Most Valued Pokemon Cards

Hisuian Sneasler V $3573

As this is a set based on Legends: Arceus, of course we were going to see the debut of a number of new Hisuian Pokemon. The first on this list is Hisuian Sneasler, a new evolution of Sneasel that is used in Legends to help traverse the many rocket cliff faces dotted throughout the region.

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The alternate art for Sneasler is beautiful, showing a vista of Hisui as Sneasler claws its way up to a nest of playing Hisuian Sneasels. The card itself is pretty great too, as it encourages you to stack your opponent up with status effects, like the poison it gives with Poison Claws, before dropping a Dire Claw to deal big damage.

Pokmon Japanese Promo Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind

An ultra-rare promo card – one of only a dozen ever made

Sold for $65,100 in October 2020

Only 12 Tropical Wind cards were produced as promo cards for the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle, a precursor to the Pokémon World Championships, making it one of the most valuable Pokémon sets around.

The Tropical Mega Battle saw 50 players from around the globe take part in a tournament for the trading card game in Honolulu, Hawaii. The only way to participate was to win a battle in your local region and earn an invite, making it an exclusive event for the best Pokémon trainers in the world – and the cards offered as prizes some of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence.

This particular Tropical Mega Battle promo card, the 1999 Japanese-language copy of Tropical Wind, has sold at auction for as much as $65,100 in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition, with the most recent record-breaking sale taking place in October 2020. PSA estimates its value to be as high as $148,482, making the ultra-rare card a contender for one of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever made.

Expedition For Position Only Charizard

This cards rarity can be attributed to its inclusion in tester packs that were used internally by the company before the set was officially released.

This can be seen in the Charizard artwork, which is obscured by the white text For Position Only which was used to ensure the quality of the test versions would never be mistaken for the final retail version.

Ironically, despite the companys worries about the quality of the test cards, they are now more valuable than the official release!

This is in large part due to the cards phenomenally low print run and the company intentionally destroying test versions during the cards official production.

Although its very unlikely that you will come across this version of the card, even normal versions of this card have sold for over $900!

A near-mint condition card, like this PSA graded 9.5 card, recently sold at auction for $11,000. Check out the video below to get more information about this card.

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Recently Updated Pokemon Card Values

The following is a list of all Pokémon cards that have recently had their price values updated. Clicking on a specific Pokémon card image will take you to that card’s listing. Selecting the card’s name will bring you to the individual Pokemon listing pages which are further broken down by TCG set.

Recently Sold For $350100

Base Set Charizard since release has become potentially the most iconic and influential Pokémon card of all time. This brings plenty of nostalgia and satisfaction to collectors who aim to get their hands on a copy.

Charizard completes the ‘big three’ of Base Set, alongside Venusaur and Blastoise, as the hole rare cards of each starter Pokémon’s final evolution. There are 121 PSA 10’s known in existence, with thousands of collectors and Pokémon enthusiasts willing to pay top price to add this special card to their collections. Some individuals are even purchasing Charizard as an investment, as the value is guaranteed to only increase going forward.

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The Most Valuable First Edition Pokmon Cards Of All

Its amazing to think that a set that is barely 20 years old will sell for millions if youre looking at a complete collection of pristine graded cards.

The original 1999 release is definitely the pinnacle for now, and they look unlikely to be beaten anytime soon.

There are a couple of decent options from 2000 onwards, but they just cant compete with the popularity of the original 151.

The Charizard was always the chase card, but its still insane to think that it could be bought for less than $10,000 back in 2016. What will the value be in 2026?

Pokmon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Machamp #8

Heading back to before the turn of the millennium, the 1999 set contains yet another expensive card featuring one of the original 151 Pokémon.

The fighting-type Machamp is the third and final evolution, starting with Machop and Machoke.

As for Machamp, hes flexing two of his four arms in the image, surrounded by a holo swirl of energy.

There are just a handful of pristine shadowless first edition versions, which makes sense as it wasnt particularly sought after in the first place.

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First Edition Holographic Nidoking

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $1,500

Nidoking is a dual-type poison and ground Pokémon that is the final evolved form of Nidoran.

With its sharp teeth, pointy ears, plated underside, claws and venomous horn that protrudes from its forehead, Nidoking is obviously a very intimidating reptilian creature.

However, its powerful tail is the primary weapon of choice to smash its enemies or create the spacing Nidoking needs to execute one of its devastating charges.

High grade specimens of this card can sell for around $1,500 or more.

St Edition Borderless Base Set Charizard Remains One Of The Most Expensive Pokemon Cards

The most iconic Pokemon card of all time is the base set Charizard, and it has a price tag that speaks to that. Gem mint-rated 1st Edition base set Charizards without a border have auctioned for over $300,000.

