The 10 Most Expensive Pokémon Cards

By Poke4India | Updated Sept 3, 2024 |

• Grade: PSA 10
• Month Sold: March 2022.
• Venue: Private Sale.
• Price: $5,275,000.

A truly one-of-a-kind card, the population 1 PSA 10 Illustrator Pikachu was bought by YouTube influencer Logan Paul in 2022 at a valuation of $5.275 million dollars, making it the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold. More specifically, he paid $4 million in cash plus a PSA 9 Illustrator Pikachu he previously owned.

• Grade: PSA 10.
• Month Sold: January 2021.
• Venue: Goldin.
• Price: $493,230.

While not initially included on this list since it is not a Pokémon TCG card, the Blue Back Topsun Charizard is another example of a card that reached an absurd peak in 2021 at the height of the latest Pokémon craze.

That said, the Blue Back Topsun Charizard is a highly sought-after collector's item within the Pokémon trading card game community. Initially prized for being among the earliest printed cards featuring Charizard, this card was actually mistakenly dated by PSA as 1995. In reality, it was printed in 1997. This rare variant is part of the Topsun series, notable for its distinctive blue back, setting it apart from other Pokémon cards and even similar Topsun copies with a different color backing.

The Topsun series holds a special place in the history of Pokémon  cards due to its early release in the franchise's history, predating many of the TCG sets that would follow. The specific charm of the Blue Back Topsun Charizard lies in its unique artwork and the printing error related to its date, adding an extra layer of rarity and desirability. Its unique aesthetic and historical value, as well as the intrigue surrounding its mislabeling, make it a fascinating piece of Pokémon lore.

• Grade: PSA 10.
• Month Sold: March 2022.
• Venue: PWCC.
• Price: $420,000.

Of course, there had to be another Charizard on this list. This is the OG (English) Charizard Pokémon card, and despite there being 124 PSA 10 copies, and nearly 4,000 total graded, in 2022 a copy sold for $420,000 at auction on PWCC.

It's worth noting that this card is no longer worth $420,000. The last time a PSA 10 1st Edition Charizard sold on PWCC, in February 2024, it went for $168,000. Imagine losing around the value of a house on one Pokémon card. Ouch.

• Grade: PSA 10.
• Month Sold: September 2023.
• Venue: Goldin.
• Price: $440,000.

Here we have the sibling of the third place Pikachu from earlier in the list. However, this one was actually from the second tournament, which used the same style of trophy cards as the first one. This card was released for the 1997-98 Japanese Lizardon (Charizard) Mega Battle Pokémon tournament events. It's amazing to see that Charizard already had such a hold on a generation of kids over 20 years ago, and still does to this day.

This card is remarkable for a number of reasons. Like its siblings, it was illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita, the illustrator of the original Base Set Charizard, and the most iconic Pokémon illustrator to this day. Given the number of events and age groups, it is thought that 14 copies of this card exist, making it one of the rarest cards of all time. Of those 14, a total of 4 have been graded by PSA, with this copy being the only one to ever attain a PSA 10.

Being the first ever public sale of a Pikachu trophy card, it does give us some insight into the upper echelon of Pokémon cards. These are cards that are almost impossible to obtain, no matter how much money you have, simply because they are so rare. Despite only being a second place trophy, and having a relatively high population as far as trophy cards go, it has become one of the most expensive known Pokémon cards of all time. As more trophy cards come to market over time, particularly high grade examples, even if it's only once every few years, we'll be able to develop a better understanding of this normally

• Grade: CGC 8.5.
• Month Sold: January 2021.
• Venue: Heritage Auctions.
• Price: $360,000.

While there are certainly some one-of-a-kind Pokémon cards… how many two-of-a-kind cards can you name? That's exactly what you're looking at here. This card is often confused with the MTG-backed Blastoise (which is also incredibly valuable and rare) because the front is quite similar. Both also have the same wacky Comic Sans-esque font going for them. However, this Blastoise is rarer as it features the same holofoil pattern as seen in Base Set, and has an entirely blank back. There were only two copies of Commissioned Presentation Blastoise ever printed, and the other one has never surfaced!

This is one of those legendary Pokémon cards that just makes me feel excited. Commissioned Presentation Blastoise was almost lost to the sands of time. It was only ever featured in one interview which has now been lost. One other similar Pokémon card was created for international purposes, but as of now, its location remains a mystery. It makes you wonder just how many more of these promotional and test cards exist out there that we're never seen yet. Some of these were intended to be public information, while others were from sneaky employees rescuing test cards that would otherwise have been destroyed.

