Pokémon is one of the most iconic franchises that boasts many successful multimedia projects, including its lucrative trading card game. It's a property that continues to expand relentlessly, introducing new creatures and regions as often as Marvel announces new projects. As usual, every generation introduces a fresh batch of collectible trading cards.

While the Pokémon Trading Card Game is alive and thriving, there's a unique appeal to the thrill of gathering the original, and often rare, Pokémon cards during its heyday in the late '90s and early 2000s. That was when most of the valuable, limited-edition collectibles were produced. Pokémon card values can vary wildly, especially depending on grading, from the Holo Rayquaza from the mid-'00s to the revered Raichu re-release card.

Updated on April 8, 2024, by Guillermo Kurten: The Pokémon Trading Card Game continues to be a pillar of the franchise's success, and remains popular as a collector's hobby. That is reflected in the astonishingly high prices many of these classic cards run for second-hand and after being professionally graded. This list is being updated to provide estimated values for these cards via PriceCharting and cite the expansion sets they debuted in.

20 Holo Rayquaza Gold Star Is Among The Most Valuable Variants Of The Hoenn Legend

Of all the Rayquaza variants, the Gold Star EX Deoxys version is easily among the rarest and most valuable. The number of PSA 10 versions of this card in circulation is immediately comparable to the near-mythical Base Set Shadowless Charizard. Though it doesn't quite reach the same crazy numbers that one does, it's still an expensive card to pick up.

Ungraded, this Rayquaza card sells for around $1,150. However, higher grading skyrockets the value of this card. Having sold in 2021 in the $40,000 range, it's since crept up to an even higher price point over $44,000+ at PSA 10 grading.

19 Gold Star Espeon Was Another Rare Prize Giveaway

As part of the special POP Series 5 card set, this shiny Espeon was obtainable via the Daisuki Pokémon Fan Club from 2005 to 2006. Players couldn't get their hands on this card without accumulating 50,000 points by plowing through various club activities.

The amount of points needed within the short time frame provided meant that not many people secured the Japanese print of the card. English translations of this particular Gold Star Espeon can be purchased online for a high fee (Price Charting currently values it at $1,727.75 Ungraded and up to $8,566 at PSA 10). However, collectors would be hard-pressed to find a seller willing to part with their Japanese version valued well into the six-figure range.

18 Shogakukan's Celadon University Magikarp Was From A Unique Promotion

One of the more interesting entries on the list, this version of Pokemon's most spectacularly useless card — sometimes — was awarded to fans who completed a specific set of tasks. A thousand copies of the card were produced and distributed to players who successfully mailed in the answers to the Entrance Test, Professor Test, Super Professor Test, and Hyper Professor Test — all appeared in various magazines across Japan.

Only 91 of those have been graded by the PSA, making it a notably difficult card to narrow down a value for. However, PriceCharting notes a nearly $15,000 value for Grade 9 and just over $15,500 for Grade 9.5.

17 Spiky-Eared Pichu Is Difficult To Find A Precise Value For

As one of the more recent cards on the list, the Spiky-eared Pichu's unique story and card art make it valuable and rare. In 2009, a drawing competition across more than a dozen Japanese magazines sought to challenge children by asking them to draw a version of either Pichu or Arceus.

The competition winner in each age bracket would see their illustration turned into a new Pokémon card. In the case of this card, an unnamed 7 or 8-year-old produced the drawing and estimates state around a dozen copies of the finished product were produced. A PSA 10 version of the card sold in June 2023 for over $25,000, the first to sell on the open market for a long time. For this reason, it's difficult to get a more precise value on PriceCharting.

16 Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer (1999) Is One Of The Rarest Trainer Cards

Quite possibly the rarest Pokémon card, the No. 1 Trainer card was given out to the winners of one of seven regional tournaments, meaning only seven copies of the card were produced. In an unusual twist of fate, six of these have since been certified as PSA 10 or Gem Mint with one of those selling for $60,000 in 2020.

With the rise in Pokémon card prices over the last few years, it's a safe bet that the price will have increased significantly since then. Two more editions of the card are handily named No. 2 Trainer and No. 3 Trainer, which are nearly as rare and valuable.

15 Black Star Ishihara GX Promo Card Signed Is Technically The Rarest "Pokémon" Card

One of the more bizarre cards on the list, the Ishihara GX Promo card doesn't feature a Pokémon, but rather the company's President and Founder in a highly stylized illustration.

