Wonder Platinum Trophy $25100
The Wonder Platinum trophy card, which shows a Giratina with a platinum pendant as its artwork, was given out to the best contestants at the Japanese National Championship in 2009. According to estimates, just 36 copies of the card exist, but only eight have been graded by the PSA, and only six have achieved a perfect score.
A copy of the card sold for a little over $25,000 at auction in November 2020, despite the fact that it hadnt been graded by the PSA. Beckett, on the other hand, evaluated the card and gave it a perfect score of 9.5. At the time of writing, a perfect 10 copy was listed on eBay for $200,000, but despite the fact that 90 individuals were following the listing, no one seemed eager to bite at that price.
Chansey #3 1st Edition Shadowless Base Set
- Release Date: 1999
- Grading: PSA Gem Mint 10
- Pokemon card value at auction: $36,877
For many Pokemon card collectors, it doesnt get any better than the Base Set which made its North American debut in 1999. Not only does it feature some of the TCG series most iconic artwork, but there is also a ton of nostalgia players have connected to the release.
As a result, Pokemon cards from the release have seen the most explosion in value over the last decade. While not a heavy-hitter in the franchise itself, fans have been going wild for the adorable Chansey #3 Pokemon card. So much so that its surprised industry veterans when it started fetching jaw-dropping prices.
While hovering around $20k since 2019, the collectibles value has only continued to grow. According to PWCC, a 1st Edition Shadowless version sold for $36,877 in a November 2020 auction.
Pokemon First Edition Hitmonchan
Sold in November, 2020 for $23,100
Packing tremendous punching power, the fighting-type Hitmonchan is another collector favorite who can strike with extreme quickness and precision.
Ken Sugimori delivered an excellent design for this card as Hitmonchan’s boxing gloves, shoulder pads, and five protrusions on the top of its head create an aura of a Pokemon that you don’t want to face.
Hitmonchan cards were some of the most commonly used cards in competitive play, making them tough to find in top condition.
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Th Anniversary 24k Gold Ginza Tanaka Japanese Pikachu Card
Sold in November, 2020 for $28,100
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the storied franchise, the Pokemon Company partnered with Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka to produce this stunning card made from 11g of 24k gold.
Technically not a playing card, the imagery features none other than one of the most lovable Pokémon of them all: Pikachu.
Available for order for just twenty days, the cards were housed in impressive acrylic stands and shipped in beautiful boxes.
Given that 11g of 24k gold is worth around $600 or so by today’s standards, there’s no risk of anyone buying one of these to try and turn around and melt it.
Most Expensive Pokmon Trading Card
- When
- 23 February 2022
The most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at auction is the “Pikachu Illustrator” card, which sold for $900,000 , on 23 February 2022.
The hologram trainer promo card was sold at Goldin Auctions. The rare card – one of only 40 copies known to exist – had a Near Mint 7 condition rating, and is popular with collectors due to it being designed by Atsuko Nishida , who is credited as the original creator of Pikachu. It was never originally sold and was only released as a prize in a 1998 illustration contest.
Offers started as low as $75,000 on 10 February before rising to the record-breaking fee. The previous record was also for a “Pikachu Illustrator” card.
All records listed on our website are current and up-to-date. For a full list of record titles, please use our Record Application Search.
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The Most Valuable Pokmon Cards
As a teenager, Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri was so fond of collecting insects that classmates called him Mr. Bug. While it might not have been an affectionate label, Tajiri had the last laugh: His Pokémon video game, originally released for the Nintendo Game Boy in 1996, has become an enduring multimedia success, selling billions in games, merchandise, and phone apps.
The goal of collecting and pitting monsters against one another has been particularly appealing for trading card collectors, who have created an entire secondary market for the low-tech version of the game. The all-time sales record as of May 2021 might be this Blastoise card sold at auction for a whopping $360,000, but its not a card you ever would have found in a pack. Wizards of the Coast, which manufactures the card game, printed just one to show to Nintendo.
Fortunately, other cards are a little more accessible, though first editions, misprints, and other characteristics all affect value. If youre curious, take a look at 10 of the most valuable Pokémon cards according to Heritage Auctions, eBay, and other sources.
Tropical Mega Battle: $10000
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, an annual Pokemon Trading Card Game tournament was held in Honolulu, Hawaii. At this 1999 event, just 12 of these Tropical Mega Battle cards were produced to be distributed to some of the lucky 50 players who attended the event, meaning the remaining number of mint copies is especially low all these years later.
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Showing a Psyduck having a nap in a hammock on a tropical island, this legendary Trainer Card sells for a whole lot of cash thanks to its rarity. In fact, according to the Telegraph, a mint-condition version of the card once sold for $10,000, making it a prime example of how valuable Pokemon TCG prize cards can eventually be.