Though Logan Paul likes to talk up his supposed $1 million Charizard card, actual sales havent reflected that claim. A gem mint Charizard auctions for about one third of that price, which is still a lot of money. Other similar cards have sold for under $250,000 in 2022.

Though this eye-popping price tag might have some Pokemon fans rummaging through their closets to check their collection, very few will have a card that can get anything close to that. The card needs to be a 1st Edition borderless base set version of the card. Regular prints and the second release of the base set wont cut it.

From there, the card needs to be rated by either PSA or Beckett at a 10 gem mint price. Anything below that, even a 9.5, will sell for between $10,000 and $15,000.

And of course, getting a gem mint card is largely out of the players control. Even if they pull the card right out of the pack and stick it in a hard case, how the card is cut in the factory and imperfections from packaging or transportation can see a fresh card rated as low as 6.

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Pokemon Japanese Tropical Mega Battle Number 2 Trainer

Sold in October, 2020 for $50,300

Held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village from 1999 to 2001, the Pokemon Tropical Mega Battle gave the best players from the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe the chance to test their skills against each other.

To be invited, players had to first win a local tournament in their respective regions.

During the final match of the Tropical Mega Battle, each player received the same 90 cards that they would use to make their own 40-card deck to battle for the championship.

If a player were fortunate enough to make it far enough through the competition to finish in second place overall, he or she would receive this number two trainer card.

Sticking with the tropical theme for the cover art, an image of Exeggutor, a dual-type grass/psychic Pokemon that resembles a palm tree, sits in the middle of the card with text below it that reads:

“The Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament’s runner-up winner is recognized here, and this honor is praised.”

Blastoise 1st Edition Shadowless Base Set $45100

Blastoise is not only one of the most popular characters in the Game Freak RPG, but the Water-type starter has also become one of the most costly Pokemon cards available.

Those who grew up with the 1999 Base Set quickly associated the turtle to the highly sought-after Charizard, so its no surprise that many people are eager to part with their cash for the iconicmon decades later.

While the 1999 1st Edition Shadowless Pokemon card has always been valuable, the beloved item has recently seen a tremendous increase in value. The rare Base Set Blastoise sold for $45,100 at a PWCC auction in November 2020.

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First Edition Holographic Machamp

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $1,000

The final form of Machop that evolves from Machoke, Machop is an intimidating fighting-type Pokémon who looks like the last thing you’d want to fight.

Known for its brute force and strength, Machamp is nothing but solid muscle and its four arms allow it to strike opponents from multiple angles at once.

And not only is Machamp overpowering, it also possesses incredible speed making it capable of throwing as many as 500 punches in one second.

Wearing a championship belt around its waste, the aptly named Machamp is frequently on the victorious side of the fight.

Tropical Mega Battle Tropical Wind Promo

• Release Date: 1999
• Grading: PSA Gem Mint 10
• Pokemon card value at auction: $65,100

While not the most flashy Pokemon card on the list, the Tropical Mega Battle promo is an absolute holy grail for Psyduck fans. It doesnt get more adorable than seeing the Water-type mon playing the ukulele while chilling in a hammock with Jigglypuff.

Long before The Pokemon Company solidified the TCG competitive scene into the World Championships in 2004, one of Japans earlier iterations of the contest was known as the Tropical Mega Battle. In 1999, the tournament was held in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Only 50 players from various countries around the world were invited to compete against one another. Because various Trophy Pokemon cards were given out at the event, the Tropical Wind iteration is incredibly unique. The collectible resurfaced in a PWCC auction in October 2020 and sold for a mouth-watering $65,100.

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Pokmon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Ninetales #12

Not the fire Pokémon shiny youd be hoping for back in 1999, Ninetales is the evolved form of Vulpix.

Designed to look like a golden-white nine-tailed fox, its inspired by the kitsune, which is a Japanese fox spirit.

Its backed by a cool blue holo background, but Ninetales Fire Blast attack is one of the more powerful in the base game.

Its not the most popular Pokémon with a western audience, but there are only 67 gem mint copies according to the registry.

The rarity hasnt translated to higher prices, but that could all change in the future.

Rayquaza Gold Star Holo Ex Deoxys $45100

Rayquaza, an early favorite of Ruby and Sapphire, has seen a surge in popularity in the recent decade. As a result, its only natural that its cards begin to appreciate in value over time. The Ex Deoxys TCG expansion, which featured the Flying / Dragon-type, was released in 2005 by The Pokemon Company.

The Japanese firm brought Gold Star Pokemon cards into the hobby as a gimmick to attract Pokemon card collectors interested in the set. As previously stated, the extremely rare Pokemon cards displayed a distinctive symbol next to themons name. Of course, the Hoenn Legendary is the king of these marked valuables.

