Do you have any uncommon Pokémon cards stashed away in your collection? Are you curious about the worth of that sparkling promo card or Charizard you have hidden in the basement or attic? You’ve come to the right spot because we’ve put together an exhaustive list of the most valuable Pokémon cards ever, including with information on their current market value, historical sales price, and what makes them so precious.
There were still a lot of uncommon cards that were issued outside of Japan, even if we still see a wide variety of Japanese cards occasionally appear, such as prize cards that are unique and won in tournaments or cards with original illustrations that are won in drawing competitions. Though the likelihood of possessing one of the holy grails of Pokémon cards is quite low, it’s always worthwhile to double-check your collection just in case.
6. Black Star Ishihara Signed GX Promo Card
A card has the President of the Pokémon Company himself on it.
sold in April of 2021 for $247,230.
A GX promo card signed by Black Star Ishihara
a card honoring the creator of Pokémon on his 60th birthday, which he also signed. Goldin Auction House is the image source.
On April 26, 2021, this card—which is the most current to garner attention for its sheer value—sold for about a quarter of a million dollars at auction. The entire narrative is available here, but in brief, this card, which features current president and founder of the Pokémon Company Tsunekazu Ishihara, was given to the employees in honor of the man’s 60th birthday in 2017.
The fact that Ishihara signed this nearly-mint card adds to the card’s rarity, but this particular variant is even more valuable. To use its full title, the “2017 P.M. SM Black Star #TPCi01 Tsunekazu Ishihara Signed Pokémon GX Promo Card” is evidence of the seeming raw power possessed by the Pokémon president. The ability “Red Chanchanko” refers to the red vest that is customarily worn in Japan on one’s 60th birthday. It shields Ishihara from the effects of all attacks, abilities, and trainer cards. In the meantime, the “60 Congratulations” GX move instructs you to flip 60 coins and receive a gift for each one. A card that is genuinely legendary.
5. Bronze Pikachu No. 3 Trainer Trophy card
There are four of these cards in all.
sold in April 2023 for $300,000
Trainer Trophy card for Pikachu No. 3 in bronze.
Mitsuhiro Arita designed the artwork for this rare card. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions
The Bronze Pikachu No. 3 Trainer Trophy card is extremely rare because there are only four in the world. It was given to runners-up in the very first Pokémon Trading Card Game tournament. A duplicate of this incredibly uncommon card was awarded to four Pokémon TCG players who placed third in the tournament, which took place in Chiba, Japan in June 1997. The players were rewarded for reaching such a high position in the renowned competition.
The card features the well-known Pokémon Pikachu, who is cutely seen clutching a prize against a vividly holographic bronze background. Mitsuhiro Arita, a well-known Pokémon artist, illustrated the card’s artwork. Arita was also in charge of creating the artwork for the cards that went to the second and first place winners of the 1997 tournament.
Heritage, the auction house, recently hosted an auction on April 21, 2023, where just one of these unique cards sold for $300,000 (£238,692). One of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever displayed in a public auction, the card was eventually sold after more than 50 bids and was graded at nearly pristine condition by PSA quality raters. Who knows when the other three cards might be put up for sale?
4. Pokémon Blastoise #009/165R Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Hologram
A pair of cards that unexpectedly rose to prominence as one of the most valuable Pokémon cards ever
January 2021, for a whopping $360,000 (£266,000).
Pokémon card with Blastoise #009/165R Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Hologram.
An extremely rare Pokémon card called Blastoise brought $360,000 at auction. Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
Blastoise, one of just two rare Pokémon cards ever found, shot to prominence in January 2021 when it fetched an astounding $360,000 (£266,000) at auction, making it one of the most valuable cards ever.
The extremely rare Pokémon card was designed in 1998 as a presentation piece by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic: The Gathering, to persuade Nintendo of Japan executives to let them handle the English-language release of the TCG. In the end, the game would launch internationally in 1999, a year later.
Although there were two Blastoise “Presentation” cards made, this is the only one that has been viewed by the general public. Even more astonishingly, the card is over twenty years old and is in almost excellent condition, as certified by CGC, which rates it as NM/Mint+ 8.5. This might be the last remaining example of this kind of card because the location and condition of the other Presentation card are still unknown.
3. 1999 First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard #4
An extremely valuable rendition of a beloved classic
sold in March 2022 for $420,000.
Pokémon card Charizard holo shadowless from 1999
The Shadowless Charizard is even more uncommon than the Shiny Charizard, which has always been in high demand. Picture courtesy of PWCC
Since its first introduction in 1999, Shiny Charizard has been one of the most well-liked cards in the Pokémon card game, so it should come as no surprise that even after more than 20 years, collectors and fans still find it to be one of the most sought-after cards.
Due to their limited supply and age, many first-edition Pokémon TCG cards from the early days are valuable, provided they’re still in good condition. However, this particular holographic Charizard card stands out as one of the rarest and most valuable Pokémon cards ever made.
Via @IconicAuctions, a PSA 10 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard sold at auction with an ending price of $183,812.00.
With the 20% buyer’s premium included, the transaction value is more than $220,000.
This is the card’s highest known sale as of right now. tweet.com/2mwkoopTvL
— October 10, 2020, Resell News 💸 (@resellnews)
The fire-breathing dragon Pokémon on the card is the only feature that doesn’t have a shadow underneath it. The shadowless card is even more uncommon because most of the cards that were printed had this printing issue fixed. The rare card is “the Holy Grail of Pokémon cards, the most iconic and important card to both the Pokémon franchise and its die hard fans,” according to auction firm @IconicAuctions.
