Pokmon Ex Deoxys Gold Star Rayquaza #107
$60,065
This is the first of two Pokémon Charizard variations, originating from the 2005 Ex Deoxys Trading Card Game expansion.
This specific variant deviates from the highly collectable original cards released, with a more active fire-breathing dragon, supposedly shaded slightly darker than other variants.
These Gold Star cards are considered so powerful in the game that only one can be held in a deck during battles.
Pokemon First Edition Blastoise
Sold in November, 2020 for $45,100
One of the coolest-looking of all Pokémon with its twin water cannons that retract from the shell on its back, Blastoise received a massive boost in popularity after serving as the cover mascot of the Pokémon Blue video game.
1st Edition Blastoise cards feature a first edition stamp to the lower left of the holographic image and no shadowing effect behind its right and bottom borders.
Out of the 2,070 first edition Blatoise cards submitted to PSA as of this writing, 100 of them have been given the PSA 10 distinction or roughly 4.8% of them.
Can I Buy Pokemon Cards From Japan
Yes, you can, although you would make a killing if you did so at the opportune moment. So, when is the best time to buy Japanese Pokemon cards? When new cards are released in Japan, their value skyrockets and stay that way until they are released in English. During that time, unplayable Super Rare and Rare Rare are worth enough to increase when purchasing the Japanese Pokemon cards booster box.
After that time, the unplayable Japanese Pokemon cards’ value plunges, while the playable ones maintain their value when sold from Japan. However, when the card leaves Japan, its price plummets due to the diminished markets since its market comprises collectors.
Also Check: Fastest Way To Get Xp In Pokemon Go
First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard #4
A very valuable version of a classic fan-favourite
Sold for $369,000 in December 2020
Shiny Charizard has been one of the Pokémon card games most popular cards since it first released in 1999, so theres no surprise that 20-plus years later, it remains one of the most sought-after cards for collectors and fans alike.
While a number of first-edition cards from the Pokémon TCGs early days are worth some money – assuming theyre still in good nick – due to their limited availability and age, this specific version of the holographic Charizard absolutely stands out as one of the rarest and most valuable Pokémon cards ever released.
A PSA 10 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard just sold at auction with an ending bid of $183,812.00 via . Including the 20% buyer’s premium, the total transaction value exceeds $220k. As of now, this is the highest known sale of the card.
Pokmon Vs Card Series
Due to its lack of common circulation in the United States, and to the doubled price of these cards, it is very uncommon to find these cards. If you do end up finding any of these cards, they can fetch around $200 to $300 asking price.
While these cards are not worth much in the card collecting world, the rarity of these cards is not lost to many collectors. If you want something modern and rare, keep an eye out for these cards.
You May Like: How To Get Meltan In Pokemon Go
Th Anniversary 24k Gold Ginza Tanaka Japanese Pikachu Card
Sold in November, 2020 for $28,100
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the storied franchise, the Pokemon Company partnered with Japanese jeweler Ginza Tanaka to produce this stunning card made from 11g of 24k gold.
Technically not a playing card, the imagery features none other than one of the most lovable Pokémon of them all: Pikachu.
Available for order for just twenty days, the cards were housed in impressive acrylic stands and shipped in beautiful boxes.
Given that 11g of 24k gold is worth around $600 or so by today’s standards, there’s no risk of anyone buying one of these to try and turn around and melt it.
Pokemon World Championship Masters Key
- Release Date: 2010
- Grading: BGS 9
- Pokemon card value at auction: $26,900
In 2010, the best pokemon cards players around the world were flown into Waikoloa Village, Hawaii for the World Championships. Upon arrival, contestants were given a Master Keys Pokemon card.
Because the item was only printed for participants at the tournament, only 36 of these in total were ever created, making it technically one of the most rare Pokemon cards to ever exist in the hobbys nearly 25-year history.
Despite only being intended for those at the event, one of these made there way out to the public and was sold for an astonishing $26,900 in August 2020. A pretty sweet reward to receive 11 years later.
Read Also: Pokemon Go Eevee Evolutions Shiny
Pokemon Spanish First Edition Charizard
Sold in October, 2020 for $35,100
To help promote the Pokemon Trading Card Game throughout the world, Wizards of the Coast printed the base set in several different languages.
The Spanish version offered native Spanish speakers throughout Europe and Latin America a much more enjoyable way to play their favorite card game.
You can see the Spanish translation throughout this card, but the Spanish version does leave the name “Charizard” as-is.
Other versions, such as the French and German, presented the Charizard character with a unique name altogether.
To verify the card is indeed a First Edition, look to the lower-left of the character box and you will find the “Edicion 1” symbol.
Just seven examples of this card have achieved a PSA 10 grade, making it one of the toughest multi-language First Edition Charizards to find in that condition.
Tropical Mega Battle Cards
The tropical mega battle cards were given out to the winners of the tropical mega battles from 1999-2001, and only three sets of cards from each championship were made for the winners. They’re valued from anywhere around $5,000 to $7,500.
These cards are extremely rare and you should keep an eye out for one if it happens to grace your collection. If you do decide on selling this card, it will always be five o’clock somewhere in the world for you.
Recommended Reading: Pokemon Gotcha Not Catching
Holographic Shadowless Venusaur: $3260
Just like its Kanto starter counterpart Charizard, Venusaur’s Shadowless, holographic, first edition version is a coveted card among Pokemon fans. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of Charizard’s $500,000, but Venusaur always was slightly less popular compared to the other Kanto starters anyway.
RELATED: Pokemon: Every Kanto Starter Evolution, Ranked
Nonetheless, these cards were rare even in their original late-1990s heyday, so you can imagine how sought-after they are now. Buying one through Troll and Toad right now can cost you as little $390, but the compilation site Pokemon Prices has records of them selling up to $3260.
Pokemon First Edition Hitmonchan
Sold in November, 2020 for $23,100
Packing tremendous punching power, the fighting-type Hitmonchan is another collector favorite who can strike with extreme quickness and precision.
Ken Sugimori delivered an excellent design for this card as Hitmonchan’s boxing gloves, shoulder pads, and five protrusions on the top of its head create an aura of a Pokemon that you don’t want to face.
Hitmonchan cards were some of the most commonly used cards in competitive play, making them tough to find in top condition.
Also Check: Pokemon Sun And Moon Eevee
Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind Trainer Card
Sold in October, 2020 for $65,100
Just a bit ago, we saw how expensive the number two trainer card from the 1999 Pokemon Tropical Mega Battle could be even without a numerical PSA grade assigned to it.
And now we get a look at how expensive the trainer card given to all players who participated at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in 1999 can be if it’s graded to be in PSA 10 Gem Mint condition.
This card, featuring Psyduck and Jigglypuff laying sleepily in a hammock in a tropical setting, has become a hobby icon and one of the most sought-after trainer cards.
The “TRAINER” text across the top denotes the card type while the text below reads:
“Flip a coin. If heads, remove 2 damage counters from each active Pokemon . If tails, each active Pokemon is now asleep.”
Shiny Secret Rare Charizard V
There are tons of new cards available today, which attracts high price tags. This card is also new in the card game business, known for its shiny black scales.
It has risen so fast that its worth is around $500 and more, depending on the site you choose to patronize. Similarly, online sites like TCG Player have attached the same price tag, also $500.
Read Also: Pokemon Heart Gold Cheats Desmume
How Are Japanese Cards Priced
Even though cards from Japan cant be used in tournaments outside of the country, foreign collectors should know that theyre still used for tournament play inside of Japan. Thats why playable cards have much higher resale values. The problem for non-Japanese collectors bidding on auctions is that since they arent part of the competitive Japanese
Pokemon card player community, it can be difficult to know when youre looking at a deal or not.
However, there is an easy way to tell how much a Japanese standard format card should be worth. There are an endless number of Western websites that sell English language Pokemon cards and the prices on those sites can give you a general idea of how much the Japanese cards are worth if you go by this simple pricing rule:
English Pokemon EX Card Price x 5066% = Japanese Pokemon EX Card Price
English Trainer Card Price x 150200% = Japanese Trainer Card Price
The reason for the difference in prices is because the Japanese Pokemon community has relatively fewer collectors and more players, which leads to a higher demand for Trainer cards and playable Pokemon staple cards for deckbuilding, whereas the pull rates for EX cards are much better than in English booster backs.
Pokemon First Edition Venusaur
Sold in December, 2020 for $22,615
Venusaur, notorious for the large flower that protrudes from its back, is the final evolved form of one of the original starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur.
That flower serves more than just a decorative purpose, though, as Venusaur uses it to absorb energy from the sun’s rays.
Like Charizard and Blastoise, who derive extra notoriety for appearing on video game box art, Venusaur was the mascot of the Pokémon Green video game released for the Nintendo Game Boy in Japan in 1996.
As one of the most recognizable Pokémon, collectors are willing to pay hefty price tags for 1st edition examples of this card in high grade.
Also Check: How To Get Eevee In Pokemon Sun And Moon
Pokemon Japanese Champions League
Sold in April, 2021 for $30,000
Beginning in 2000, Champions League and Battle Roads tournaments offered contestants throughout Japan the opportunity to battle it out amongst the best of the best.
In 2000 and 2001, there were two Champions League tournaments, one in the Spring and another in the Summer.
From 2002 to 2006, however, there was a reduction to just one Champions League tournament per year.
And before the 2005 tournament held in Tokyo, no trainers received any kind of promotional card.
However, the top four ranking players in each age division of the 2005 tournament received this promotional stadium card, making it the first Champions League promo stadium card.
Important Questions To Ask Yourself To Determine How Much Your Pokemon Cards Are Worth
- How many cards do you have?
- How old are your cards?
- What set/s are they from?
- Do you have a completed set/s?
- Are any of your cards 1st edition?
- How many holographic cards do you have?
- What condition are your cards in?
- Are they all English or do you have cards from other languages?
