Holographic Shadowless Mewtwo: $20000
While the other Kanto starters dont come close to Charizard in the realm of First Edition cards, its hard to ignore the second-place winner off of its fame in the series. Most Pokemon fans are plenty aware of Mewtwo from the original Pokemon movie, and as a result cards featuring the character will often go for record-high prices in any set.
Much like the First Edition Charizard mentioned earlier, Mewtwo has its own Holographic and Shadowless version that PSA Collector has seen sold for at least $20,000, putting it far above Venusaur and Blastoise but still far below everyones favorite Fire-type tyrant of the skies.
What Are My Pokemon 1st Edition Base Set Cards Worth
If you own any of the cards listed below, condition is the biggest factor in figuring out what your cards are worth. The prices below illustrate what these cards are worth after grading in mint condition as PSA 9’s & 10’s.
Important to note: It is very unlikely that your cards will grade this high if they have been played with. If you have these cards laying around in less than mint condition, it still may be worth getting them graded as long as they are in pretty good shape.
Commissioned Presentation Blastoise Promo Card
This Blastoise card was never meant to sell. Only two Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Hologram Blastoise cards exist because they were never even on the market. Heritage Auctions detailed the history of how the Wizards of the West Coast commissioned trading card producer Cartamundi in 1998 to create these two cards as prototypes to show Nintendo before printing Pokemon cards in English. So these cards existed before the first-edition cards were even published. One of the defining features of this holographic Blastoise card is its blank back.
Certified Guaranty Company Trading Cards auctioned one of these elusive Blastoise cards for $360,000 in January 2021. CGC rated the Commissioned Presentation Blastoise card as 8.5 out of 10 or near-mint condition. Many of the cards in this article use a PSA rating, but this one uses the CGC grading scale. CGC even goes into detail about how it appraised the card next to other rare Blastoise cards with Magic the Gathering-printed backs.
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Japanese Pokmon Promo Card: Illustrator Pikachu: Psa 7
$375,000
Limited edition promotional cards, such as this illustrator Pokémon card, can command huge fees.
According to PWCC, approximately only 40 of these cards were created, to be distributed during competitions held in Japan where contestants were asked to create their own Pokémon cards.
Winners received custom printed cards featuring their original artwork as well as this rare Illustrator Pikachu card as a trophy.
First Edition Holographic Blastoise
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $5,500
A water-type Pokémon, Blastoise first appears in the Pokémon Red and Blue video games as the final evolutionary stage of Squirtle, one of the original three starter Pokémon.
Relying on twin water cannons that retract from the shell on its back, Blastoise is capable of delivering powerful blasts of water with superior accuracy.
And just as we saw Charizards boost in popularity stemming from its appearance on the cover art of the Pokémon Red video game, Blastoise was the center of attention on the Pokémon Blue video game:
Rightfully considered one of the coolest-looking of all Pokémon, Blastoise remains a collector favorite and this card can bring thousands of dollars in high grade.
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Poliwrath No Rarity Symbol Base Set
- Release Date: 1996
- Grading: PSA Gem Mint 10
- Pokemon card value at auction: $25,015
Rounding out the top 21 of the most expensive Pokemon cards list is Poliwrath from the Japanese version of the Base Set. While the Water-type mon has traditionally been one of the weaker valued cards from the 1996 and 1999 releases, this item is actually special.
Similar to the English version having a 1st Edition run, the very first print of the Japanese set featured no markings at all. Due to there being extremely limited amounts even printed, barely any of them survived three decades later.
Consider this THE earliest version of the iconic card, and you can see why its value has skyrocketed in recent years. In 2020, one appeared in a PWCC auction selling for $25,015. If you think that is a lot, we are only getting started!
Holo Gold Star Rayquaza: $4500
Rather than many cards on this list, this Shiny Rayquaza from the EX Deoxys set is a rare Pokemon card thats mostly just mythical pull from a standard set. During this expansion, Pokemon with a Gold Star in your deck, making them just as powerful as they are gorgeous with unique colors and art exiting the frame.
Costs can vary massively, but spaces like Troll and Toad price the card at just under $4500. It simply combines all the great aspects of a standard card in the perfect combination, and the rarity of it in packs of this small expansion set make it one of the most valuable original Gen 3 cards, and one of the first major shiny cards to hit record prices before other shinies would catch up.
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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.
Ex Team Rocket Returns Gold Star Torchic
Sold: 2020 Price: $25,400
There are not that many starter cards from Pokemon that arent Charizard that sell for big money. However, Gold Star Torchic from Team Rocket Returns is an unusual case. This copy was sold for more than $25,000 by the end of 2020. The card was one of only 17 to get the perfect PSA GEM-MT 10 rating. In the years since a few other cards in the set have also sold for high prices, but none of them has such a high price as the little fire Pokemon.
EX Team Rocket Returns Gold Star Torchic
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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.
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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.
Knocking And Ending The Game
The last regulation of Ginbefore scoring the hands of the two playersis that one player must knock, or lay his sets and sequences of melds face-up on the table when he has the hand of cards that he plans to score points with. If he has any cards that are not part of sets or sequences, the player can add them to his opponents melds, if possible, adding points against his opponent’s total. “Gin” is called when a player discards with no cards left outside of melds.
