Top 20 most expensive Pokemon cards ever sold

With the 29th anniversary of the launch of Pokemon, Entertainment Swindon thought we would take a look at the cute little yellow creature that started a cult following from its launch on 27th February 1996 in Japan, with the first ever Pokemon video games, Pokemon Red and Pokemon Green, kicking off this global phenomenon that…

mikebuss

February 24, 2025

12–17 minutes

Charizard, Collecting, collectors, gaming, Kids, Logan Paul, News, Pikachu, Pokemon, Pokemon Day, Pokemon Go, Pop Culture, Trading Cards

The Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) has remained popular over nearly three decades and during that time, some of the rarest cards have sold for insane amounts of money, making millionaires of a few lucky people. Entertainment Swindon has taken a dive into the most expensive Pokemon cards that have ever gone to auction… Who knows, you might be sitting on a fortune!

**Thursday 27th February 2025 – Pokemon Day.**

In terms of judging card rarity in the Pokemon TCG, condition, age, scarcity, and print numbers are all considered when determining value. Cards from recent sets can be just as valuable as cards from the 90s depending on appraisal or pull rates.

Some Pokemon cards can now be sold for eye-watering amounts, depending on the packs you buy and the sets you keep an eye out for.

When it comes to assessing a rare and valuable card, it’s important to note that the market is constantly dipping and peaking. We’ve looked historical reported records on price charting and pop culture sites to determine our list in terms of value, but card prices are changing all the time.

Currently, cards from the Scarlet and Violet expansions have struggled to make this list, but with Surging Sparks struggling with high demand, and Prismatic Evolutions set to be just as sought after, there could finally be some new entries to shake up lists.

If you’re a collector and considering tracking down a high-ticket card, make sure to shop around and do your research. Contacting a trustworthy local game store to help you out is a great way to make the process of authenticating a rare Pokemon card smoother, too.

20. Summer Battle Road Mew Victory Orb Trophy

Trophy cards are always a hit with rare card collectors and this one was given out during the 1998 Summer Battle Road competition. Spanning nine regions across Japan, only the top three Trainers in each bracket

According to PSA, only 16 of these cards have achieved the coveted Gem Mint 10 score. Trophy cards are popular because of their scarcity and their importance to players, but the fact that this one has an awesome design doesn’t hurt either.

When looking for auction listings to verify the price of this card, we found one on PWCC that included the original trophy case alongside it. It’s a stunning piece of Pokemon history that racked up an impressive $60,000 price point.

Release Date: 1999
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Item value at auction: £47,504 ($60,000)

19. 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Chansey

Created as part of the promotional Pokemon Snap photo contest back in 1999, this card is exceptionally rare. 20 copies or less exist for every competition winner in this case, making the cards hard to come by and immensely valuable for collectors.

We found a PWCC listing for this card and it ended up with an immense $63,000 price tag by the end of the auction. It’s one of the hardest Pokemon cards to find out there right now.

Release Date: 1999
Grading: BGS – Near Mint 8.5
Item value at auction: £49,879 ($63,000)

18. Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind Promo

While not the most flashy Pokemon card on the list, the Tropical Mega Battle promo is a holy grail for Psyduck fans. It’s an adorable and visually striking card, featuring another fan-favourite in the form of Jigglypuff.

This card was given out at the predecessor to the World Championships, referred to as the Tropical Mega Battle. In 1999, only 50 players received an invitation to compete and this Trophy card is one of the Trophies that was given out at that event.

We tracked down a PWCC listing for this card which ended up closing with a massive $65,100 price tag at the end of the auction.

Release Date: 1999
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £51,541 ($65,100)

17. 2010 Pokemon World Championship Master’s Key

In 2010, the best Pokemon card players worldwide were flown into Waikoloa Village, Hawaii for the World Championships. Upon arrival, they were given a Master’s Key Pokemon card.

Because the item was only printed for participants at the tournament, only 36 of these in total were ever created, making it one of the rarest Pokemon cards in history. As expected, some of these cards have made their way out of the tournament scene and into the resale market.

We found a PWCC auction for this card which ended up closing with a $66,000 price tag. Cards like these are hard to find, so when collectors can get their hands on them, they’re willing to pay a lot more.

Release Date: 2010
Grading: BGS – Gem Mint 9.5
Pokemon card value at auction: £52,254 ($66,000)

16. Tamamushi University Magikarp Trophy Promo

In 1998, the Shogakukan magazine hosted a contest for school students. Fans who took the various tests offered in the publication could send them back to the company to have them graded – and if they passed with high scores, fans would be invited to a special conference in Osaka.

At this conference, there was, unsurprisingly, a Pokemon TCG tournament. The winning players were awarded this card, which remains one of the rarest Pokemon cards to this day. It’s estimated under 70 copies of this card exist.

The final price that this card ended up with at auction via PWCC was $66,100 which makes sense considering how hard it is to get your hands on a copy.

