Rare Pokémon cards - the most expensive of all time

What are the most expensive Pokemon cards in the world? After over 25 years of regular Pokémon TCG releases, there are quite a few staggeringly valuable cards out there. YouTuber Logan Paul famously blew over $5 million on a Pikachu Illustrator in 2022, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. We've searched online auction houses and scoured niche bits of Pokémon history to find the 54 most valuable rare Pokémon cards ever sold.

If you're looking for some more achievable cards to collect, you might be better off hunting down modern Pokémon sets. These are pretty coveted, though, and sell out quickly, so be sure to check out our guides to the newest Pokémon set and the best Pokemon packs to buy for extra advice.

These care are all expensive for a variety of reasons, and it's almost never to do with their actual power in the card game. We have a separate guide to the best Pokémon cards of all time!

If you want to skip ahead, you can jump forward to find the:

• Top 25 most expensive Pokémon cards
• Top 10 most expensive Pokémon cards
• Top 5 most expensive Pokémon cards
• The most expensive Pokémon card ever

For details on how we track card sales for this guide, and expert tips on finding your own cards' value, you can also head to the FAQ section at the end of this guide.

These are the most expensive Pokémon cards:

54. Pokémon Card Fan Club Shining Magikarp

Back in the early 90s, the Japanese Pokémon Card Fan Club (later succeeded by Pokémon Trainer's Card Magazine) advertised an extra-shiny Shining Magikarp promo. This fancy fish could only be won by obtaining 600 'GET points' at tournaments between 2000 and 2002.

As you can imagine, copies are fairly scarce. With so few available, it makes sense that a 9.5 gem mint copy fetched $14,000 on the auction site Fanatics Collect in 2023.

Functionally, the card is identical to Shining Magikarp from the regular 2002 Neo Genesis set. It has extremely similar art as well - you wouldn't know you had a rarity at first glance.

The main difference is in the foiling. In the regular version of the card, the background fish are shiny, whereas in the promo edition, it's the main, foreground Magikarp who shimmers. Just goes to show: when collecting rare Pokémon cards, the details matter.

53. First Edition Shining Charizard

One of the coolest Charizard Pokémon cards ever printed, Shining Charizard from 2000's Neo Destiny set features a black shiny 'zard, with a foil treatment making the Pokémon literally 'shine'. Shining Pokemon were introduced in the previous set, Neo Revelation, and were very hard to get hold of, found in one pack in every 300 on average.

That scarcity was also reflected in the game's rules too. You were limited to only having one of each Shining card in your deck.

While still a darn sight less rare than their video game equivalents, Shining Pokémon in Neo Genesis were not common, so first edition versions that have remained in mint condition are now extremely scarce. The most expensive example of the card we found was this version, sold on eBay in January 1, 2025. It was originally listed for $17,999, but tracking sites like 130point claim the final selling price was $15,000.

52. Base Set First Edition Holo Mewtwo

For a certain generation of Pokémon fans, Mewtwo is the rare Pokémon. The ultimate legendary Pokémon that the canny saved their Master Ball for (I probably threw mine at the first elemental bird I came across). It's unsurprising, then, that a card featuring the character would be worth something. Even more unsurprising is the fact it's the Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Holo Mewtwo.

This card has everything - nostalgia, rarity, and a holographic background. It's also a shadowless card, meaning it was part of the first print run of the first English language Pokémon set. The most expensive copy we've seen sell is this PSA 10 copy sold via a Fanatics Collect auction in 2023.

51. Espeon Gold Star

Get used to seeing the phrase 'gold star' when it comes to rare Pokémon cards. Essentially an evolution of the Shining Pokémon concept, gold star cards likewise show the alternate color 'shiny' variant of the Pokémon they depict - which is why this Espeon is green.

Few gold star Pokémon cards are ever printed - on average you'd find one in every two booster boxes, or 1/72 packs. This, and the fact they often feature gorgeous art of fan-favorite Pokémon, makes them extremely coveted.

Espeon Gold Star is a stunning example of this. Released in the promotional POP Series 5 set of 2007, this card regularly sells for thousands of dollars. A 2021 auction on eBay set the record high price of $22,100 for a PSA 10 copy.

Still, it's not the most valuable Eeveelution of that set - you'll learn more about that soon.

50. Japanese Basic No Rarity Symbol Holo Poliwrath

The 1996 Japanese Basic No Rarity Symbol Holo Poliwrath appeared in the original Pokémon base set, released in Japan in. Poliwrath isn't as widely popular as Charizard or Pikachu. Not quite the cutest Pokémon or the coolest, it's a bit of a sleeper in the original Pokédex. But every Pokémon is somebody's favorite.

At any rate, no collector in their right mind would turn down a PSA 10 card from the OG glory days of the Pokémon TCG. Proving our point, a 2020 auction from Fanatics Collect saw the water Pokémon sell for $25,015.

We should mention that the missing rarity symbol isn't a printing error, but a sign of authenticity. The first printings of first edition Pokémon cards in Japan lacked the symbol in the bottom corner. Japan didn't have shadowless cards, but these are essentially the equivalent.

49. 2009 Japanese Design Promo Spikey Eared Pichu

In 2009, as a promotion for the movie 'Arceus and the Jewel of Life', the Japanese publishing company Shogakukan held a drawing contest for children and young teens. Contestants were asked to share artwork for Arceus or Spikey-Eared Pichu, with the winners being turned into actual Pokémon cards. This delightful floral Pichu was designed by the second-grade winner, who was around seven or eight years old at the time.