A perfectly rated Gold Star Rayquaza sold at auction for $45,100 in December 2020. We believe this item to appreciate in value over time, given the Legendarys continuous prominence in the franchise and how few gold Pokemon cards were actually made.

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A Brief History Of The Pokmon Trading Card Game

Launched in October 1996, the Pokémon Trading Card Game became one of the most successful spin-off products of the entire Pokémon franchise. Just like the games, players assume the role of a Pokémon trainer, but TCG had kids fulfilling their fantasy of battling each other long before the games had any multiplayer features.

To date, TCG has sold over 30 billion cards worldwide and has been constantly expanded with new cards since its release. Besides the game itself, collecting has become a popular hobby, with certain cards becoming insanely valuable.

With several high-profile sales making headlines, more and more people are digging up their old binders, desperate to find buried treasure. The TCG collecting community is now more active than ever, with no signs of slowing down.

St Edition Shadowless Blastoise

It might not be quite as popular as Charizard, but Blastoise comfortably beats out the likes of Venasaur and Chansey for the second spot when it comes to valuable base set cards. A mint condition copy of the card was sold for a little over $45,000 just last November, once again through a PWCC eBay auction.

It’s one of 100 copies of the card to have been given the GEM-MT 10 rating by the PSA making it one of the more common base set holographic cards in perfect condition. As with Charizard though, the relatively high population doesn’t seem to have impacted its value all too much most probably because so many of them are already in the hands of collectors.

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Rarest And Most Expensive Pokmon Cards

Many of the most expensive Pokémon cards are tournament prizes that were produced in very limited numbers and arent actually playable in the game. Well get to them later, but lets first take a look at the rarest and most expensive Pokémon cards that you have a chance of actually owning already.

Bet you werent expecting our list to start off with this guy!

T6 First Edition Shadowless Holo Charizard Psa 10 $420000

The market was still hopping in March 2022, as this sale set a record for the price paid for a first edition base card. PSA has graded 3,626 shadowless holo Charizards from this set and only 121 of them are graded a 10. The Charizard is the most coveted because it has the highest attack of power of any of the original Pokemon cards.

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First Edition Holographic Clefairy

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $2,500

Clefairy is a lovable Pokémon that is incapable of fighting and first evolves from Cleffa and later to Clefable after exposure to a Moon Stone.

The adorable creature uses its small wings to store moonlight that can allow it to float away when in danger.

Known for its extreme shyness, Clefairy is rarely seen and will only emerge from its mountain shelter under a full moon.

Almost as rarely seen in high grade as Clefairy itself, this card can bring $2,500 or more in PSA 10 condition.

First Edition Shadowless Base Set Blastoise

Sticking with Base Set, lets talk about the big guy with water cannons on his back!

Backstory

We cant have a list discussing the rarest, most expensive cards ever sold without mentioning Base Set Blastoise!

Again, an extremely rare card in its 1st Edition Shadowless format.

Combined with the fact that its a much-loved character, and the final evolution from fan-favourite starter, Squirtle, its no surprise that collectors pay through the nose for this card.

People also like to collect the big 3 and display them as a set, so its value will always be linked to the dizzying heights that Charizard sets.

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Neo Genesis Lugia Gem Mint Condition Once Sold For Over $125000

Many of the highest-selling Pokemon TCG cards are either well-preserved base set cards or just extremely rare. One of the few that bucks this trend is the 1st Edition Neo Genesis Lugia.

Neo Genesis was the first Pokemon TCG expansion to cover the Pokemon Gold and Silver games. Its still an old card, first arriving in the United States in 2000, but Lugia stands apart from many of the other cards from that time for a few reasons.

Neo Genesis Lugia was unique at the time as it called for multiple different energy types for its attack. Coupled with the fact that Lugia is a fan-favorite Pokemon, this card has held up much better than almost any other card outside the base set. A 10-rated Neo Genesis Lugia took in over $125,000 at auction and is one of the few cards that can command high-five-figure sums.

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Japanese Super Secret Battle Number One Trainer

Sold in July, 2020 for $90,000

With just seven examples of this card graded by PSA, the 1999 Pokemon Super Secret Battle “No. 1 Trainer” promo card is one of the rarest Pokemon cards in existence.

Held between July and August 1999, the regional Super Secret Battle events gave school kids ranging from third graders to eleventh graders the opportunity to compete for a chance to be crowned champion.

Upon winning, the champion of each regional tournament would receive this item card as a prize.

Designed by Hideki Kazam, the card features a holographic image of Mewtwo on the left and a Pokeball on the right that make it instantly recognizable.

Across the bottom, the card reads The Pokémon Card Game Official Tournaments champion is recognized here, and this honor is praised. This proves that the person who possesses this card participated in the Secret Super Battle Best in Japan Deciding Match.

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