The most expensive Pokémon card ever sold is the Pikachu Illustrator. YouTuber Logan Paul purchased a “PSA 10” (perfect condition) copy in 2022 for a staggering 5,275,000 dollars. To acquire it, he traded a less-than-perfect version plus 4 million dollars in cash. This earned him the Guinness World Record.
The prices in this list are based on the highest known auction results or private sales.
Here are the 10 most valuable cards that every collector is looking for.
1. Pikachu Illustrator ($5,275,000)
This is the holy grail. This card was released in 1998 as a prize for winners of an illustration contest by the Japanese magazine CoroCoro. Fewer than 40 were made, and even fewer remain. It is the only card with the word “ILLUSTRATOR” at the top instead of “TRAINER.”
2. 1999 Base Set Charizard 1st Edition Shadowless ($420,000)
For the general public, this is the card. Everyone wanted a Charizard back in the day. The “1st Edition Shadowless” is the very first printing. “Shadowless” means there is no drop shadow next to the frame of the dragon’s artwork (a design error that was later corrected). A copy in perfect condition (Gem Mint 10) was sold in 2022 for nearly half a million.
3. Blastoise Galaxy Star Holo ($360,000)
A mysterious card. This is a prototype created in 1998 by publisher Wizards of the Coast to show Nintendo what an English Pokémon card could look like. It has a blank back and a completely different font. Only two of these are likely to exist.
4. Tsunekazu Ishihara GX Promo ($247,230)
This card does not feature a Pokémon, but the CEO of The Pokémon Company himself: Tsunekazu Ishihara. The card was distributed to employees for his 60th birthday. What made the auctioned copy so expensive was that Ishihara signed the card himself.
5. Kangaskhan Family Event Trophy ($175,000)
You couldn’t buy this card in a store. It was awarded in 1998 in Japan to parents and children who participated as a team in the “Parent/Child Mega Battle” tournament. Because it was a prize for families, it depicts a mother and baby Kangaskhan. It is one of the rarest trophy cards in the world.
6. Lugia 1st Edition Neo Genesis ($144,300)
Lugia is the legendary bird of the second generation (Gold & Silver). The English first edition from the Neo Genesis set is notorious because the cards were often poorly cut in the factory at the time. A perfectly centered copy (BGS 10) is therefore almost impossible to find, which drives the price up enormously.
7. No. 1 Trainer ($90,000+)
This is a “Secret Super Battle” promotional card from 1999. It was given to regional champions in Japan who qualified for the finals. The card features a silhouette of Mewtwo. Because you had to win this card to get it, the supply is extremely low.
8. Tamamushi University Magikarp ($66,100)
Normally Magikarp is a useless fish, but not this one. In 1998, a Japanese magazine held a quiz called the “Tamamushi University Hyper Test.” Only those who got all the questions right were sent this card. The image shows Magikarp performing an attack (Dragon Rage), something it normally cannot do in the games.
9. Umbreon Gold Star Holo ($70,000)
The most expensive card from a newer generation (2005). The “Gold Star” cards feature an image of the Pokémon in a different color (shiny). You could only get this card by being a member of the Pokémon Players Club in Japan and earning enough points (70,000 XP). Collectors fight over this card due to Umbreon’s popularity.
10. Tropical Wind ($65,100)
A promotional card distributed during the Tropical Mega Battle tournament in Hawaii in 1999. Since there were very few participants (fewer than 50), there are hardly any copies in circulation. The card shows a Psyduck lying in a hammock, which makes it very popular.