According to Dicebreaker, only 13 to 100 copies of this card are thought to exist, and only three copies of Spikey-Eared Pichu have ever been graded by PSA. It's no wonder, then, that the 2009 Japanese Design Promo 2nd Grade Winner Spikey-Eared Pichu card can fetch such a high price, with a Fanatics Collect auction reaching $25,800 in June 2023.

48. Gold Pikachu

Nothing screams expensive like a flash of gold. And in this case, gold beats old. The Gold Pikachu Pokémon card was released in 2018, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon TCG.

Made of 11 grams of solid 24-karat gold, the card is a replica of the original Japanese Pikachu card's design, featuring a very round yellow mouse. To grab the card on release, buyers first entered a lottery, with winners given the chance to buy the limited edition card for a cool ¥216,000 ($2,000 / £1,700).

Since then, its value has risen swiftly. It sold for close to $8,000 (£5,750) in 2019, then $12,655 in 2020. Most recently, a version of the card went for a cool $29,520 in 2021. Notably, this was graded at EX 5 by PSA, so higher-priced Pikachu's are certainly possible

Although not legal in tournament play, the card came with a handy glass frame to display the artifact to visitors. You'd probably have to explain why spending nearly 30 grand on a single, unusable card was a good financial decision, though.

47. X/Y 20th Anniversary Festa Pikachu

While the Japanese X/Y 20th Anniversary Festa Pikachu is pretty recent as far as rare Pokémon cards go, it has a classic feel that older fans will still adore. It helps that all three Gen 1 starter Pokémon - plus the biggest icon of the IP, Pikachu - feature in its vibrant, adorable artwork.

This pricey piece of paper was given out to attendees of the 2016 Anniversary Festa in Toki Messe, Niigata, which took place to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first-ever Pokémon game.

Its abilities aren't likely to win you tournaments, but they are pretty unique. A 120-damage attack 'Mega Thunderbolt' causes you to discard all Pikachu's energy, and the Celebration ability demands that every player clap their hands and then draw a card.

The highest-selling copy of this card was sold on March 9, 2023 via auction site Goldin. This card, given Beckett's maximum grade of 10 (Pristine) fetched $32,520 at auction.

46. Shining Mew CoroCoro Promo

Featuring a lovely, baby blue Shiny Mew, this Japanese Shining Mew CoroCoro promo card is incredibly hard to get hold of. It's one of Japan's unnumbered promo cards, which have short print runs attached to specific events like tournaments and film releases.

In this case, Shining Mew was a promo card released in the May 2001 issue of a magazine, the kids manga CoroCoro. As you might expect for a freebie given out in a children's comic, few copies survived in good nick. Which is why a version of this Japanese card sold in January 2025 for a whopping $33,000.

45. 2002 Trophy Card Neo Summer Battle Road No. 2 Trainer

The 2002 Trophy Card Neo Summer Battle Road No. 2 Trainer is a card with a real mouthful of a name. Its value more than makes up for this, as this is a card whose value is as high as its name is long.

The 2002 TCNSBRN2T (as we won't be calling it) was the second-place prize in the Junior Division of 2002's Kanto Summer Battle Road tournament. The recipient of this promo was Fukinishi Tomoki - a fact we know because their name and the region they competed in are included on the card.

Prize promo cards, especially those with a unique name printed on them, are extremely hard to come by. For example, the priciest copy of this card was sold via Fanatics Collect in March 2021 for a cool $34,100, despite having a middling grade of 7.5 Near Mint.

44. Topps Chrome Charizard Tekno #06

Back in the 2000s, collectibles manufacturer Topps held the coveted Pokémon TCG production license. Among the early cards it produced was Topps Chrome Charizard Tekno #06, a particularly rare and particularly shiny card featuring one of the game's most popular 'mons.

Topps produced three types of shiny Pokémon cards, and of the three, Tekno-Chrome cards had the rarest pull rates. This means this Charizard was hard to hunt down at the time it was printed - nowadays, copies of this vintage card are even more scarce.

The highest sale price on record for a Tekno Topps Charizard can be found on Price Charting, which records an eBay sale from August 2023 of $35,000. The pristine quality of this card, which was graded a 10 by PSA, has clearly helped push up the price.

43. First Edition Holo Crystal Charizard

While it's not the most popular card featuring this iconic Pokémon, the Holographic Crystal Charizard is pretty unique. It's an e-card that, when scanned with an e-reader, reveals bonus content like mini-games or Pokédex info.

This was a novelty that didn't stick around long. Mysterious Mountains (the set that Holo Crystal Charizard hails from) was the last Japanese expansion to include e-cards. It, along with its English-language equivalent Skyride, was also the last set produced by Wizards of the Coast before the publisher's Pokémon license ran out.

All this makes the card a rare and interesting part of Pokémon history. Combine that with the fact it's a Charizard Pokémon card, and you've got a recipe for high value. So far, the most we've seen Crystal Charizard sell for is $40,800 (£32,300) in an auction from October 2022.

42. Holo Gold Star Torchic

Printed gold star cards are hard to come by, and well-preserved copies are even rarer. That's what makes the Holographic Gold Star Torchic so expensive - PSA has so far recorded that only 19 copies with the pristine GEM MT 10 grade exist. It was one such gem that sold in April 2022 for $43,200 (£34,200).

Gold star cards are popular for their rarity, but their gorgeous art is also part of the appeal. Masakazu Fukuda's adorable rendition of Torchic, popping out of the frame with a cheeky wink and a flash of glitter, is sure to drive up the sentimental and fiscal value of the card.

