For serious TCG collectors, here are the most expensive Pokemon cards ever sold they could one day hope to add to their personal sets.
Those who collect Pokemon cards know that the name of the game is exclusivity. Older printed Charizards, for instance, are consistently rare while most newer Pikachus are a dime a dozen. Some businesses are even offering to use CT scanners to try and find the most valuable cards in a set.
However, despite any techniques people use to find them, some cards rise above the rest in terms of both rarity and price. Out of 200,000 distinct cards, several make history as the most expensive Pokemon cards of all time.
6. Neo Genesis 1st Edition Lugia – Holo #9

Price: $144,300
Date sold: May 2021
Neo Genesis introduced Johto Pokemon to the TGC, including what would later become an incredibly expensive Lugia. The new card itself features a 1st edition stamp and a holo background. While the exact reason why the Neo Genesis Lugia card has become one of the most expensive Pokemon cards of all time is unclear, part of it may be due to reports that the set had a lower print run than others. Plus, the printing errors that affected ink bleeding made many cards from Neo Genesis into especially prized collectors’ items.
Despite its 2021 sale for $144,300, the Holo Lugia #9 card has dropped down to a mere $48,000 at the latest sale. Time will tell if and how the price continues to fluctuate.
5. Base Set No Rarity Symbol Charizard #6 with Mitsuhiro Arita Signature

Price: $324,000
Date sold: April 2022
Although rarity symbols are important ways of determining the value of some Pokemon cards, the first print Base Set didn’t have them due to a manufacturing error. Currently, there are an estimated 661 No Rarity Japanese Base Set Charizard #6 cards that have been PSA graded, compared to over 10,000 with the rarity symbol.
The most expensive of the base set no rarity Charizards had its case signed by Mitsuhiro Arita and is one of six known gem-mint-rated cards. Mitsuhiro Arita is one of the original Pokemon card designers and illustrated 690 different cards. It makes sense that his signature would be the one to boost a No Rarity Charizard from an estimated price of $60,000 to over $320,000 upon resale.
4. Blastoise Wizards of the Coast Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star – Holo

Price: $360,000
Date sold: January 2021
The 1998 Blastoise made by Wizards of the Coast is one of the rarest Pokemon cards in history; only two were ever printed. One sold in 2021 and was graded on the CGC scale at an 8.5. As of now, no one has ever seen the second copy.
Another interesting fact about the Galaxy Star Presentation Blastoise is that it has no back. Additionally, there’s another version with a Magic: The Gathering back to show where the Pokemon logo would go.
WotC originally designed the holographic card as an example of what English versions of Japanese Pokemon cards would look like in the final print run. Eagle-eyed fans will notice a few differences between the Presentation Blastoise and the design that would make it to the English-speaking market. The corners on the example card are sharp, for instance, and Pokemon Power was called Special Power.
3. Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Charizard – Holo #4

Price: $420,000
Date sold: March 2022
Charizards are some of the most expensive Pokemon cards around, so it makes sense that the first English Base Set Charizard would be near the top of the overall list. Base Set Pokemon cards had shadowless art borders; designers added shadows later to provide contrast and depth in addition to preventing counterfeiting. Every English set released after the first two would have these now characteristic shadows.
There are currently around 1,400 first-edition shadowless Charizards that have been graded at an eight or higher, with 54 of those being graded at GEM-MT 10. The price of the card peaked at $420,000 during the big Pokemon boom in 2022. However, the most recent shadowless Charizard only sold for a little under $200,000 in June of 2024. Clearly a much more affordable price for the masses.
2. Trophy No. 2 Pikachu, Silver 2nd Place, Second Tournament

Price: $440,000
Date sold: September 2023
The Trophy No. 2 Pikachu is one of the rarest cards in Pokemon history. Originally released at the 1997-1998 Japanese Lizardon Mega Battle Pokémon tournaments, organizers gave out one to each second-place player. The relatively small competitive field at the time means that only 14 cards were given out in total. Only four of those No. 2 Pikachus are graded, and only one ranks with a PSA 10. There are two other versions of the card, and both of them fetch similarly high prices.
Early tournament exclusives and other promo cards dominate longer lists of the most expensive Pokemon cards because of their rarity. The Pokemon Company didn’t print nearly as many cards because the audience base was much smaller than it is today. Thus, the number of tournament-issued cards is low and makes them very valuable to collectors.
1. Illustrator Pikachu

Price: $5.25 million
Date sold: March 2022
Making a massive jump to be the most expensive Pokemon card ever sold, the Illustrator Pikachu card was first released in 1998. The Japanese manga company CoroCoro comics released 39 of the cards to the winners of their illustration company. Of these 39, only 12 are known to have a PSA grade of eight or above. Only one has achieved a perfect ten.
Infamous YouTuber Logan Paul bought the Illustrator Pikachu card from United Arab Emirates-based collector Marwan Dubsy in March 2022. Rather than pay the full price outright, Paul paid four million in cash and the rest using a PSA Grade 9 Illustrator Pikachu. He additionally earned a Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokemon trading card sold at a private auction and wore it around his neck for a WWE match.
Paul’s NFT site Liquid Marketplace currently lists the market price of the card at $800,000. Fans are able to buy “shares” of the card but should be aware that the company is currently under investigation for fraud. Still, for those who just want to say they own the most expensive Pokemon card of all time, this may be the only way to do it. Unless they can convince Paul to sell it for another five million dollars, of course.