Top 20 most expensive Pokemon cards

People from around the world buy and collect Pokemon cards for various reasons, some do it because the genuinely like the cards and would like to keep them for as long as possible in their collection, while others do it so that they can resell them later on. There are many factors that contribute to a Pokemon card being expensive, but the three main ones are:

1. Rarity
2. Time of release
3. Condition

Lets look at these 3 factors in detail:

Rarity

Since the Base set was released in 1999 there have been lots of rarities for Pokemon cards, from non holographic rare cards all the way up to Secret alternate rares. Sometimes cards would be even more rare, because they can be for example limited print promos or trophy cards that are awarded to tournament winners. The rarer a card is the more expensive it can be to buy.

Time of Release

The time of release plays an important role in the price of a card, for example a non holographic rare 1st edition shadowless Base set Arcanine would fetch a much higher price compared to a non holographic Silver Tempest Arcanine, that is because it would be really hard to find the base set Arcanine, compare to its modern counterpart, seeing that the print run was limited and not many cards have survived from 1999.

Condition

The condition of the card can make a huge difference to the price of a card, at the time of writing this article (April 2023) a 1st edition shadowless base set Charizard graded PSA 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator would fetch a price anywhere between $300,000 to $350,000, while a PSA 9 version of the same card would fetch anywhere between $17,000 to $30,000, which is roughly a $280,000 to $320,000 difference. To prove the condition of your card you can have it graded by PSA, BGS, CGC or any other grading company that assigns it a grade from 1 to 10, with 1 meaning that the card's condition is poor and 10 meaning that it is virtually flawless. Some grading companies are known to be more harsh when grading a card and some more lenient, with the majority of people having their Pokemon cards graded by PSA.

Without further ado, lets see the top 20 most expensive Pokemon cards:

20. 1999 Blastoise (Trainer Deck B)

At the 20th position (even though still very expensive) we have a very rare card that comes from Trainer deck B, which was a deck that was distributed to prototype Pokemon leagues before the base set was even released! The deck was never available for sale to the public and was only intended to be used in the Pokemon League. Each card from this deck has a red border on the back of the card with the writing "Trainer Deck B" on the center. The card in question is a Blastoise that sold in March 2021 for a whooping $20,000 in auction. [Source]

19. 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Alakazam

This is the first of many 1st edition shadowless base set cards that will be featured on this list. What makes this card special is that it comes from the 1st edition base set booster box, that was released in 1999 in a limited print run. Alakazam was one of the rarest cards you could pull from a base set pack, personally I owned one and I remember the feeling of pulling it from a pack, I was ecstatic. Alakazam is also a fan favourite, being a very powerful Pokemon, that was Sabrina's most powerful Pokemon in the anime and in the video games. The card in question sold for $20,501 in October 2020. [Source]

18. 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Venusaur

Yet another base set shadowless card, Venusaur was the final evolution of Bulbasaur, one of the 3 Kanto starters in the games. Even though Bulbasaur was not as popular of a starter compared to Charmander and Squirtle it is still a fan favourite which means that Venusaur is also a beloved Pokemon character. This combined with the fact that the Venusaur card was very difficult to pull from a pack makes this card very valvualble with a PSA 10 GEM MINT example selling in April 2021 for $22,615! [Source]

17. 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Mewtwo

Another 1st edition shadowless card from base set, it was one of the rarest holographic cards that could be pulled from a booster pack and it featured Mewtwo which was probably the most powerful Pokemon from the original 151 Pokemon. The condition of this specific card also played a role in its high price, being a PSA GEM MINT 10, with the card fetching $22,655 in November 2020. [Source]

16. 2004 Pokemon EX Team Rocket Returns Gold Star Holo Torchic

This is the first gold star card on the list, but it won't be the last one. The Torchic gold star from Pokemon EX Team Rocket Returns is one of the first cards to feature a gold star in their name, along with Mudkip and Treecko, this combined with the fact that it was the favourite starter Pokemon of the 3 Hoenn starters makes it a rather desirable card. A PSA 10 GEM MINT example sold for $25,400 on December 2020. [Source]

15. 2003 Skyridge Holo Charizard

The Skyridge holographic Charizard features one of the most iconic Charizard artworks ever printed in a Pokemon card and comes from a set that is very rare. Back in 2003 Pokemon Cards were not as popular as they used to be from 1999 to 2001 and that meant that Skyridge as a set was not printed as much as other sets before it (Neo Sets, Base set, Jungle, Fossil) which makes it more scarce to find nowadays with only very few boxes still remaining sealed. The card in question was also a Secret rare card being numbered 146/144 which made it even more difficult to find. A PSA 10 sold in November 2020 for $28,100. [Source]

14. 2006 Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Holo Charizard

A Charizard holographic card and a gold star is a sure recipe for success. The Charizard gold star is one of the most sought after Charizard cards in existence, the limited print run of the Gold star cards, combined with the scarcity of the set and the likeability of the card make this card a very rare and desirable collectible. Back in November, 2020 a PSA 10 Gold Star Charizard sold for $30,300. [Source]

13. 2010 Master's Scroll Holo Promo Daisuki Club 8,600 Pts

At number 13 on the list we have a very rare Japanese Promo card, what makes this card rare is the fact that in 2010 the Daisuki Club held a competition where you would sign up and through various trading cad game activities you would gather points, which could in turn be traded for special promo cards, with this card requiring 8,600 points. A PSA 10 copy of the card sold in March, 2021 sold for $35,200! [Source]

12. 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Chansey

What makes the 1st edition base set shadowless holo PSA 10 Chansey super rare is not only the fact that it was difficult to pull from a booster pack or that it was only printed in limited numbers, but that it was almost impossible to find in virtually flawless condition with the card having "printing lines" on the holographic pattern most of the times, which would make it a PSA 9 and not a 10. That is why a PSA 10 example sold for $36,877 in November, 2020. [Source]

11/10. 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Blastoise / 2005 Pokemon EX Deoxys Gold Star Holo Rayquaza

This is a shared position between the Gold Star Rayquaza and the 1st edition base set Blastoise, as they both manged to sell for $45,100.