41. 2000 Tropical Mega Battle No. 1 Trainer

These promo cards were awarded to first-place winners of Japan's regional tournaments in 2000, which also saw the victors qualify for that year's Tropical Mega Battle tournament. Two versions of this promo card actually exist, depicting a male or a female trainer, and they were reportedly awarded to contestants based on their gender.

A precursor to more established competitive Pokémon competitions, Tropical Mega Battle took place annually in Hawaii between 1999 and 2001, and was the first major international competition for young Pokémon TCG fans. The competition included American and Japanese children (more countries were added after the first year) but only Japanese kids got these trophy cards.

Heritage Auctions claims that this copy of 2000 No. 1 Trainer Tropical Mega Battle is the only one to receive a Pristine 10 rating from CGC. However, despite its excellent condition, other, rarer trainer promos have sold for far higher prices.

40. Holo Gold Star Rayquaza

EX Deoxys is one of the rarest Pokémon packs of all time, and Holographic Gold Star Rayquaza is its biggest chase card. Like all the rare gold star cards, this features a shiny Pokémon, and the card has a holographic sparkle. But few gold star Pokémon cards are as coveted as the stylish black and gold shiny Rayquaza.

This rare card from 2005 sold for a whopping $45,100 (£35,867) in 2020. We thought it may have peaked in value - as much more recently, a PSA 10 copy of the card went for just $38,100 (£30,300) - but apparently not, as on June 1, 2023, Rayquaza sold again for $48,598.

39. Master Scroll

The 2010 Master Scroll Trophy Card was an award given to the most dedicated members of the Japanese Pokémon fan club, the Daisuki Club.

The Daisuki Club was responsible for distributing promo cards to players between 2007 - 2010, after the Player's Club shut down. Fans could earn 'Action Points' through various activities, quizzes, and competing in tournaments, and the Master Scroll promo was the grand prize, given only to those who earned 8,600 points.

A grade 9 Master Scroll sold on eBay for somewhere in the ballpark of $50,000 (£40,000) (though it was an accepted offer, so we can't be sure of an exact price).

While the Daisuki Club still persists to this day, it no longer gives out unique promos.

38. 1999 Tropical Mega Battle No. 2 Trainer

The Tropical Mega Battle No. 2 Trainer prize card was issued to the second place prize winner in 1999's Mega Battle Tournament, a seven-tournament grand slam culminating in a finals in Hawaii. The prize cards, which auctioneer Fanatics Collect (formerly PWCC) states were given to the top three players from each region, all featured Exeggutor - a reference to the tournament's location.

Hardly any copies of this card have ever been professionally graded, so their rare auction appearances command a high price, regardless of how well preserved they are.

37. Wonder Platinum Japan National Championship Promo

The Wonder Platinum Japan National Championship Promo was given to competitors in the 2009 Japan World Championship representative Pokémon tournament. Winners of this national tournament would then be put forward for the 2009 World Championships. Only 20 copies were ever handed out, meaning this is an incredibly rare prize card.

While there's no adorable or epic Pokémon in its artwork, Wonder Platinum still features some quality illustration. Plus, the name is a reference to 2008's Pokémon Platinum.

36. Base Set First Edition Holo Chansey

The 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Chansey is an original Pokémon card depicting a unique and popular Pokémon. It may be no Charizard, but Chansey has plenty of fans nonetheless and - perhaps surprisingly - is one of the most expensive Base Set cards, at least in good condition.

A PSA 10 Chansey card is very hard to come by. It's that holographic finish on the card - it scratches very easily. The lighter background makes those scratches show up more clearly and so, of the 16 holo cards from Base set, Chansey is by far the hardest to find in PSA 10 condition.

It's also theorized that early Pokémon players may have been prejudiced against the pink, nurturing Chansey Pokémon, and may have taken less good care of the card than they did with favorites like Charizard or Venusaur.

The highest sale of such a card for quite some time was $36,877 in October 2020, but then in July 2024 it was topped with an eye-watering $55,000 sale!

35. Base Set No Rarity Venusaur

First edition Pokémon cards are already a winner. And while Venusaur doesn't have the same pull as Charizard, this starter evolution still does stonks on the secondary market.

Base Set No Rarity Venusaur is made even more valuable because of a printing problem - the black star in the bottom right that's meant to denote the card's rarity, is missing. Oh, and this one in particular has the protective case signed by artist Mitsuhiro Arita. All in all, that led to a price of $55,000 (£43,700) at a PWCC auction in 2021 - though since the auctioneer has rebranded as Fanatics Collect the listing has gone from the site.

34. 64 Mario Stadium Snap Articuno

One of a number of entries on this list from the Pokémon Snap contest run in 1999, this card was made thanks to a competition run by the Nintendo-focused Japanese TV show 64 Mario Stadium. Participants were asked to send in their greatest Pokémon snapshots from the game, and the best five were made into real Pokémon cards. The manga magazine CoroCoro Comic ran the same competition - also creating five cards.

Like all the Pokémon Snap cards, 20 copies of the 64 Mario Stadium Snap Articuno card were made. Functionally, it's identical to the version released in the Pokémon TCG set Fossil, though obviously with unique art. Only six copies have been logged by PSA according to Goldin, where this near mint copy sold for $58,560.

33. Tropical Mega Battle Bilingual Exeggutor

This unusual Exeggutor card with text in both Japanese and English was given out to all 50-odd participants of the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle finals, which took place in Hawaii. Like some of the other prize cards awarded at that tournament, it features the palm tree Pokémon Exeggutor, see here enjoying island living.