The card's "normal" version was given to staff for Ishihara's 60th birthday. However, there is one copy that retains a far higher value thanks to the fact that it was signed by the man himself. It sold in 2021 for very close to a staggering $250,000 and, as far as the world of buying and selling works, it remains the only one in existence and is technically the rarest Pokémon card of them all. The unsigned versions go up to $100,000 at Grade 9.5.

14 1998 Gold Trophy Pikachu Is Worth A Small Fortune But Less Than Its Silver Counterpart

The first prize in the 1998 Lizardon tournament is one of the rarer and more desirable prize cards out there. The card was given to only the three best competitors alongside a trophy also depicted on the card. So few of these have been graded by the PSA that even the lower-rated ones fetch an enormous price. In 2021, a 7-rated card was sold for an unbelievable $128,900.

PriceCharting only has minimal tracking of this card's sales, valuing a Grade 8 at $15,100. But when considering further inflation in the prices and the increased value of a PSA 10 card, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think this card could be worth two or three times that.

13 1998 Silver Trophy Pikachu Was A Rarity Of Its Time

Given out at the same Lizardon tournament to entrants who came second in their categories, it's the rarest of the cards from its era. So far, an astoundingly few three copies have appeared in the wild and are valued as highly as that scarcity might suggest.

A copy of the card from the year before sold in 2020 for a little more than $84,000. Additionally, there is only one known PSA 10 copy with a higher value. That would come to pass in September 2023, when a PSA 10-graded card sold for an astronomical $444,000, as cited by TheGamer.

12 1st Edition Holo Lugia #9 (2000) Is A Landmark Of The TCG's Second Set

The second generation of Pokémon remains one of the series's most iconic sets, and Lugia sits at the forefront of that. A series of varied errors in the initial prints of the Neo Genesis set means that grading companies have a uniquely difficult job when sending the card in.

Very few PSA/BGS 10 versions of the card without error have ever been seen. As a result, the price for a copy is significant, with a 2021 sale on the PWCC marketplace finally settling on a price of $144,300. Meanwhile, PriceCharting currently lists the card's value as little as $393.84 when sold Ungraded and as high as $50,000.01 with a PSA 10 grading.

11 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Chansey

As with many of the most valuable Pokémon cards, this card came as part of a limited run designed to be awarded to competition winners. In this case, contests were run to promote the release of Pokémon Snap, and one of these was organized by the television show 64 Mario Stadium.

Each winner received fifteen copies of the photo they took in the game as a legitimate Pokémon card, and one competitor's Chancey photo has gone on to become the most valuable. With so few in existence, one sold for $63,000 at the end of 2021 with a grade of 8.5, leaving the door open for an even higher sale in the future.

10 First Edition Shadowless Holographic Blastoise Is A Classic From The TCG's Debut

Blastoise has always been a fan favorite from the first generation, so it's no surprise that any early, rare prints of this Pokémon are given massive price tags. Shadowless cards are similar to their regular First Edition counterparts minus the inclusion of the "1st Edition" logo.

Their name stems from the lack of drop shadows for the illustration window and they are more valuable than the prints that followed. Blastoise was incredibly rare in 1999, which means it's considered a novelty today. It would be difficult for the untrained eye to differentiate the many versions of these initial Blastoise prints. Price Charting currently values Ungraded versions as high as $544.29 with PSA 10 cards going upwards of $22,206.65.

9 Tropical Wind's (1999) Japanese Prints Are Elusive

Collectors can find multiple forms of the Tropical Wind card online since English versions were awarded at the 2004 World Mega Battle Tournament. These aren't expensive and can be purchased for just a few dollars. As usual, the older and more exclusive Japanese prints are worth a fortune.

The original Tropical Winds were granted to winners of the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle Tournament. A gem mint version of this card sold for a staggering $65,100 towards the end of 2020 and its value is now estimated to be more than double that. However, Tropical Winds that have been visibly worn or used can be found for slightly less.

8 Prototype Blastoise Was An Unreleased Card

Although this card was never released in a traditional sense, the recently discovered Prototype Blastoise comes with a spectacularly hefty price tag. This version of Blastoise comes with some notable differences that didn't make it into the full release of the TCG including a particularly jazzy font and some slight differences in coloration.

Made as a test case by the publisher at the time in Wizards of the Coast, only four copies exist and the only one to be sold for a stunning $360,000. With its extreme rarity and status as an unreleased relic of Wizards' past with the franchise, this card will be tough to find a consistent value.

7 Master Key Prize Card Was A More Recent Tournament Prize

As the name implies, the Master Key prize cards were just that: prizes awarded to players during a 2010 tournament in Japan, making it one of the more recent limited distributions. A maximum of 36 copies are thought to exist and the gold foil stamp at the very bottom of the card translates to, "Pokémon World Championship 2010 Japan National Tournament Prize Card".

