the card by wearing it on a chain during his own Wrestlemaniadebut in April, later revealing the background behind how he obtained it while being awarded a certificate for holding the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale by the Guinness World Records.
According to Paul and Guinness, he purchased the card on July 22, 2021, via a private deal with the previous owner in Dubai. He exchanged around $4 million in cash and his own PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator, which was then valued at $1,275,000, to get the deal done.
Now, Paul is adding what to many collectors is treated as the pinnacle of Pokémon card collection to the Liquid Marketplace. On July 9, the card will be moved into a highly secured third-party vault before being tokenized for public purchase.
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Rare Pikachu Illustrator Pokmon Sells For Record
A rare Pikachu Illustrator card has been purchased for a heady $900k, making it the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold.
The card in question features a Pikachu adorably clutching a paintbrush as it stands over a painting of a Charmander . The card is then offset with a holographic background. Its layout is much like that of a Trainer card, however the writing across it instead says “Illustrator”.
These cards are incredibly rare, with only 39 of them ever being produced. This is because they were never actually sold. Rather, they were released as a prize in an illustration contest through CoroCoro Comic in 1998.
In addition to their scarcity, the artwork on the card was designed by Atsuko Nishida. Nishida is credited as being one of Pikachu’s creators, making these cards an even more desirable acquisition for collectors.
It is currently not known who purchased this particular Pikachu Illustrator card, however it is not the first time this card has made headlines.In 2019, another card like this sold at an auction in New York for a comparatively conservative $195k. Meanwhile, in 2016, one was sold on eBay for $54,970 .
The huge spike in auction prices for items such as this Pokémon card has once more brought into question the way money changes hands. Or, more specifically, how and why that money has skyrocketed recently, with game grading companies such as Wata making their own headlines for questionable business activities.
Logan Paul Has Turned World’s Most Expensive Pokemon Card Into An Nft
Even Pikachu isn’t safe.
Pokemon card fans and collectors will be keenly aware that YouTube star Logan Paul recently purchased the world’s only known PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator for a ridiculous amount of money, grabbing himself a Guinness World Record shortly after a wrestling match in which he wore the card around his neck. In a new video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Logan Paul shows viewers the buying process and what he went through to make the transaction happen.
The video in question shows Paul traveling to multiple different countries to get the deal over the line, and reveals he actually paid $4 million plus a PSA Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator for the Grade 10 instead of the full $5,275,000. If it ended there then you could make the case that it’s a pretty interesting video, but Paul goes and spoils it all by announcing that he’s actually turning the card into an NFT, horrifying Pokemon fans across the globe.
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Paul has announced that he is listing the card on his co-owned platform called Liquid Marketplace in which fans can throw away their money to “co-own” physical and digital assets “through the power of tokenization.” The card is being listed for $5 million and Paul claims he will be retaining 49 percent of the card, meaning his community will be the majority owner, getting to decide what happens to the physical card and if he can wear it during more wrestling matches.
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