The most expensive sale we could find for the Tropical Mega Battle Bilingual Exeggutor card was on the auction site Goldin in April 2024, where it went for 59,780. The rarest and most collectable Pokémon cards are generally those cards with extremely limited print runs - and often low quality copies of these can still go for thousands. In this case though, both the rarity and the quality was high, as the card had a Pristine 10 from grading company CGG.

32. 2005 Summer Battle Road Mew Victory Orb

The 2005 Summer Battle Road Mew Victory Orb was a prize given out at the 2005 Summer Battle Road tournament. There were nine regional competitions as part of this tournament, and the top three players in each would receive this Mew Victory Orb card. This means only a handful of copies were ever given out.

This particular copy of the card, sold in 2020, received a PSA grading of 10, and it was auctioned with its original trophy case. This helped it fetch a tidy price of $60,000 (£47,500).

31. Ex Dragon Frontiers Holo Gold Star Charizard

The Ex Dragon Frontiers Holo Charizard Gold Star was a rare Pokémon card, even when it was first printed in 2006. It's one of several 'gold star' cards in this guide, which have a pull rate of one every two booster boxes. Combine this with a PSA 10 grading and the most popular Pokémon to ever grace the game, and its no surprise that one reached $66,000 in an eBay auction in October 2020.

This might not be the most recognizable, powerful, or expensive of the Charizard Pokémon cards, but it does have some of the most unique art. Masakazu Fukuda presents a dark version of the darling dragon, leaping through the air while letting out bursts of flame.

While they're all but forgotten these days, "Ex" cards were the big hotness in the scene during the early-to-mid aughts, and many are worth big cash now - read our full guide to Pokémon Ex cards for more info.

30. 64 Mario Stadium Chansey

While promoting the 1999 Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap, Nintendo held two fan contests where pictures taken in the videogame would be turned into real Pokémon cards. Ten winners were selected from each; winners of the CoroCoro Comic contest received 20 copies of their personalized card, while winners of the 64 Mario Stadium contest got just 15. As you can imagine, a 64 Mario Stadium Chansey (with art by competition winner Kaori Someya) is pretty rare.

Making them even rarer still is the fact that, according to Fanatics Collect, only two copies of the card have ever been sold. One auctioned for $63,000 ($50,000) back in December 2022, which shows just how much one of these Pokémon Snap cards could be worth if they ever appear again.

29. 2013 World Championships Pikachu No. 1 Trainer

This 2013 World Championships Pikachu No.1 Trainer card was awarded to first prize winners throughout the Championships series, of which there were only six. This was the last year that the World Championship prize card used the normal half-art style on traditional Pokémon cards, being replaced with full-art prizes in 2014. A copy reached a stonking $63,000 via Heritage Auctions in 2022.

28. 1999 Tropical Mega Battle: Tropical Wind

A rare promotional Pokémon card, 1999 Tropical Mega Battle: Tropical Wind is another card produced in celebration of the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle tournament. A predecessor to the annual World Championships that still take place today, Tropical Mega Battle invited around 50 contestants to Huwaii, where they battled it out for fame, glory, and this promo card prize.

It's not known exactly how many copies of Tropical Wind were produced, but there's not exactly a crop of them kicking about. In October 2020, a PSA 10 Gem Mint condition copy sold on eBay for $65,100 (£47,500).

Depending who you ask, it might also have the best artwork of any card on this list. No one can deny that a sleepy Psyduck chilling in a hammock, holding a ukulele, and joined by Jigglypuff is incredibly adorable. Pokémon doesn't get any cuter than this.

27. Master's Key

A relatively recent addition to the coveted halls of Pokémon rarity, the Master's Key Prize Card was awarded to competitors of the 2010 Pokémon World Championships. Each of the 36 participants in the TCG and videogame tournaments was given the card, along with a fly display case to show off their competitive card-playing abilities.

A Master's Key Prize Card sold at auction in 2019 for $21,000 (£15,100). That's already a pretty steep price, but this rare Pokémon card sold for even more in May 2023, when it was auctioned by Fanatics Collect for $66,000 (£52,354).

26. Magikarp Tamamushi University Promo

Magikarp might not be one of the best Pokémon cards to ever grace the games, but the Magikarp Tamamushi University promo card goes some way towards rectifying that.

Handed to winners of the 1998 Tamamushi University Hyper Test Campaign, this Magikarp includes the Dragon Rage special move - not usually learnable by the magical fish until it has evolved into Gyrados, and a tad more useful than its usual Splash ability.

Early promotional material suggests 1,000 copies of the card were originally produced. However, without more concrete evidence, we'll forever be wondering how many Pokemon are there from these promos that actually made it off the factory floor? We may never know exactly how many are lurking around for public collection, but that only adds to the mystique.

In February 2021, a Magikarp Tamamushi University card sold on eBay for $66,100.00 (£48,160). You've got to really love fish to part with that kind of money.

25. 64 Mario Stadium Squirtle

Another card from the 64 Mario Stadium competition, this card features a fan image from Pokémon Snap that was turned into a real card. Here we see Squirtle, apparently yawning and stretching in a very relaxed way.

Auction house Goldin sold this copy for $73,200 in 2023. It's also apparently one of just five grade 8 copies recorded by PSA, with no higher-quality copies reported. Considering that only 15 copies of this card were printed at all, this makes 64 Mario Stadium Squirtle a rare, rare card indeed.