Though, it's borderline impossible for the average player to obtain a Master Key. Like most rare cards, their owners seldom choose to get rid of them. A seller on eBay put a price tag of $50,000 on their copy before a PSA 9.5 copy of the card would sell for $66,000 in May 2023, as cited by Dice Breaker.

6 Computer Error - Kamex Mega Battle Card Tournament Prints Are Highly Sought-After

Computer Error was initially distributed as an insert with the January 1998 issue of the CoroCoro comic. Afterward, it was reprinted and awarded to participants at the Kamex Mega Battle tournaments that ran from July to August of the same year. English versions of the card were made accessible later on, so this isn't the most exclusive Pokémon card ever made.

However, the real value lies within the Kamex Mega Battle copies. While Computer Error cards can be easily found online for as little as $1, authentic tournament prints are almost impossible. A PSA 10 copy of the card sold on eBay for $58,305.02 in 2021 and a similar copy would now be worth around $72,000.

5 Articuno - Tropical Mega Battle Card Was A Prize From A Hawaiian-Themed Tournament

While all sorts of Articuno cards can be found across the board, this particular one was awarded as a prize during the 1999 Mega Battle Tournament. Like several other tournament cards, standard versions are readily accessible for purchase, but nothing quite compares to the rarity of the original copies.

Though these cards are seldom put up for sale, an eBay listing had the card valued at $6,749.99 at a PSA grading of 2. That should offer an idea of what the card might go far with higher grades. Collectors would pay a high fee for this card, but at least it can be acquired. Some other rarer cards will only be sold during what almost feels like a special occasion — if at all.

4 Kangaskhan - Parent/Child Promo Card Was A Rare Prize For Family Contestants

Released as an exclusive promotional card in Japan, this copy of the fearsome Kangaskhan was awarded to parent and children teams who reached a certain number of wins at 1998's Parent/Child Mega Battle Tournament. Everything about this card is alluring for collectors, including the symbol on the back.

This is one of the few promotional releases to boast the original "Pocket Monsters Trading Card Game" logo. This symbol is synonymous with only the rarest of Pokémon cards. The few copies printed were distributed at the tournament and a PSA 10 copy of the card sold for a little over $150,000 on eBay.

3 Holographic Shadowless First Edition Charizard Is An All-Time Pokémmon TCG Classic

Charizard is one of the most favored Pokémon of all time. Naturally, it's no surprise that the Holographic Shadowless First Edition Charizard Pokémon card would impose a greater price tag than the Blastoise. A PSA 10 version of the card sold for an eye-watering $420,000 to a private collector.

Although the price can fluctuate based on its condition, there are only around 120 PSA 10 copies of the card known to be in existence. Equally, most collectors cling to their Charizards, so even one of these prints in poor condition could still sell in the five-digit range. Price Charting currently values even Ungraded cards at around $1,313, with PSA 10 cards selling for over $332,000.

2 Pre-Release Raichu Is An Alleged Card Wrapped In Mystery

With an estimated 8 to 10 copies in existence, Pre-Release Raichu was supposedly never meant to be discovered. Needless to say, the name stems from the "Prerelease" stamp found at the bottom right corner near Raichu's foot. Wizards of the Coast, the original distributor of Pokémon cards, denied the existence of this card until a staff member unveiled an image of it in 2006.

The validity of this claim is shrouded in ambiguity and some fans question the legitimacy of these error prints. On the other hand, some consider it the "Holy Grail" of collectible cards. It's impossible to estimate the value of a card with such obscure origins, but should the day come when a seller auctions a genuine print, it might be the most expensive card in existence.

1 Pikachu Illustrator Is A Pokémon TCG Treasure

Pikachu Illustrator, one of the most mystical trading cards in Pokémon history, was distributed to winners of an illustration contest in 1998. No one knows exactly how many of these cards were made, but it's estimated to be somewhere between 20 to 40 copies. Heritage Auctions sold one in 2016 for almost $55,000, but there was a big jump in price not long afterwards.

Logan Paul traded his PSA 9 version of the card plus $4,000,000 for a PSA 10 copy, which is also the only known card of this quality. This would bring the card's price up to an astounding $5,275,000 when considering the value of the PSA 9 version. As currently the most expensive Pokémon card ever, many knock-offs and fan-made versions can be found for as little as $15, but the genuine print will go down in history as a rare — and unbelievably expensive — gem.