Pokémon is not only one of the most popular animes in the world, but also one of the most successful Japanese card game franchises since 1995! These cards are highly sought after not only by players, but also by collectors, who end up looking for the most expensive Pokémon cards, as they are rare. Despite being a game, the value of these cards can be exorbitant and varies depending on where it was released, the year of release and special editions!
Thinking about the rarest Pokémon card, we have prepared a list of the 11 most valuable ones on the market. Here you will find not only the most expensive Pokémon cards, but also the rarest Pokémon card in the world! Come and discover this universe with us.
11 – Snap Magikarp / 1999
The first of the most expensive Pokémon cards was part of a promotional deck for the Pokémon Snap series, from 1999. It was not available for sale, that is: the only way to get this card was when players/collectors sent screenshots to CoroCoro Magazine. 5 participants were selected as winners and the reward was 20 personalized cards exactly with the screenshots taken by them!
This card and issue, that of Snap Magikarp, was sold at auction for US$$ 136 thousand in 2022, having never been seen in public in the last 23 years. Its rarity and the fact that it is a collector's item reinforces not only the price, but also its value.
10 – Trainer, Pokémon (2000) Japanese Super Secret Battle / 2000
This is one of the most expensive Pokémon cards due to its rarity, mainly because there is only one of it in the entire world. In this case, the company responsible for producing this card was Nintendo, as a prize to be given to Toshiyuki Yamaguchi, the runner-up of the Secret Super Battle Best tournament, in the 2000s, in Japan.
As it is an extremely rare item, its value reached over one hundred thousand dollars and was sold via Heritage Auctions for US$ 137.5 thousand in 2023. Today it is the 10th most card to have in your deck.
9 – Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holographic Lugia / 2000
This Pokémon Lugia card is a perfect collector's item, having received a well-known quality rating in this group: the BGS Pristine Rating! This indicates that the card in question is a perfect item, with its shiny holographic design, the Pokémon well centered on the paper and an ideal finish on the corners, which make them sharper and more pointed.
This card is part of one of the game's expansions, which brought some second generation Pokémon to collectible cards. It ended up being sold in 2021 and its value reached US$$ 144.3 thousand!
8 – Kangaskhan – Holo Family Event Trophy / 1998
This is another of the most expensive Pokémon cards that was not available for sale on the market, which makes it an even rarer piece. This themed card was a gift given during a tournament called Kangaskhan Family Event in Japan, where teams formed by parents and children battled each other.
The letter is from 1998 and was given to the pairs that won the most matches, with a Kangaskhan drawn on it and a cub in its bag. It ended up being sold for US$$ 175 thousand in 2023.
7 – Ishihara GX Promo Card (Autographed) / 2017
This card is nothing more than a gift distributed by the company to its employees, as a way to celebrate the brand's 60th anniversary in 2017. The employees received one of the most expensive Pokémon cards, with the president of The Pokémon Company – Tsunekazu Ishihara – illustrated.
Ishihara had autographed this specific letter, which made it even rarer and more valuable than the others, allowing it to be sold in 2021 for US$$ 247.2 thousand!
6 – Pikachu Bronze No. 3 – Trainer’s Trophy / 1997
This card in question is yet another memento from the first Pokémon Tournament, held in Chiba, Japan. This event is called Makuhari Event Hall and took place in 1997, distributing these cards to the players who came in third place in their categories. It is worth remembering that this card is classified as “Mint” and it was sold as one of the most expensive Pokémon cards, for a mere US$$ 300 thousand!
5 – Blastoise Cover Letter / 1998
Unlike the other, more expensive Pokémon cards, this one was made to order! It turns out that in 1998, Wizards of the Coast commissioned this printing to serve as a “showcase” model in order to convince Nintendo to expand its focus in the English-speaking market.
It is known that only two Blastoise cards were made, but to this day there is no information as to whether the other card still exists. However, this model was sold in 2021, and was priced at US$$ 360 thousand.
4 – Pokémon Shadowless Base Set – 1st edition – Holographic Charizard / 1999
If you're a Pokémon fan, you know that Charizard is one of the fans' favorites. It's no different with its in-game version, since one of the most expensive Pokémon cards is its 1st Edition, from the Base Set released in 1999. The iconic illustration ended up becoming one of the most popular images of this Pokémon, being sold to the public and having around 3,000 copies out there.
Of all three thousand letters, only 121 of them achieved the highest seal and classification, validating their quality and rarity, reaching up to US$ 420 thousand in the last sale, in 2022.
3 – Pikachu Silver Trophy / 1998
A true rarity, the “Trophy” card Pikachu Silver” was given to the second-place winners of the Lizardon Mega Battle tournament in 1998. It is among the most expensive Pokémon cards in the world, as only four of them have been officially confirmed to exist. Not all of them are in good condition, but the one with a Gem Mint rating sold for US$$444,000 at auction in 2023.
2 – Topsun Charizard, Scarce Blue Back / 1995
This is not only one of the most expensive Pokémon cards, it is also one of the oldest and rarest of all time! It was sold in 1997, along with a pack of apple gum, and its first version even had a blue back, which looked a lot like playing cards.
There are known to be 31 cards scattered around the world, but only one has received the Gem Mint classification. This same card was auctioned for a value of US$$ 493.2 thousand, in 2021.
1 – Pikachu II illustrator / 1998
CoroCoro has always enjoyed creating special Pokémon cards, and so we have held about three contests with illustrators to create new models. The contests were: Pokémon Card Game Illustrator Contest, Mewtwo Counterattack Celebration Illustrator Contest, and Pikachu Summer Vacation Celebration Illustrator Contest.
Each of the winners received a Pokémon Illustrator card and only 20, out of 39 cards, were distributed. This is currently the top 1 most expensive Pokémon card, sold in 2021 for US$1.2 million, but it was even worth US$1.2 million, bought by YouTuber Logan Paul. Thus, this is the rarest Pokémon card in the world!
Conclusion
Although our list is about the most expensive Pokémon cards, you need to remember that there are many other cards, with other prices and frequent releases, with emphasis on the latest edition released, completing your player kit even more.
And if you liked this content, be sure to also check out our article on all types of Pokémon, ranked e the 13 strongest Pokémon in the franchise!