24. 64 Mario Stadium Charmander

The original fire starter Pokémon is, unsurprisingly, featured on one of the most expensive 64 Mario Stadium promo cards. This fan-made Pokémon Snap picture shows Charmander roaring terrifyingly - sorry, adorably.

Like the other winning competition cards, there are only 15 copies of 64 Mario Stadium Charmander in existence. The auction house Goldin claims that the copy they sold for $79,300 is one of only two grade 7 copies.

23. CoroCoro Bulbasaur

The 1999 Pokémon Snap fan contest, which saw fan's pictures printed as real Pokémon cards, was split into two halves. Five winners were selected for the 64 Mario Stadium contest, and five winners came from the CoroCoro Comic contest. This latter contest printed 20 copies of the winning cards - which is more than the Mario 64 Stadium ones, but it still makes the CoroCoro Bulbasaur pretty rare.

Auction house Goldin claims that it sold a copy for just over $80,000 in 2023, saying that only three copies have ever received such a high grade. What's more, no other copy has apparently been graded higher, meaning this is the true premium price for such a card.

22. 1999 Tropical Battle No. 2 Trainer Promo

The Tropical Mega Battle was a prestigious Japanese Pokémon tournament that pre-dated (and arguably shaped) the Pokémon TCG World Championships as we know them today. At the time, only elementary-school-aged contestants could enter.

As the name implies, the 1999 Tropical Battle No. 2 Trainer Promo was awarded as a second-place prize. Oddly, this runner-up now seems to be more valuable than the first-place No. 1 Trainer promo, which recently sold for only $75,000. Ha! Who's number two now?

Heritage Auction reports that only three copies with a PSA 10 grade are known to exist. Naturally, the rarity of this card is a big draw - plus the kooky Exeggcutor art by Ken Sugimori.

21. Japanese Beta Presentation Charizard

Old Pokémon cards tend to be some of the most costly, and it doesn't get much older than the 1996 Beta Presentation cards created before the Pokémon TCG was even released in Japan.

It does get a little older, however, as these Presentation cards are actually the third version of early Pokémon cards. They're not to be confused with the earlier black and white prototype cards, which featured Gameboy sprites, or the beta playtest cards used to try out the rules. Their history was uncovered in 2024, when one of the game's founders, Takumi Akabane, shed light on the cards and helped verify a number of them.

Japanese Beta Presentation Charizard features the now-classic watercolor artwork by Ken Sugimori. As you can see, the card's rules were changed before October 1996 when Base Set released. The Charizard seen here still has his four energy Firespin attack, but rather than the Energy Burn ability which lets you treat all energy as fire, he instead has a less powerful move that uses four energy of any type.

These early cards are of interest to anyone curious about the history of the Pokémon TCG, and it only makes sense that Charizard would be the costliest. A Beta Presentation Charizard sold on Fanatics Collect in September 2024 for an impressive $99,000.

It's worth comparing the card to English-language Presentation Blastoise - another costly card lower down this list. This older Pokémon card not only lacks a rarity symbol, it has a very different layout to what was eventually used.

20. Japanese Extra Battle Day Full Art Lillie

Lillie is a popular card for her character alone, a beloved companion who appears in Pokémon the Series: Sun and Moon and the Pokémon Journeys anime series, so there's already a slight 'waifu tax' associated with all versions of her card. But the Extra Battle Day Full Art Lillie promo variant is incredibly rare.

The Extra Battle Day was a limited event originally planned to run in October and November 2019, and January and February 2020, but the Coronavirus pandemic meant that only the first two events ever ran.  Players had to win a lottery just to enter the Extra Battle Days, and their score was scrutinized on everything from wins, to ratio of prize cards won to lost, to the outcome of a game of rock-paper-scissors.

So the winners got the promo Full Art Lillie, right? Wrong! Winners got booster packs which had a chance of pulling one of three full art rares, of which Lillie was the rarest. Small wonder, then, that a PSA graded Gem Mint 10 copy of this promo sold for $108,000 on Fanatics Collect in July 2023 - and reportedly, a copy sold on Chinese auction market Xianyu for $170,000 in August 2023.

19. 2006 World Championships No. 2 Trainer Promo

As the name implies, the 2006 World Championships No. 2 Trainer Promo card was only available at the Pokémon World Championships of that year. It was hosted in California's Hilton Anaheim hotel in August 2006.

It wasn't enough just to qualify for these championships - you also needed to have an impressive win streak. You had to go 6-0 in the qualifiers on day one, survive the second day of matches, and reach the finals in your division on the last day. Your reward was this unique promo, which features Pikachu proudly displaying a silver trophy.

According to the auction house, the copy that sold in 2021 for $110,100 is the only one currently graded by PSA, and it's "thought to be one of only three to have been given out". As all hardcore fans of Pokémon card collecting know, rare cards get their value from stunning art of popular Pokémon, combined with a scarce number of copies. This promo has both these qualities in spades.

18. Disco Holofoil Charizard test print

After Wizards of the Coast secured the license to make Pokémon cards in English, but before it was ready to release them to the public, it experimented with different styles of graphic design, printing material, and card treatment. The Disco Holofoil Charizard test print was produced in that process, one of several experiments with foiling techniques.

Where the Japanese Charizard uses a 'Cosmos' holofoil pattern, WOTC ultimately settled on what we now know as the 'Starlight' pattern. The unreleased Disco foil treatment was given its name by card grading agency CGC.

The test print card sold for $113,880 in September 2023 via the Goldin auction house. The foiling technique isn't the only unusual thing about this card: energy symbols are missing, as is the flavor text, and the picture of Charmeleon in the stage one evolution window.