- Could you add value by getting them graded?
- Do you have any products that are sealed, such as booster boxes or packs?
- Does their sentimental value outweigh any money you could get for them?
Now lets get into some more specifics
You May Like: Pokemon Sun Password Mystery Gift
How To Tell Card Condition For Japanese Cards
Japan, unlike Western countries, doesnt have a widely known ranking system for card condition, such as the PSA. That means Japanese card sellers wont probably provide information in a standardized way. As mentioned earlier, there are more players than collectors in Japan, so card condition is not as important as in other countries. With that being said, a card still loses value when damaged, so its better to be careful if the price seems too good to be true. In most cases, though, the seller will give a short description of the cards condition, which can quickly be found out by pasting the text into an online translator.
Topsun Charizard Blue Back No Number Error
Sold in January, 2021 for $493,230
As with the other Topsun cards mentioned earlier on this list, Top-Seika didn’t distribute them until 1997, even though their copyright date reads 1995.
And since they weren’t part of the official Pokemon Trading Card Game, they are considered more in the realm of novelty collectible cards.
Still, an early Pokemon card is an early Pokemon card…
And, whether you’re talking about the prism holos, green-backs, or blue-backs, collectors are willing to pay thousands of dollars for several of the Topsun cards when graded in PSA 10 condition.
But a price tag of thousands of dollars turned out to be quite an understatement in January 2021 when Goldin Auctions sold the most desirable of them all, the only “no number error” blue-back Charizard on record in a PSA 10 holder, for a whopping $493,230.
The blue-back checklist contains 150 numbered cards in total, but for some reason, about 50 of the characters were also printed with no number on them by mistake.
So, while the standard blue-back Charizard should contain a “006” on it in the upper-left of the front of the card, the “no number error” will be blank.
If you can find one and are lucky enough to have it graded PSA 10, you could be looking at life-changing money.
You May Like: Pokemon Black 2 Cheat Codes
Pokmon World Championships No 1 Trainer
Every copy of this rare and valuable promo card is one-of-a-kind
Sold for $31,200 in April 2021
The first of two rare and valuable Pokémon cards called No. 1 Trainer on this list, this particular card was awarded to winners of the regional Battle Road Spring tournaments held in Japan during early 2002.
The regional tournaments were held as qualifiers for the Pokémon World Championships, with the small number of No. 1 Trainer cards produced for the few winners making them some of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence.
Adding to the card’s rarity is the fact that each No. 1 Trainer card was customised with the name of the tournament winner printed onto the card, making each card one-of-a-kind. According to auction house Heritage Auctions, the personalised aspect of the cards also mean that they rarely appear at auction, making them an even rarer sight in the world of Pokémon cards.
The 2002 No. 1 Trainer card was illustrated by Ken Sugimori, best known as being one of the original artists and designers for Pokémon’s first generation of 151 Pokémon. The text on it reads: “The Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament Battle Road Spring 2002 champion is recognised here, and his honour is praised.” Sugimori’s No. 1 Trainer artwork – featuring fan-favourite Pokémon such as Pikachu, Chansey and Marrill – is exclusive to the card, making it especially unique.
Ex Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Halo Charizard #100
Many of the most valuable Pokémon cards are promos from specific tournaments or special events. This card was given to competitors from around the world at the invite-only Tropical Mega Battle in Hawaii . After some rule changes, in 2001 the annual event was renamed, Japanese World Championship. A mint condition card from that event sold for more than $60,000 in October 2020.
Read Also: Pokemon Gold Vs Silver Vs Crystal
Most Expensive Pokemon Cards In 2021
It should be noted that top lists are almost always up for debate. A cards value can be determined by the highest its ever sold at auction, or what it sells for on average.
A Pokemon cards value can also wildly fluctuate with the market and are largely dependent on the items grading and condition. Our list is based on what the collectible has sold for in the latest auctions, and its position will be updated if it sells for less or more.
Pokmon Super Secret Battle No 1 Trainer Promo Holographic Card
Some say this is one of the most sought-after Pokémon cards. It’s another promo card but this one was given to an estimated seven players in a countrywide tournament in Japan. The finals of the tournament were a secret . To participate, you had to win one of these cards in one of seven regional tournaments. Those with the cards were given the location of the tournament. PSA has certified only seven copies of this card to date, one of those, a MINT 10, sold in July 2020 for $90,000!
Read Also: In Pokemon What Is Water Weak Against
Pokemon Japanese Hr Contest Winner Full Art Charizard
Sold in June, 2021 for $20,100
Despite the global health situation in 2020, Pokemon tournaments still took place at home and in shops throughout Japan.
From July to September 2020, contestants in the Charizard VMAX HR competition could participate in 16-player tournaments for a chance at winning two unique Charizard cards.
Winners of the first rounds consisting of four players each won the Full Art Charizard V shown here.
Those four players would then advance to the championship round for a shot at winning the Full Art Charizard VMAX HR competition card as the top prize.
The extreme difficulty of receiving the BGS 10 Pristine grade gives this card a significant boost in value.