It’s been about 28 years since Pokemon cards were launched in Japan, which started the “Pokemon The Card Game (TCG)” craze. Some of these cards have sold for a lot of cash, primarily when graded in mint condition by professionals. The Pokemon TCG craze has started to pick up again, so it’s not too late for you to join in.
1. 1998 Magikarp Tamamushi University Prize
Magikarp is one of the more ridiculous Pokemon out there, which is why it is highly loved. Everyone wants a piece of this fish out of water. The most expensive Magikarp card ever sold is the card that was given as a prize for winning a battle during the Tamamushi University Hyper Test. It’s a rare collector’s item.
2. 1999 No. 1 Trainer Super Secret Battle Card
This card carries a ton of mystery and history, which drives up its value. It was given to Pokemon regional contest winners in 1999 and serves as an access card to a Super Secret Battle in an undisclosed location. Another thing that drives up its value is that it features Mewtwo’s silhouette, one of the most favored Pokemon.
3. 2019 Full Art Lillie Extra Battle Day
Since there’s only one way to acquire this card, its value has increased tremendously for collectors everywhere. The Full Art Lillie Extra Battle Day card can only be won by drawing it from an exclusive booster pack released during the 2019 Japanese Extra Battle Day event. To even get these packs, players have to compete with each other and come out on top, making it a real rarity.
4. 2006 Pokemon World Championships Promo No. 2 Trainer
This is a rare trophy card given to winners during the 2006 Pokemon World Championship in California. Only three were given out during the competition, making it absurdly rare. This also makes it harder for collectors to find the card in the wild, further increasing its value.
5. Trophy Pikachu Gold 1st Tournament
As a card given out to only the top three players of the Japanese Pokemon Lizardon Tournament, this Trophy Gold Pikachu is hard to find. Only a few collectors would want to part with such a memorable prize, but when they do, it sells for hundreds of thousands.
6. Toshiyuki Yamaguchi No. 2 Trainer Card
This card was a one-of-a-kind gift for the second-place winner of the 2000 Japanese World Summer Challenge. The winner, Yamaguchi, is featured on the card, giving a thumbs up surrounded by Pokemon. It’s a memorable gift and sold for $100,000.
7. 2000 Neo Genesis 1st Edition Lugia Holo
An iconic legendary Pokemon on par with Mewtwo, Lugia’s card is highly sought after by those who grew up in the 2000s. Several Lugia cards have broken sale records before, but the most expensive one was BGS-graded and sold for $144,300. Part of the value is due to the grading, which is difficult to acquire.
8. Kangaskhan Holo Family Event Trophy Card
True to its title, this Kangaskhan card features Kangaskhan with a little baby in his pouch and could only be won in a parent-child tournament held in 1998. So far, it’s speculated that only 11 of these cards exist, which makes it one of the rarest trophy cards in Pokemon TCG. Hence, its value will only continue to increase.
9. 2017 Ishihara GX Promo (Signed)
On the weirder side of things, this Pokemon card features the CEO and president of the Pokemon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara. The card was given to executives who attended the CEO’s birthday celebration, making it rare. Only a few people would part with this memorabilia, but it is estimated that 30 to 60 of them exist. However, a signed card was found and sold for $247,230 at auction. Signed cards typically fetch a higher price.
10. Trophy Pikachu Bronze 3rd Tournament
The first-ever Pokemon TCG Tournament was held in Japan in 1997, and the top three winners in each division were given a special Pikachu trophy card as a reward. The Pokemon Company has claimed that fewer than 100 cards exist, making them highly valuable. So far, only four cards have been graded, the most recent one selling for about $300,000.
11. 1998 Blastoise Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Holo
Only two of these cards exist, which drives up its price for Blastoise fans everywhere. It’s a commissioned card that was supposed to give stores an idea of what the final print of the Pokemon TCG cards would look like. It’s one of the earliest Pokemon cards to exist, and who wouldn’t want a piece of that?
12. 1999 Charizard Holo 1st Edition
Every Pokemon kid knows how valuable a Charizard is. This is a Pokemon that has been loved and sought after since the beginning of Pokemon TCG. First editions of this 1999 card can go for a ridiculously high amount. It’s worth even more if the card is “shadowless,” an earlier print with no shadow around the art’s border. The highest price paid for one is about $420,000.
13. Trophy Pikachu Silver 2nd Tournament
We’ve previously talked about the Trophy Pikachu Gold and Bronze cards, but this Silver one fetches a higher price. So far, there are 14 in existence, but only four are confirmed to exist, with only one minted by Gem Mint. That same card was sold in September 2023 for $444,000.
14. Topsun Charizard Blue Black
Many collectors believe this is one of the first Pokemon card sets ever to be released, and it was created by Topsun before Wizards of the West Coast took over production. The art on the card itself features Charizard’s anime version by Topsun. Back then, the card could only be found in one in 40 packs of gum. Its value comes not so much from its rarity but from its pristine condition. The most expensive one was minted by Gem Mint and sold for nearly $500,000.
15. 1998 Pikachu Illustrator Holo CoroCoro Comics Card
The Pikachu Illustrator Card is the crown jewel of Pokemon cards, which sold for over $5 million in 2022. This card was released in 1997 at an art competition by CoroCoro. So far, only about 20 of these cards are known to exist. It features the popular Pikachu holding a pen and drawing other Pokemon.