17. 2001 Neo Summer Battle Road No. 2 Trainer

This second place prize from the 2001 Neo Summer Battle Road Japanese National championship is a one of a kind, featuring the likeness of the silver place finalist in the senior championship, Takahiro Ikeda. The Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh forms the background, at the time a brand new icon that had just appeared in the Generation II Pokémon games. The extraordinary value of this particular copy comes in part from its peerless Gem Mint 10 grading.

The 2001 New Summer Battle season was an unusual year for the Japanese Pokémon scene. Tournament organisers employed a 'Hall of Fame System' which gave certain powerful Pokémon a rating from one to three stars. Players were required to build decks that contained no more than four stars, total. There were just seven invitational events that gave an opening to compete in

16. Pokémon Snap Contest Magikarp

This is another card from the competition to promote Pokémon Snap,  Pokémon's strange photography-based safari spin-off on the N64. Fans were asked to submit photographs of their favorite 'mons, and ten winners were chosen, each of whom won twenty copies of a single promo card that illustrated with their photograph.

Pokémon Snap Contest Magikarp is by far the rarest of these promos. As of 2022, only one copy had ever surfaced on the secondary market, selling on Yahoo! Auctions Japan for $136,000. The video above, by YouTuber smpratte, shows that exact card shortly after its sale.

The card gives photo credit to the competition winner, Yuka Matsubara. As Matsubara was the only person in the world to receive copies of the card, his decision to hang onto the copies for as long as he did gave this unassuming Pokémon incredible rarity.

15. 2000 Super Secret Battle No. 2 Trainer

The Super Secret Battle No.2 Trainer card was specially created for Toshiyuki Yamaguchi, a young trainer who took second place in the Secret Super Battle - Best in Japan finals in August 2000. This was the culmination of the 2,000 World Summer Challenge, and the 'Deciding Match' tournament took place in the Pokémon Center Tokyo on August 19.

This is a one-of-a-kind card, featuring Yamaguchi's portrait as well as Chansey, Doduo, Growlithe, and Pikachu on a holo background. It sold on July 7 2023 via Heritage Auctions, for a mighty $137,500. Not bad for second place!

14. First Edition Neo Genesis Holo Lugia

Lugia is a legendary Pokémon with a firm place in the game's history. A legendary bird that first appeared in Generation II, it quickly became a fan-favorite among players of the franchise's videogames and trading card game alike. It even made an appearance on the front cover of Game Boy game Pokémon Silver, so you know it's not playing around.

Unsurprisingly, the Pokémon's popularity hasn't waned. Back in May 2021, a First Edition Neo Genesis Holo Lugia card, graded as a Pristine 10 by grading agency BGS, sold for $144,300 (£105,200) on PWCC, now Fanatics Collect. That's no pocket change.

Fanatics Collect reckons only 41 PSA 10 copies of the card have ever been graded, and only three have received the BGS 10 Pristine label. The card's scarcity and Lugia's continued popularity will keep the value of this Pokémon card high for years to come.

13. 1999 Secret Super Battle No. 1 Trainer

Perhaps the rarest of all Pokémon cards, the 1999 Secret Super Battle No. 1 Trainer is the real deal. A promotional card awarded to finalists of the 1999 Secret Super Battle Tournament - also functioning as the entry ticket to the tournament's finals - it's said that only seven copies were made.

Six of them remain in perfect Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) Gem Mint 10 condition, with one selling for a whopping $156,000 in September 2022 via Heritage Auctions.

The holographic card features a silhouetted Mewtwo and, according to the auction house responsible for a sale in 2020, Heritage Auctions, the card's description translates to: "The Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament's champion is recognized here, and this honor is praised. By presenting this card, you may gain preferential entry into the Secret Super Battle".

12. Family Event Trophy Kangaskhan

The Family Event Trophy Kangaskhan card was given as a reward to participants of a 1998 Pokémon TCG battle tournament. This was no regular tournament, however, as each team was made up of both a parent and child, bringing some family spirit to the game. Those teams that reached a certain spot in the contest's ladder were rewarded this trophy card.

Let's hope they hung onto it. The card was never printed outside of the tournament, and features the original Pocket Monsters Trading Card Game logo as a set symbol (instead of the regular Pokémon TCG logo), making it quite the rarity.

Collector's seem to think so, too. In October 2020, a PSA 10 'gem mint' copy of the card was auctioned for $150,100 (£109,350) on eBay, making it one of the most expensive Pokémon cards to sell in recent years. That price was beaten in a Heritage Auctions sale in July 2023 however, setting a new highest price of $175,000.

11. 2005 Play Promo Holo Umbreon

The 2005 Play Promo Holo Umbreon card was only awarded to members of the Pokémon Player's Club, and they'd need to earn 70,000 EXP points (through various activities and competitions) to get their hands on a copy. Considering members start out with only 1,000 points, catching this one was no small feat.  It's one of the most notoriously difficult Player's Club promo cards to acquire.

This alone makes this Umbreon rare and desirable, but there's more: the holo version of the card was never released in English. Combine that with adorable art of a beloved Eeveelution, and you're talking real value. In a 2021 Fanatics Collect auction, this Pokémon card sold for $70,000 (£55,700) - that's one dollar for every EXP point it's worth.

But this was smashed in September 2023, when a GEM MT 10 copy of the card sold for $135,209 - followed swiftly by another sale for $180,000 in February 2024 via Fanatics Collect.