A great example of this are the "For Position Only" (FPO) cards. Packed in Legendary Collection collection boosters, but with only five cards inside. They were printed prior to the release of the Expedition E-reader set. They were meant to be shredded, but one WotC employee rescued them (a hero in my eyes, but perhaps slightly illegal?).

• Grade: PSA 10.
• Month Sold: April 2022.
• Venue: PWCC.
• Price: $324,000.

Well less known than its English shadowless counterparts, like English Base Set, there is a way to distinguish the earliest printing of Japanese Base Set. While it doesn't have a glaring "1st Edition" stamp on it, the earliest printing of Japanese Base Set does not have the rarity symbol that has become ubiquitous with Pokémon cards.

While it seems like a trivial detail, many serious collectors highly value rarity, and also the first printing of something. And not only is this the first printing of Japanese Base Set, it is the first ever printing of Charizard in the Pokémon TCG. While there were other cards printed featuring Pokémon coming out around that time or even earlier, most notably Topsun, those are not part of the card game legacy that has stood the test of time to this very day.

As the first printing of Charizard to feature the iconic Base Set artwork of Mitsuhiro Arita, this card is a part of Pokemon history. While a standard PSA 10 copy of this card is very rare and expensive, with only 8 examples being graded as such, the signature by Mitsuhiro Arita on the case adds even more value. It's unfortunate that the signature is on the case, as it is not authenticated and arguably takes away from some of the eye appeal of this card.

• Grade: PSA 8.
• Month Sold: April 2023.
• Venue: Heritage Auctions.
• Price: $300,000.

If only the No. 3 Trainer was in the No. 3 spot on this list! This extremely cute Pikachu trophy card was only obtainable in the first ever Pokémon tournament. Held in June 1997 in Chiba Japan, only four third-place winners from each event received a copy. It also granted entry to the Lizardon Mega Battle Tournament, which is considered the first official National Championships for Pokémon.

This card is one of the most recent additions to this list—a PSA 8 sold for $300,000 at Heritage Auctions on April 21, 2023, instantly making it one of the most valuable Pokémon cards in the world. Just imagine how much the No.1 Trainer from this tournament must be worth.

• Grade: PSA Authentic.
• Month Sold: June 2023.
• Venue: Private Sale
• Price: $270,000.

Snap Pikachu was released as part of the same competition as Snap Magikarp and Snap Gyarados.

The sale of this card is truly remarkable. It is one of the greatest examples that despite how long Pokémon has been around, how developed the market has become, and so many individuals researching to learn all they can about this hobby, that there is always more to be discovered. For decades, nobody had even seen this card. That all changed when a single copy surfaced in 2023. One of the hobby's most notable collectors, Dubsy, acquired the card from a store in Japan, for the hefty price of $270,000.

• Grade: PSA 7 (Autograph PSA 9).
• Month Sold: April 2021.
• Venue: Goldin Auctions.
• Price: $247,230.

This was a promotional card released in 2017 for the birthday of the then-60-year old founder and president of Pokémon, Tsunekazu Ishihara. It was distributed to Pokémon employees. We don't know for certain how many copies were printed, but it currently has a total population of 10 from PSA and an additional 12 from CGC.

It's certainly an outlier on this list, considering that its value comes primarily from the creator's signature. The signature itself is graded a 9, and the card is only a PSA 7! For reference, a PSA 10 copy sold in 2020 for just $100,000, and that's only a pop one! I imagine they are really regretting not asking their boss to sign their copy of the card. It's also a bit ironic that it seems the print quality on this card isn't very good!

• Grade: CGC 6.5.
• Month Sold: July 2021.
• Venue: Heritage Auctions.
• Price: $216,000.

While this card may look fake to some, it is one of the rarest and oldest Pokémon cards. This is considered one of the earliest attempts by WotC to produce English Pokémon cards. It's notable for its odd font and its back, which is the same as for Magic: The Gathering cards. It also has a distinctive gold border around the art box, a foil front, and sharp edges.

Given the unique nature of these cards, it was difficult to prove they were even real. CGC employed a panel of experts and "advanced forensic technology" to prove the cards were real. Another compelling piece of evidence was the emergence of a test sheet containing the Blastoise and other MTG cards: