In the late 90s and early 2000s, Pokémon cards could be found in schoolyards all over the world. Some twenty years later, the Pokémon trend came back, pushed by the media, collectors and various YouTubers. Over the last decade, the value of Pokémon cards has skyrocketed.
Some cards that originally cost only a few euros are now worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros. Discover in this TOP 20 which cards are currently the most expensive in the world.
The price of a Pokémon card can fluctuate enormously with the market and depends on the grade and condition of the item. It can be determined by the highest value ever reached at auction or by its average price. For this list, we use the price the item sold for in the most recent auctions.
Number 20: Charizard Crystal Holo Skyridge
Estimated value: €22,000
We start this top with one of the Pokémon most loved by fans of the franchise. Few Pokémon have been as popular as Charizard. It is one of the most recognizable Pokémon in the series and has always been voted among the most popular of all time.
Prices for cards of the first-generation Fire starter keep rising in recent years, regularly breaking new auction records. This Crystal Charizard from the 2003 Skyridge expansion is no exception, reaching up to €22,000 for a card in mint condition.
If you also want to complete your Charizard collection, take a look at this Wizards Dark card which is also a magnificent card!
Number 19: Torchic Gold Star Holo Team Rocket Returns
Estimated value: €22,300
The cards of theEX Team Rocket Returns 2004 is one of the most desirable EX expansions ever produced. It featured many holographic cards.
It was also the first expansion to offer Gold Star cards, aimed at reviving collectors' interest. They stand out with a golden star next to the card name and the rarity symbols. The most valuable is by far the Torchic Gold Star Holographic card, already hard to get at release and whose demand keeps growing.
Number 18: Charizard Gold Star Holo Dragon Frontiers
Estimated value: €22,400
Let's continue with Gold Stars and this superb Holographic Charizard from the 2004 Dragon Frontiers expansion. A sublime illustration showing the Pokémon in its Shiny form made this card popular with fans.
If you are specifically looking for Shiny Charizard cards, the Shiny Charizard VMAX card released in 2020 is for you!
Number 17: Master's Key Pokémon World Championships 2010
Estimated value: €23,000
In 2010, World Championships participants were given the Master's Key card, making it one of the most recent limited distributions.
Only 36 copies are said to exist and their owners rarely part with them, making it an almost impossible card to get. One of them was nevertheless sold in August 2020 for the equivalent of €23,600.
Number 16: Chansey First Edition Holo & Shadowless 1999
Estimated value: €32,000
In November 2020, a first edition shadowless copy sold at auction for the equivalent of €32,400. But why "shadowless"? The value of these cards, without shadows, comes from a printing error: the shadows are missing from the card's background.
In 1999, the company Wizards of the Coast was responsible for translating and distributing Pokémon cards. It started selling this first version, then finally decided the cards would look better with a shadow in the background. Shadowless cards were therefore the first version of the Base Set. Their history and limited numbers make them cards loved by collectors, and Chansey is no exception.
More affordable, you can easily get the Wizards Chansey card from the unlimited edition.
Number 15: Rayquaza Gold Star Holo 2005 EX Deoxys
Estimated value: €39,000
In 2005, The Pokémon Company released the EX Deoxys expansion introducing the Dragon type, which includes the Rayquaza Gold Star card.
In December 2020, a mint copy sold at auction for the equivalent of €39,000. Introduced in the third generation and on the cover of Pokémon Emerald, Rayquaza is one of the most charismatic and popular Legendary Pokémon of the franchise. In 2021 it was even the flagship Pokémon of the Blue Sky Stream set.
If you are also looking for this Pokémon, you can get the Rayquaza V S7R Secret Rare card.
Number 14: Blastoise First Edition Holo and Shadowless 1999
Estimated value: €40,000
It's no secret that cards from the first edition are the most sought after, just like Charizard, which remains the fans' favorite.
The first-generation Water starter is not far behind, though. The first edition Blastoise card has seen its value rise considerably in recent years. Why? Surely a touch of nostalgia. An iconic Pokémon and a card that reminds collectors of their first games in the schoolyard. The holographic shadowless version is the most sought after given its rarity.
For Pokémon's 25th anniversary, you can get a reprint of this card in the 25th Anniversary promo boosters.
Number 13: Ishihara GX
Estimated value: €44,000
For the 60th birthday of Tsunekazu Ishihara, president of The Pokémon Company, he gave his employees and a few lucky guests the Ishihara GX card. Between 30 and 60 cards are said to have been distributed, but since the employees were told not to sell it, the card is almost impossible to get.
In April 2020, however, a mint Ishihara GX card sold for the equivalent of €44,040. So it is not impossible to see this collectible reappear on the market in the coming years.
Number 12: Tamamushi University Magikarp Trophy 1998
Estimated value: €44,200
This card was the prize given to the winners of the Tamamushi University Hyper Test, organized by Japanese publisher Shogakukan in 1998. It was a series of tests offered to children on their knowledge of Pokémon cards.
1,000 winners received the University Magikarp card. Despite the large number of cards distributed at the time, few seem to have survived the years in their original condition. Our dear Magikarp can therefore reach a high price, in flawless condition of course.
If you also want a card of this Pokémon without emptying your bank account, you can get the card of the shiny Magikarp released for Pokémon's 25th anniversary.
Number 11: 1999 Tropical Mega Battle Trainer No. 2
Estimated value: €44,300
Trainer No. 2 was one of eight limited edition cards given to participants of the Tropical Mega Battle, an annual event held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu between 1999 and 2001. Only 5 copies of the card are registered with PSA, and only two of them are in mint condition, making it one of the rarest cards ever printed.
Although Exeggutor cards are not common, it made a comeback in 2019 in the Sun & Moon Dream League set, where you can find a card featuring it.
Number 10: Summer Battle Road Mew Victory Orb Trophy Holo
Estimated value: €52,700
The Mew Victory Orb trophy was awarded at the 2005 Summer Battle Road competition. Covering nine regions across Japan, only the top three trainers in each division received this card featuring Mew illustrated by Takumi Akabane.
An estimated 162 Victory Orb cards exist. Added to this card's rarity is the fact that Mew is a Pokémon highly prized by collectors. No wonder one of these collectibles appeared at a PWCC auction in December 2020 and sold for the equivalent of €52,700.
If you love this Pokémon too, you can get the Mew card released for the franchise's 25th anniversary.
Number 9: Tropical Wind Tropical Mega Battle
Estimated value: €57,400
Tropical Wind is another of the eight cards distributed at the Tropical Mega Battle event, the Pokémon Tropical Mega Battle held from 1999 to 2001 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The tournament, which brought together the best players from several countries, was an invitation-only event that rewarded participants with a limited set of eight cards, including Tropical Wind.
It shows a Psyduck resting on a beautiful tropical beach and playing the ukulele. Tropical Wind cards in mint condition are particularly rare. One of them was nevertheless sold in mint condition on eBay in October 2020 for the equivalent of €57,400.
If you are also looking for an unusual card to add to your collection, we recommend the 2018 Psyduck Munch Promo card.
Number 8: Umbreon Gold Star Holo
Estimated value: €61,700
Eevee and its evolutions are among the most popular characters of the Pokémon franchise. So it's no surprise that Gold Star Umbreon has become one of the most coveted Pokémon cards. Released in Japan in 2005, it features truly stunning artwork.
To get a copy of the card, players had to be members of the Pokémon Player's Club, then accumulate 70,000 EXP points before the end of the fourth season. Since players only received 100 points for attending official events, very few were ever distributed. This led to a copy selling for the equivalent of €61,700 in June 2021.
For Pokémon's 25th anniversary, a reprint of this card can be found in the 25th Anniversary promo boosters.
Number 7: Super Secret Battle Trainer No. 1
Estimated value: €79,400
This card was given to one of the winners of the Pokémon Super Secret Battle tournament series in 1999. The location of this tournament was kept secret by the Pokémon company, hence the card's name. Showing the silhouette of Mewtwo with a holographic pattern, this card is particularly sought after by collectors of this Pokémon.