10. Test Print Gold Border Blastoise

When Wizards of the Coast first attempted to localize the Pokémon card game for the English language market, they experimented with a variety of different in-house layouts before settling on the final version. This Test Print Gold Border Blastoise has a variety of unusual features - its back is a Magic: the Gathering Card, the border is gold rather than yellow, and the front of the card is foiled, a new technique for Wizards of the Coast at the time.

9. Pokémon Snap Contest Pikachu

Just like the Snap Magikarp, the Pokémon Snap Contest Pikachu was created as a promo prize for one of ten competition winners, featuring a virtual Pikachu photograph taken inside the strange photography / safari videogame Pokémon Snap. 20 copies were given to a single prize winner in the late '90s, but never surfaced on the open market.

That was until June 2023, when Pro Retro X published the video above, showing two collectors hunting down a copy of the card at Japanese TCG and sneaker marketplace Magi, and purchasing it for an eye-watering $270,000.

8. Ishihara GX Promo

A little different from the others on this list, the Ishihara GX Promo card doesn't actually feature a Pokémon, but the president and founder of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara. The promotional card was printed to celebrate his 60th birthday, and handed to the company employees who attended the event  - quite the corporate treat. The card's 'Red Chanchanko' ability is a reference to the traditional Japanese garment often given to men when they turn 60 years old.

Copies of the card have sold at auction for as much as $50,000 (£36,450), but that's peanuts compared to what a signed copy can fetch. In April 2021, an autographed PSA 7 Ishihara GX Promo card went for $247,230 (£180,200). It's unlikely we'll see many more of these pop up, though. It's rumored that only a handful were ever printed, and only one signed copy has ever been shown to the public.

7. Trophy Pikachu No. 3 Trainer

One of the most expensive prize cards on our list comes all the way from June 1997, less than one year into the Pokémon TCG's lifespan. This was the very first Pokémon tournament, and it looked very different to modern competitive play. According to the 'museum' website Pokumon, the competitors were 1,000 children (aged up to 15) chosen by lottery. Since skill wasn't required to compete, the power level was really low, with all sorts of wild and wacky decks showing up.

The first ever prize cards, each featuring different Pikachu pics, were awarded to the winners, with the No. 3 Trainer Cards given to third and fourth place competitors in each of the four tournaments. When we first wrote this guide only four of the Trophy Pikachu No. 3 Trainer cards had been PSA certified, but as of February 2025 all eight copies were accounted for.

How much does this slice of Pokémon history cost? In April 2023, a copy sold on Heritage Auctions for $300,000 and before that, one went on Fanatics Collect for $324,000. A pricey Pika!

6. Signed Base Set No Rarity Holo Charizard

5. Presentation Blastoise

Presentation Blastoise was briefly the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold, when it went for $360,000 (£260,000) at auction in January 2021. This is no normal card: Presentation Blastoise was originally printed by Wizards of the Coast as a demonstration piece for its pitch to Nintendo to get the rights to make an English language version of the card game.

Because it's a prototype, this card features different fonts, a missing water energy symbol, and misspellings - oddities which only makes the card more prized. Presentation Blastoise has a place at the center of the Pokémon TCG's history. Only two were ever produced, one of which may be lost forever.

4. First Edition Base Set Holo Charizard

Ah, First Edition Base Set Holo Charizard. Ask a casual fan what the most sought-after Pokémon card is, and there's a good chance they'll answer: shiny Charizard. Perennially popular since its release in 1999, holographic Charizards have been a staple on the wish lists of collectors and fans for over 20 years, and a legend of playgrounds everywhere.

The first edition holo Charizard is particularly valued for its age, limited availability, and the recognizable image of one of Pokémon's much-loved mascots. Like all first edition Pokémon cards, this card is shadowless, printed without the dark border on the frame that was added later. There are a very few shadowless cards that aren't first edition, but it's the combination of the shadowless border and first edition logo that's the real certification of excellence.

In October 2020, a PSA 10 mint condition first-edition shadowless holographic Charizard was bought by ex-rapper Logic at auction for a sizeable $220,000 (£173,000), only to be surpassed a month later when another Charizard of the same specifications sold for $295,000 (£210,000).

But that's nothing compared to the mint, PSA 10 copy that sold in 2022 for $420,000 (£334,000). That sale currently places the First edition Charizard as the third most expensive (playable) Pokémon card in the world.

3. Trophy Pikachu No. 2 Trainer

The Trophy Pikachu No. 2 Trainer was given to second place winners at the first two Pokémon tournaments ever, in 1997 and 1998. It features an illustration by card artist Mitsuhiro Arita of a happy Pikachu holding a trophy.

On September 7 2023 a copy of this card from the second (1998) tournament, known as Lizardon Mega Battle or Charizard Mega Battle, sold for an outstanding $444,000 on auction site Goldin. Weirdly, the only difference between the prize cards is that those from the second tournament have a line specifying they're from the first ever Pokémon tournament. A heinous lie! The second tournament was on a much larger scale than the first, as Pokémania began to take root.

Only 15 copies of the card were made, and only four examples of the card have survived to become PSA graded. The real clincher that makes this copy so valuable is that this is currently the only copy to have achieved the perfect PSA 10 rating. Presumably 11 cards are lying crumpled in a drawer somewhere, their owners none the wiser.

2. Topsun Blue Back Charizard

The Topsun Charizard Blue Back card would be the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold, if it could really be counted as a Pokémon card at all, that is. It features Charizard on the front and has all the right text, but this pick isn't actually part of the official Pokémon TCG. Before Creatures Inc. developed the version of the trading card game we've come to know, Topsun gave it a go, and printed a few prototype cards.

This is one of them, and not just any one of them. Its blue back and unnumbered printing make it even more scarce. Rumored to have originally been distributed in packets of gum in Japan in 1997, despite being printed with a 1995 trademark date.

As you might expect, there's not many of these left lying about; only 31, according to trading card authenticator PSA's last count.

That's why in January 2021, a PSA 10 version of the blue-backed, unnumbered, Topsun Charizard card sold for a mega $493,230 (£392,325) at auction. It just goes to show, even unofficial products can be gold for some.

1. Pikachu Illustrator

Pikachu Illustrator is a promo Pokémon card originally handed out to winners of a 1998 illustration competition run through Japanese magazine CoroCoro. Only 39 copies were ever created.

It's the only card to feature the 'Illustrator' title instead of 'Trainer'. The artwork was drawn by esteemed Pokémon illustrator Atsuko Nishida, creator of Pokémon's main mascot, Pikachu. There's even a unique pen icon in the bottom-right corner, seen on no other card.

It's unknown exactly how many Pikachu Illustrator cards are still in existence, but ten PSA certified copies have been graded as 'mint'. Until January 2021, it was the most expensive Pokémon card to ever have been sold at auction, with a PSA 9 Mint condition card selling for a whopping $233,000 (£167,600).

Though it lost the title briefly, in July 2021 Logan Paul (yeah, that guy) spent $4 million on the only existing PSA 10 version of the card, getting the purchase accredited by Guinness World Records as the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold. But the value of the card is actually even higher: to secure the trade, Paul also handed over a lesser PSA 9 version of the card, which he'd previously purchased for $1,275,000 (around £1,000,000).

It's a pity it's so rare: Pikachu looks even cuter than usual holding an oversized fountain pen.

Bonus - Black Triangle Base Set Booster Pack

We're including a bonus curiosity because it's just too interesting not to mention. When Wizards of the Coast realized they had accidentally printed too many Base Set booster packs branded with the first-edition logo, they covered the errant symbol with a small black triangle. A simple attempt to avoid wasting resources has generated a much-prized collector's item, as fans now clamor for a rare Black Triangle Base Set Booster Pack.

It's the packaging itself that's valuable here, not the cards inside, so don't go cracking one of these black triangle packs open if you happen to find one sitting in the back of a drawer (you lucky devil).

They're occasionally found in standard Base Set booster boxes - so if you have one you'll have to weigh up whether to gamble on the chance discovery of one of the black triangle booster packs, or whether it's best to leave the box unopened for its pristine value. Some of the black triangle boosters have fetched over $2,700 (£2,000) on eBay, depending upon their condition and which Pokémon is displayed on their cover.

Rare Pokémon cards FAQ

How we find the most expensive Pokémon cards

To compile this list, we regularly trawl the latest sales on global trading card and collectibles auction houses like Fanatics Collect (formerly PWCC), Heritage Auctions, and Goldin Auctions. We aim to keep the rankings and prices as up to date as possible.

However, remember that, like all collectibles and investments, the Pokémon card market is very volatile, and prices can change fast and often. If you're looking to buy and sell high value Pokémon cards, you need to take care to double check the latest prices, being very conscious of the website or auction house's commission rates and fees.

What are rare Pokémon cards, and do I have any?

The most valuable Pokémon cards normally command high prices because they're old and there are very few copies in circulation. Most originate from the earliest Pokémon sets, or are one-off tournament prize cards printed in very low numbers. First edition Pokémon cards, peculiar misprints, and desirable variants like shadowless Pokémon cards all fetch very high prices.

If you've got a huge stash of really old cards, it's definitely worth reviewing our Pokémon card rarity spotter's guide and having a trawl through - but your chances of finding one of the top 50 are (we regret to inform you) incredibly low. You should keep our guide to spotting fake Pokémon cards handy, too, so you don't fall for a counterfeit.

How to sell rare Pokémon cards

We have a dedicated guide on how to sell Pokémon cards, so we recommend you read that if you're considering trading - but here's the short version.

If you think you're holding a truly valuable Pokémon card, your first port of call is to get it protected by placing it in a thin, soft-plastic sleeve, then into a protective, hard-plastic 'toploader' case. Before spending any more money on the card, it's usually a good idea to show it to an expert personally, to get their opinion on its condition and potential value - a specialist at your local games store may be able to help.

Then you should get it graded by a well-regarded, expert grading service - PSA Pokémon card grading is the most popular in the USA. Once you get the card back with an official grading from 1 to 10, and stored in a professional PSA protective case, you should have a good idea what price range you're likely to get for it.

Bear in mind that there's usually a huge difference in value between a PSA grade 7, 8, or 9 card (generally mint condition to the naked eye) and a perfect PSA 10 card (absolutely faultless, even when viewed under a microscope from every angle). The really high prices paid by top level collectors are only for PSA 10 cards, and a PSA 10 card is very often worth more than twice as much as the exact same card at PSA grade 8 or 9.

If you don't find any ultra-valuable Pokémon cards in your collection, it's really not the end of the world. This is a game, remember - what you have got is a delightful collection to treasure and play with.

That's all for our list of the most expensive Pokémon cards for now! For more high value trading cards, read our guides to the most expensive Yugioh cards ever printed, and the most expensive Lorcana cards in Disney's new TCG.

If you'd rather do your Pokémon training on the move, take a look at our sister site Pocket Tactics' guide to the latest Pokémon Go promo codes.