Release Date: 1998
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £52,333 ($66,100)

15. 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Gyarados

This card was part of the same photo contest as the Chansey card that we listed earlier, being created to celebrate a winner. It’s incredibly rare and quite a unique-looking piece too, showing a lot of dynamism.

This particular copy of the rare card was auctioned by Heritage Auctions in July 2023 and it managed to stack up a mighty $87,500 price tag.

Release Date: 1999
Grading: CGC – Gem Mint 9.5
Pokemon card value at auction: £69,276 ($87,500)

14. No. 1 Trainer Super Secret Battle

In 1999, The Pokemon Company hosted regional contests in Japan. Winners received a No. 1 Trainer Pokemon card which granted them access to the final that took place in a secret location.

It was a mysterious and exciting tournament set-up, which paired perfectly with this incredibly elusive and rare card.

We found a Heritage Auctions listing that placed this card at $90,000, which makes sense considering the scarcity, event tie-in, and featured Pokemon.

Release Date: 1999
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £71,256 ($90,000)

13. Extra Battle Day Full Art Lillie (397/SM-P)

The value of this card comes down to its scarcity. The only way to get it was to win a chance at drawing it from an exclusive Booster Pack given out at the Japanese Extra Battle Day event in 2019.

To be in with a chance at even opening one of these special packs, players first had to compete and were ranked based on their scores and Prize Cards. In the finals, the players had to then win a game of rock, paper, scissors to get their chance at pulling Lillie.

The Lillie card was illustrated by an artist with a cult following, Naoki Saito. Lillie herself is a popular character, so it’s unsurprising that PWCC managed to auction it for $108,000 in 2023.

Release Date: 2019
Grading: PSA – 10, Gem Mint
Pokemon card value at auction: £85,507 ($108,000)

12. Pokemon World Championships Promo No. 2 Trainer

This incredible Trophy card was handed out at the 2006 World Championship held in Anaheim, California. Since these Pokemon cards were only given to winners, the amount of them out in the wild is very low.

In fact, it’s believed that only 3 copies of these cards have ever been issued. It’s immensely rare to see them up for auction, so it’s not surprising to see PWCC managing to pull in an $110,100 price tag.

Release Date: 2006
Grading: PSA – 9
Pokemon card value at auction: £87,169 ($110,100)

11. Toshiyuki Yamaguchi No. 2 Trainer Card

1 of 1 cards are not common in Pokemon and this is one of the only examples. It was made as a prize for the second-place winner of the Japanese World Summer Challenge in 2000. In order to qualify for the final, challengers first had to compete at eight qualifying tournaments across Japan.

Cards were made for the top 3 Trainers, but this is (currently) the only one that’s made its way into the grading world. It sold for an immense $137,500 on the Heritage Auctions site in 2023.

Release Date: 2000
Grading: CGC – Near Mint 8
Pokemon card value at auction: £108,863 ($137,500)

10. Lugia Holo (09/111) (First Edition)

This Lugia card represents the very best of the Neo Genesis expansion set. It’s an utterly iconic card that’ll bring up nostalgia for a lot of people, and it’s also immensely rare and valuable.

It’s reportedly incredibly hard to grade thanks to manufacturing issues and very few cards of this incredible quality can be found out in the wild, especially according to BGS standards.

We found a PWCC auction listing where Lugia card ended up selling for an incredible $144,300, pointing to how far collectors are willing to go for a top-quality Neo Genesis card. Iterations of different grades and qualities can be found for much lower prices.

Release Date: 2000
Grading: BGS – Pristine 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £114,247 ($144,300)

9. Kangaskhan Family Event Trophy Holo

This 1998 Trophy Pokemon card could only be obtained by participating in a special tournament in Japan and it remains one of the most valuable Pokemon cards in existence to this day. It features an adorable design with just the right amount of sparkle.

Fittingly, the contest required both a child and their parent to participate alongside each other in TCG battles. It is believed that there are only 11 graded copies of this card in existence, making it one of the rarest Trophy Pokemon cards to exist.

This card is rare to see in auction sales, but it was spotted in a 2020 eBay auction with a final price of $150,000.

Release Date: 1998
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £118,760 ($150,000)

8. Umbreon Gold Star Holo (026/PLAY)

Fan-favourite Umbreon features on a number of popular and rare Pokemon cards, and this particular card managed to run up a mighty $180,000 price tag in a 2024 auction.

In a similar vein to the Espeon Gold Star that we mentioned earlier, Pokemon collectors had to accumulate a certain number of points to pick up this card from the Pokemon Player’s Club. In particular, they had to get 70K points – which was no easy task, requiring a lot of in-person attendance at events and success during tournament matches, too.

Release Date: 2005
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £142,512 ($180,000)

7. Ishihara GX Black Star Promo (Autographed)

This card is a bit of an oddity, featuring the CEO and President of The Pokemon Company – Tsunekazu Ishihara. The special Pokemon card was actually given out to each employee who attended the executive’s birthday in 2017.

The card itself is very valuable and rare, with the community speculating that only around 30-60 of them actually exist, but the particular example we’ve picked out from Goldin Auctions is a signed copy. This copy went for a massive $247,230 when it was put up for sale.

Release Date: 2017
Grading: PSA – Near Mint 7 / Autograph 9
Pokemon card value at auction: £195,740 ($247,230)

6. Pikachu No. 3 Trainer Bronze Trophy Card

We’ve mentioned a fair few Trophy cards in this article, and this particular one is an immense example of how much collectors are willing to pay for them.

The very first Pokemon TCG tournament was held in Japan, back in 1997. For the top three finishers in each division, a special Trophy Pikachu card was their reward, each of which noted their placement in the historic event. This is one of those cards.

PSA has previously claimed The Pokemon Company printed under 100 of these unique cards, making them extremely valuable on the market. Based on that, it’s hardly surprising to see that Heritage Auctions moved this card for a whopping $300,000 back in 2023.

Release Date: 1997
Grading: PSA – Near Mint 8
Pokemon card value at auction: £237,520 ($300,000)

5. Blastoise Wizards of the Coast Presentation Galaxy Star Holo

Originally commissioned by Wizards of the Coast in 1998, the Blastoise Presentation Pokemon card was supposed to give stores an idea of what the TCG line would look like in its final print run. It’s an immensely rare Pokemon card.

It’s currently unknown exactly how many copies of this card exist, but it’s widely believed that there are only a couple of them – with one copy even reportedly having a Magic: The Gathering backing.

This artifact went up for auction in 2021 at Heritage Auctions, racking up an insane $360,000 price tag in the process. This card is nearly impossible to get your hands on, making it a dream for many collectors.

Release Date: 1998
Grading: CGC – Near Mint/Mint 8.5
Pokemon card value at auction: £285,024 ($360,000)

4. Base Set Charizard Holo (First Edition) (Shadowless)

This is the card that started it all for many collectors. Featuring the iconic lizard with the selling points of being Base Set, Shadowless, Holo, and a First Edition, it’s not hard to see why this is such a rare and valuable card nowadays.

On October 9, 2020, rapper Logic paid over $226k for a Grade 10 1st Edition Charizard, setting a new bar for the Pokemon card. Records have continued to spike over the years as more and more collectors have chased this card, with PWCC reporting an insane $420,000 auction in 2022.

According to the auction house, only 121 Charizards in the whole world are known to exist with the perfect Gem Mint 10 rating – making this one of the rarest Pokemon cards of all time.

Release Date: 1999
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £332,528 ($420,000)

3. Trophy Pikachu Silver 2nd Tournament Card

This is an incredible Pokemon Trophy card from the Lizardon Mega Battle – the first-ever international Pokemon TCG tournament, held in Japan back in 1998. It’s believed only 14 of these cards exist, 4 of them have been confirmed, and only one has this stellar Gem Mint rating.

It’s unsurprising to see that this card managed to positively explode at auction. The Goldin auction site reports a crazy $444,000 final price tag for it.

Release Date: 1998
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £351,529 ($444,000)

2. Topsun Charizard Blue Back Card

This card was a promotional piece that could be found in boxes of gum back in 1995. It was created by Topsun, who made some of the first ever Pokemon cards – way before Wizards of the Coast took over – and as a result, their cards are highly sought after.

Although PSA lists the card as being “released in 1995 and released in 1997” the claim is unverified both on Topsun and Nintendo’s websites. It is believed that the date on the card refers to the year Pokemon was trademarked instead.

This card was auctioned by Goldin in 2023 for an incredible $493,230. It’s a dream piece for many collectors, yet it’s so immensely rare that it feels impossible to get a hold of.

Release Date: 1995 (Debated)
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £390,506 ($493,230)

The most expensive Pokemon card is owned by Logan Paul

Release Date: 1998
Grading: PSA – Gem Mint 10
Pokemon card value at auction: £4,176,369 ($5,275,000)

At the time of writing, one of the most rare and valuable Pokemon cards in the world is the elusive Pikachu Illustrator card. In 1997, the CoroCoro magazine held an art competition where winners were given the card as a prize.

The card has been sold for some insane amounts in recent years, shooting up in value and notoriety. Celebrity Logan Paul is one of the most notable owners of this card, wearing the TCG collectible on a chain during his Wrestlemania debut.

He even achieved a world record for the most expensive Pokemon card sold at a private sale. However, some Pokemon TCG fans doubt the legitimacy of his card.

Logan Paul isn’t the only big name to get their hands on this card, either. In October 2022, former New York Giants football player Blake Martinez sold his CGC 9.5 graded Pikachu Illustrator in an auction for $672,000, making it one of the first non-PSA graded copies of the card known to exist.

All of this points to one key factor – the Pokemon TCG has been around for decades and it’s not showing any sign of going away any time soon.

Pokemon TCG fans will go to incredible lengths to get their hands on beautiful and rare cards. Each card in this article is a piece of gaming and pop culture history, with some of them being arguably worthy of being displayed in a museum.

Entertainment Swindon