A retired rapper and Pokémon lover named Logic won a record-breaking $220,574 for a mint-condition first-edition shadowless holographic PSA 10 Charizard at auction in October 2020, setting a new high for the already pricey card, according to card gaming source.
That record was shattered in November 2020 when a Shadowless Charizard went up for $350,100 at auction. Less than a month later, another copy of the card reportedly broke it again, this time for $369,000, which auction house Goldin Auctions claimed to be the highest price ever paid for a Pokémon card.
We broke the record tonight for the highest price ever paid for a Pokémon card when this @sgcgrading gold label Charizard sold for $369,000.Please, only first edition cards are accepted for Pokémon consignments. Reach out to info@goldinauctions.com. tweet.com/bqliNhtKEg
December 13, 2020 — Goldin Auctions (@GoldinAuctions)
Shadowless Charizard in Gem Mint 10 condition has remained one of the most costly Pokémon cards ever since that historic transaction, with another sale in January 2021 bringing in $300,000.
A PSA 10 Charizard that sold in March 2022 for $420,000 broke that record once more a year later. Its status as one of the most valuable Pokémon cards in existence is cemented by the price, which is the most ever paid for a shadowless Charizard and the third-highest amount ever paid for any Pokémon card.
Only 121 examples of the first-edition Charizard were reportedly rated as Gem Mint 10 by PSA, earning Heritage Auctions the title of “arguably the hottest card in the entire hobby”.
2. 1998 Japanese Promo Silver 2nd-2nd Tournament #2 Trophy Pikachu
A priceless Pikachu from the second-ever tournament of the Pokémon card game
September 2023, sold for $444,000.
The Pikachu No. 2 Silver Trophy card is thought to only have 14 copies in circulation because it was only awarded to players who placed second in two of the Pokémon TCG’s previous competitions. Picture courtesy of Goldin Auctions
There are a lot of rare Pokémon cards that date back to the company’s early competitions, but few are rarer than the Pikachu No. 2 Silver Trophy card. The prize card was awarded to the runner-ups in the Lizardon Mega Battle tournament, which took place in late 1997 and early 1998 in Japan and was the second official tournament for the trading card game. (With Lizardon being Charizard’s Japanese name.)
The top three finishers in the competition—as well as the inaugural Pokémon tournament from 1997—were given Pikachu Trainer cards that matched their position: gold, silver, or bronze.
The illustrations on the cards are by the well-known Pokémon illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita, who was also responsible for the illustrations of Squirtle, Venusaur, and Gyarados for the first Base Set of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
Only four copies of the silver Pikachu No. 2 cards have been reported by grading specialist PSA, and only 14 are thought to exist based on their limited availability throughout the two tournaments, according to Goldin Auctions. This makes them among the extremely rarest Pokémon cards.
It should come as no surprise that such rarity has great value. When a flawless PSA Gem Mint 10 copy of the Trophy Pikachu No. 2 Trainer card was sold in September 2023 for an astounding $444,000, it instantly shot to the top of the list of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever.
1. Pikachu Illustrator
Super uncommon and super pricey – the Holy Grail of Pokémon cards
July 2021, sold for $5.275 million
Credit Paul with his PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator in his hands
The only Pokémon card valued at millions of dollars is Pikachu Illustrator. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records.
The Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card, which sold for $5.275 million in July 2021, is the most expensive of all time. The PSA 10 is the genuine Holy Grail of Pokémon card collecting, and there is only one known copy.
In exchange for a PSA 9 edition of the same card, which is reportedly valued at $1,275,000 plus an extra $4 million, YouTuber Logan Paul purchased the Illustrator. As he wore it around his neck during the WWE wrestling event WrestleMania in 2022, he broke the Guiness World Record for the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale. Although he had purchased it in 2021, the private sale was not made public until then.
.@LoganPaul is currently at #WrestleMania sporting the priciest @Pokemon card ever! screenshot.twitter.com/ZnCTZD8ln9
— On April 3, 2022, WWE (@WWE)
The card was already extremely valuable before to Paul’s jaw-dropping trade; a PSA 9 sold for $195,000 in 2019, a PSA 7 for $375,000 in 2021, and a PSA 7 for $900,000 in 2022—before his private sale was made public.
Being one of the rarest cards available, it should come as no surprise that it is so costly. Originally, Pikachu Illustrator was awarded to the victors of promotional competitions run by the Japanese publication CoroCoro Comic in 1997 and 1998. There are now 41 Pikachu Illustrator copies in existence, as two copies were subsequently rediscovered in 2020 by Yuichi Konno, one of the card game’s co-creators, after 39 copies were formally presented to the victors.
The card is special in a lot of ways in addition to being absurdly rare. It is unique among Pokémon cards in that it reads “Illustrator” at the top rather than “Trainer,” and it sports a unique pen icon in the bottom-right corner to signify that it was made specifically for the design competition. The illustrator Atsuko Nishida, the original creator of the beloved Pokémon, created the artwork of Pikachu on the card.
“We certify that your illustration is an excellent entry in the Pokémon Card Game Illust Contest,” the card’s Japanese language says. As a result, we declare you to be an Officially Authorized Pokémon Card Illustrator and we are impressed by your talent.”
Just 23 Pikachu Illustrator cards have been recognized by the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), and only 39 are believed to exist, making them incredibly uncommon. Thus, there may yet be more of these cards in hiding, ready to be snapped up and sold for enormous prices.
Another copy of the Pikachu Illustrator card, which Paul had set a record for purchasing, went for $672,000 in October 2022 when it was put up for auction by NFL player and Pokémon enthusiast Blake Martinez. sold in early 2023, a second copy went for $570,000, maintaining Pikachu Illustrator’s record as the most costly Pokémon card ever.