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Backless Blastoise 1998 Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Holo 009/165r Cgc 85
https://media.techeblog.com/
The Backless Blastoise may appear to look a lot like the Blastoise from the original Base Set, and that is because it is a Wizards of the Coast prototype from when they were tasked with producing the first-ever English language Pokémon set. This card was printed in 1998, one year before the Base Set hit the United States, and was printed without any artwork or logo on the back of the card, hence the name, Backless Blastoise. The card was never meant for the public, but no one could predict in 1998 that Pokémon would take off in the way that it has. In January 2021 this rare Pokémon card sold for $360,000 making it the third most expensive Pokémon card ever.
Lugia 1st Edition Neo Genesis
- Release Date: 2000
- Grading: BGS Pristine 10
- Pokemon card value at auction: $144,300
Similar to Mewtwo, Lugia was an iconic Legendary for many children who grew up with the series in the 00s. So it should come as no surprise that its debut as a Pokemon card was a major hit.
While a 1st Edition Lugia broke records by selling for a mind-blowing $129,000 in 2020, a Beckett graded 10 version of the item sold for $144,300 at a PWCC auction in May 2021. BGS grades a lot harder than PSA, making this pristine Pokemon card one of only three in the entire world.
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Rarest And Most Expensive Pokmon Cards
Many of the most expensive Pokémon cards are tournament prizes that were produced in very limited numbers and arent actually playable in the game. Well get to them later, but lets first take a look at the rarest and most expensive Pokémon cards that you have a chance of actually owning already.
Bet you werent expecting our list to start off with this guy!
First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard #4
A very valuable version of a classic fan-favourite
Sold for $369,000 in December 2020
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 . Including the 20% buyer’s premium, the total transaction value exceeds $220k. As of now, this is the highest known sale of the card.
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Pokemon Japanese Promo Tamamushi University Magikarp Trophy Car
Sold in February, 2021 for $66,100
The Tamamushi University Hyper Test was a two-day event held in June 1998 in Osaka, Japan.
To be invited, children needed to pass a series of test questions that were to be completed and mailed by a specific deadline.
The contestants competed against each other within different age groups with the winners receiving a copy of this card as their prize.
While 1,000 copies were slated for distribution, nobody knows for sure how many actually were.
What is known, though, is that this card is the most expensive Magikarp card in the entire Pokémon series, and one of the most valuable Pokémon cards in general.
Pokmon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Mewtwo #10
One of the best hits from the original set, and the main antagonist from the first Pokémon movie, Mewtwo is a man-made Pokémon that was created from the DNA of Mew.
Psychic cards were also fairly rare at the time, while Mewtwo is considered to be a legendary Pokémon-type. The holofoil looks like rays of power emanating from the genetic anomaly.
This time, the number of gem mint copies that appear on the PSA registry is 81. Its a tiny bit rarer and more expensive than any of the cards discussed above. That makes sense due to the sheer popularity.
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Pokmon Neo Revelation 1st Edition Holo Houndoom #8
Neo Revelation is a 66-card expansion that was released back in 2001.
Weve mentioned that dark Pokémon were overpowered at the time, but they were also unique enough to stand out from the crowd compared to normal types that had been seen before.
Houndoom is one such example, with the card wrapped in a distinctive black background.
Youll be able to see advancements in terms of the illustration compared to the base 1999 set, as Houndoom howls at the moon in the image. Rather than a full holo background, only the stars glitter in the light.
Another expensive option, its limited to only 28 PSA 10 copies. Thats low enough to allow it to mix with the rarest original Pokémon cards.
Holographic First Edition Machamp: $6000
The Kanto starters and legendaries aren’t the only original Pokemon to boast high-value shadowless holographic cards. Nearly any holographic first edition rare card from the original set can grow immensely in price compared to other rare Pokemon cards, but since they arent as actively hunted, their prices can vary far more wildly based on their quality.
Machamp is one of these. According to PSA Cards range of auction prices based on the cards quality classification, perfect mint condition Machamps of this kind can land between $800 and $6000, while dropping just one rating down will result in prices around $200 and $900. This card in particular truly proves how important it is to keep your trading cards safe through the years, as you never know just what will become valuable twenty years later.
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Japanese Base Set No Rarity Symbol Venusaur Holographic
Somehow, every Kanto starter is iconic in the early TCG even making room for the often-forgotten Venusaur with this misprint.
Speaking of misprints, this Venusaur is not from a set that is riddled with misprints but is still one itself and so very valuable. This Venusaur is special because it has no rarity symbol. In Pokémon TCG sets, cards that are rare usually have a marking to differentiate that they are harder to find, namely a star, whereas more common cards have a circle or diamond on them. This rare card, however, was misprinted and does not have a marking on it, making it have No Rarity. Only five copies of this misprint are graded at a Gem Mint 10making this Bulbasaur evolution card extremely rare and sought-after. One copy, sold in November of 2021, fetched $55,000 at auction. This particular copy sold for more than usual because it bore the autograph of the cards illustrator Mitsuhiro Ariathe name behind many of the illustrations on Pokémon TCG cards.
Pokemon First Edition Raichu
Sold in March, 2021 for $17,100
As Pokemon skyrocketed in popularity over the years, one character became almost synonymous with the franchise as its de facto mascot.
Much of Pikachu’s popularity originates from the first episode of the Pokemon anime series entitled “Pokemon – I Choose You!” when the main protagonist of the series, Ash Ketchum, a trainer, receives Pikachu as his Pokemon from Professor Oak.
However, when exposed to a Thunderstone, the lovable, yellow, furry, rodent-like creature evolves into the final form of Raichu.
Raichu looks quite similar to Pikachu, but with a few distinct characteristics, namely its tail, ears, and dark coloration of the tip of its paws.
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/ Tortank Media Demonstration $360000
Even before the release of the first edition of Pokémon in English, it is obvious that cards were printed in the games translation process. The rarest and most expensive of them seems to be this very special Blastoise.
Printed in 1998, this Tortank could well be the first card whose text is not written in Japanese. According to a former Wizards of the Coast employee who owned this card, it was printed in order to demonstrate to the media what an English card would look like.
There would only exist two copies of this Tortank on a shiny background, but surprisingly empty and the second has never resurfaced since 1998. Nevertheless, our former employee has meanwhile hit the jackpot. Indeed, his card was sold at auction in January 2021 for the handsome sum of $360,000.
Kangaskhan Holo Family Event Trophy Card
Next up we have one of the rarest Pokemon trophy cards in existence, and one of those holy grail items for many vintage collectors.
Backstory
In Japan 1998 a Parent/Child Mega Battle Tournament was held for parents and children to team up and battle others. Teams that reached a certain number of wins were awarded this trophy card. By the way, to my fellow Pokeparents how cool does that sound?! They should definitely bring that back!
What Makes the 1998 Kangaskhan Family Event Trophy Card So Rare?
- Only 48 graded copies exist with PSA of which 11 are PSA 10
- Features the original Pocket Monsters Trading Card Game logo as a set symbol which is incredibly rare
Recent Sales
- PSA 10 $150,000
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First Edition No Rarity Poliwrath
You might be surprised to know that some of the rarest Pokémon cards arent rare at all . The first printed sets of Japanese base set cards dont feature any rarity symbol like their English-language counterparts and are some of the most expensive Pokémon cards on the market.
This no rarity Poliwrath is extremely rare, with only three known to exist with a perfect PSA 10 rating, one of which sold for over $25,000 in late 2020. Even near-mint PSA 9 copies will sell for around $2000 on average.
Get used to seeing this mug! Rare Charizard cards are the ultimate flex for collectors.
/ No 1 Trainer Super Secret Battle $90000
In 1999, The Pokemon Company held regional tournaments in Japan. All the winners of these tournaments left with this card which simply served as an entry ticket for the final event which was held in a secret location.
The tournament under the name of Super Secret Battle was deliberately shrouded in mystery, like the reward: this strange card illustrating a scintillating silhouette of Mewtwo. In July 2020, one of these extremely rare artifacts was sold for $90,000.
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Battle Road Summer 2002 No 2 Trainer $34100
Its not often that a card with a grade of less than a 9 sells for more than a few thousand dollars, but thats exactly what happened in March of 2021 with one copy of the No.2 Trainer Battle Road Summer promo. The card in question, which Beckett had mislabeled, only garnered a 7.5 grade, but it still sold for a whopping $34,100.
The male and female versions of the card were given out to the champions of the Kanto Summer Battle Road tournament in 2002. In the two decades since then, only two of them have found their way west, with the PSA grading only two of them. One did, however, receive the elusive GEM-MT 10 rating, and if it ever goes to auction, it might fetch a lot more.
Shiny Secret Rare Charizard V: $500
If you want to get into Pokemon pack opening, but dont want to shell out for the older packs, there are tons of new cards with similar record-setting prices that have come out in just the past two years. One of the recent premium TCG sets in the game was Champions Path, and certain cards in it were especially rare since you could only get packs through special products like Elite Trainer Boxes and Pin Collector packs.
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The absolute highest value cards in this set are both Charizards, one being a rainbow foil V-Max card and the other being a shiny Charizard V with black scales. Both quickly reached prices around $500, and sites like TCGPlayer still remain at the same $500 price tag.
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