If you are a fan of this Pokémon too, why not complete your collection with the Japanese Mewtwo CP6 card.
Number 6: 2006 World Championships Trainer No. 2
Estimated value: €97,100
No. 2 Trainer cards have always been highly sought after by collectors, and that is once again the case with the 2006 World Championships variant. The card was originally given to participants of the 2006 World Championships and let players return to the following year's event.
Winning it was not easy, though: players had to reach the finals of their division. A copy graded PSA 9 was sold by PWCC for roughly the equivalent of €97,100 in February 2021.
Number 5: Lugia Neo Genesis First Edition Holo
Estimated value: €113,800
There has recently been a huge price increase in Lugia card sales. More precisely, Lugia's first appearance in the Pokémon Trading Card Game: the first edition holographic Lugia from Neo Genesis, released in 2000. Some collectors specifically look for the swirl in theholo, which is completely random among Pokémon cards. It was a €1,000 card in mid-2019, and now a copy sold at auction in November 2020 for the equivalent of €113,800.
Lugia is more and more popular and in 2018 became the flagship Pokémon of the Sun & Moon Lost Thunderset. You can also complete your collection with the Lugia card released for the franchise's 25th anniversary.
Number 4: Kangaskhan Trophy
Estimated value: €132,300
This card was the reward of a Japanese Pokémon tournament. What made this tournament special was that a child and one of their parents competed together to win, with Kangaskhan and its baby symbolizing the family spirit of the tournament.
While it is fairly easy to get other Kangaskhan cards, such as this Wizards Jungle card, the Kangaskhan Trophy is another story. Only 11 copies of this card are said to exist, which attracts collectors even more.
Number 3: Blastoise Galaxy Star Holo – Wizards of the Coast print test
Estimated value: €317,700
These Blastoise cards were printed as a print test by Cartamundi for Wizards of the Coast in 1998. Wizards wanted to show these prints to Nintendo before launching the English version of the card game. Note that changes were needed to arrive at the version we know today. Extremely rare, only one was put up for auction, in January 2021, for the equivalent of €317,700.
If you are a fan of this Pokémon too, you can get the Wizards Dark Blastoise card to complete your collection.
Number 2: Charizard First Edition Holo & Shadowless 1999
Estimated value: €324,000
As almost every child who grew up in the 90s can confirm, Charizard has always been the must-have card among first editions. Although it is not the rarest card in this top, first editions of this card can sell for absurd amounts — provided they are among the Shadowless cards mentioned earlier.
At a PWCC auction, a bidder reportedly paid the equivalent of €324,000 for the famous Charizard, making it the second most expensive Pokémon card ever sold.
For Pokémon's 25th anniversary, a reprint of this card can be found in the 25th Anniversary promo boosters.
Number 1: Pikachu Illustrator CoroCoro
Estimated value: €330,000
In 1997, the Monthly CoroCoro Comic magazine organized a drawing contest in Japan. The winners received this adorable card featuring the game's mascot, illustrated by Atsuko Nishida, the creator of Pikachu. According to sources, only about twenty exist, making the Pikachu Illustrator recognized as the most expensive and hardest card to get in the franchise.
Since the adorable electric mouse is the flagship Pokémon of the license, many promotional cards have been created over the last 25 years.
Take for example the Pikachu Munch Promo card, released in 2018 for an exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, the result of a collaboration between Pokémon and the artist Edvard Munch.
What can we conclude from this top? First of all, the order of the ranking is almost always up for debate, as prices are constantly changing. The many lockdowns and social media have revived a wave of nostalgia. So this craze around Pokémon cards is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
New sets are regularly released by the franchise, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. If you also want to start collecting Pokémon cards, feel free to look into the different collections, old or more recent. It's always interesting to discover cards you didn't know existed. Also keep an eye out for new releases! Who knows, they may become very valuable in the years to come.