Blastoise is the final evolution of Squirtle, one of the 3 starters in the Kanto Region, with Squirtle being the second most popular choice after Charmander, it is only normal that Blastoise is a fan favourite, this combined with the fact that the card was very hard to pull and that it was only printed in a limited run, makes it very rare. In November, 2020 a PSA 10 example sold for $45,100.[Source]

The Rayquaza Gold star is rumoured to be a very hard card to pull, with only 1 being available per booster case (a booster case contains 6 booster boxes or 216 in terms of booster packs). These rumours were never verified officially, but the fact that the set had 2 other Gold Star cards (Latios and Latias), with Rayquaza being the fan favourite made it sell for significantly higher prices, as it is the main "chase card" of the set, with a PSA 10 Gold Star Rayquaza selling for $45,100 in November, 2020. [Source]

9. 1996 No Rarity Japanese Base set CHarizard Holo

The no rarity symbol Japanese base set cards can be considered the equivalent of 1st edition English base set cards, which means that they were the very first ones to be printed for a limited print run. The iconic artwork of the base set Charizard combined with the fact that this is a no rarity base set Japanese card make it highly desirable for many Pokemon fans and collectors. A PSA 9 example of the card sold for a staggering $60,100 in November, 2020. [Source]

8. 1999 Tropical Wind Promo

With only 3 PSA 10 examples in existence and the fact that to get an ungraded card you had to get it as a prize from the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle, that took place in Hawaii and only 50 of the best players in the world were ever invited, makes this card extremely rare. A PSA 10 Tropical Wind Promo sold in October, 2020 for $65,100! [Source]

7.1998 Tamamushi University Magikarp Prize Promo

Known also as the "University Magikarp" this is one of the rarest Japanese promo cards in existence. To get this card you had to enrol to Shogakukan Celadon University's campaign and complete a series of tests, which would then be graded and the top 1000 students would become certified Pokemon Professors and obtain this card. With only 14 PSA 10 examples in existence one of them was sold in Febrauary, 2021 for $66,100.[Source]

6. 2005 Pokemon Play Promo Holo Gold Star Umbreon 70,000 Pts

Next on the list we have another Japanese Promo card that was incredibly hard to obtain. Members of the Pokemon Player's Club needed to gather 70,000 experience points to trade for this card. You started with 1000 points and in order to gain more points you had to attend official events and tournaments, host events or play matches. The card in question a BGS 9.5 example sold for $70,000. [Source]

5. 1999 Pokémon PSA 10 Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer Holo Promo

At number 5 on the list we have another extremely rare Japanese Promo Card. This card was awarded to the winners of the seven regional tournaments that took place in Tokyo Japan in 1999 along with the location to a secret tournament. One of the 8 PSA 10 copies (probably more than 7 cards were printed as back ups) in existence sold for $90,000 in July 2020. [Source]

4. 2000 Pokemon Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holo Lugia

The Neo sets are dear to many collectors and Pokemon card fans, because they were printed during the pinnacle years of Pokemon and featured many Johto Pokemon. The fact that Neo Sets were the last English sets to ever feature a 1st edition, along with Lugia's massive following makes this card one of the most desirable English Pokemon cards in existence. A PSA 10 Neo Genesis Lugia 1st edition sold in November, 2020 for $129,000! [Source]

3. 1998 Pokemon Promo Family Event Trophy Card Holo Kangaskhan

This Trophy card is probably the second most desirable Trophy card in existence, in 1998 in Japan there was a Parent & Child Mega Battle Tournament for parents and children to participate and compete with other parent and child teams. Teams with a certain number of wins were awarded this card. Only 12 PSA 10 copies exist, with one of them selling for $150,100 in October, 2020. [Source]

2. 1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Charizard

If you are  a fan of the Pokemon Trading card game this card needs no introduction. With Charizard being the favourite Pokemon of many people and with Mitsuhiro Arita's iconic artwork, combined with a limited print run and a rumoured pull rate of 1 Charizard per booster box, it is no surprise that a PSA 10 example of the card sold for $399,750 in March, 2021! [Source]

1. 1998 Pikachu Illustrator Card

If you are wondering: "What Pokemon card sold for over $5 million dollars?" look no further. The Pikachu Illustrator was awarded to the winners of a competition where you had to design your own Pokemon card, held by the famous CoroCoro comic in Japan. Only 39 cards are known to exist, with the Pikachu Illustrator beign the only card with a pen sumbol on the bottom right corner and the word "Illustrator" instead of "Trainer" on top of the card, as well as a double star rarity symbol. Logan paul bought the only PSA 10 example in existence for $5,275,000 in July 2021. [Source]

This makes it the Pikachu Illustrator the most expensive Pokemon card ever sold.

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