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Pokmon Topsun 1995 First Edition Charizard
The Pokémon Topsun cards are slightly different from all the cards mentioned above. Back in 1997, you were able to purchase a pack with gum that included two cards featuring Pokémon. These cards are the first-ever Pokémon cards printed.
The reason Charizard is the most valuable is due to its cracked ice pattern holo background and its rarity. PSA has seen 79 of the cards and graded only 16 as being PSA 10 condition. According to PSAcard.com, the cards are known to go for up to $10,000.
Get involved in the conversation by heading over to our and pages. To stay up to date with the latest guides, news, and reviews, follow The Loadout on and Steam News Hub.We sometimes include relevant affiliate links in articles from which we earn a small commission. Any stated prices are correct at the time of publication. For more information, click here.
Ruby is Pocket Tactics’ deputy editor. When she’s not writing about mobile, she’s playing Final Fantasy and Pokémon games. You will find her shiny hunting in any spare moment.
First Edition Holographic Charizard
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $24,000
The #4 Charizard is by far the most desirable of all the first edition Pokémon cards.
Charizard made its first appearance in the Pokémon Red and Blue video games released for the Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Color back in the mid-90s and trainers have been relying on the characters overpowering fire and flying abilities to win battles ever since.
Just how powerful are its fire abilities?
Well, simply refer to the bottom of the cards front and you can see that Charizard is capable of melting boulders and starting forest fires with ease.
Charizards appeal as a dragon and one of the more rare cards certainly adds to its popularity but I think where this card gets an extra boost in value comes from the fact that Charizard appeared on the cover art of the Pokémon Red video game:
That additional exposure greatly increased the characters notoriety and has driven up the value of this card similar to the effect we see with the Garbage Pail Kids card, Adam Bomb, and its status as the original cover art for that series.
Regardless of why this card is so popular, its value will continue to soar just like the lovable flying dragon creature itself.
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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.
Neo Genesis 1st Edition Holographic Lugia
Sold: in May, 2021 Price: $144,300
The card is estimated to be one of the most perfect examples of the super popular card, a first-edition Lugia. Pokémon: Silver features this Pokémon, a legendary Pokémon from Gen II due to its appearance on the cover. Because Lugia was given love from players, many people have this kind of card. But according to Beckett Grading Services, a highly-rated trading card, and collectible grading company, almost all Lugia cards are not rated Pristine 10. In the future, they even predict that these cards can be sold for more.
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Holographic Shadowless Blastoise: $2475
Out of the three final-evolution Kanto starters, its Blastoise who has the least valuable Shadowless holographic card, reaching heights of $2475 on Pokemon Prices. We say least valuable, but thats still a lot of money for just the one card, and its hardly far behind its sibling Venusaur.
Thats if Blastoise is still in mint condition, of course, which is a big ask considering these cards are over 20 years old. Carrying the powerful Water-type move Hydro Pump, this version of Blastoise was a pretty impressive card to carry in your deck back in the day, but at this point its still a solid collectible card.
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What To Look Out For When Pricing Up Your Pokmon Cards
There are a few indicators that could suggest that your card is rare and worth more, though its subject to when the card was printed. There should be a marker at the bottom right of the card, as you can see on the Raichu below.
A circle means its common, a diamond shape means its less common and a star means its a rare card and you should hold onto it. More stars or with combinations of letters or symbols mean extra rare. This is including if those symbols are in the name or elsewhere on the card.
You can also look at what number in the set it has to indicate rarity. A higher print number than there should be given in a printed set, like 66/65. Other characteristics to look out for are holographic artwork, artwork that takes up the full card, artwork where the Pokémon has no shadow and any shining characteristics on the Pokémon itself.
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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.
How To Set Up A Link Trade
Setting it up is easy. All you need to do is:
From there, youll be taken back to the game. Depending on the code used, youll probably find a match pretty soon, when you do youll receive the following message: A trade partner has been found! Time for a trade!
If it ends up taking a little longer, dont worry, youll be matched whenever someone else is using the same code as you.
Once this is done, a new screen will pop up, showing your Pokemon storage. There, you can select the species you agreed to make a trade with. Youll be able to see all the details of the Pokemon youre sending, too, in the event that you have lots of duplicates.
After you confirm your selection, youll be able to see which Pokemon theyre sending before you confirm the trade. This will allow you to get the species you want without having to sacrifice a potentially lucrative Pokemon. However, you wont be able to see anything about it other than what Pokemon it is.
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Umbreon Gold Star Holo
- Release Date: 2005
- Grading: BGS 9.5
- Pokemon card value at auction: $70,000
Eevee and its evolutions are some of the most popular characters in the Pokemon franchise. It makes sense then that a Gold Star Umbreon would quickly become one of the most coveted Pokemon cards in the TCG.
The story behind this Pokemon card also makes it unique as players had to accumulate over 70,000 XP points by the end of the Pokemon Players Clubs fourth season to obtain it. Trainers not only had to physically go to events, but they had to win a lot of matches.
Due to its low population, not a lot of these Pokemon cards have actually gone up for sale. All of that changed in June 2021 when the Gold Star Umbreon sold for $70,000 at auction. Its BGS grade of 9.5 makes it all the rarer, as only two in the whole world have received a grade this high.
Pokemon World Championships Promo No 2 Trainer
- Release Date: 2006
- Grading: PSA 9
- Pokemon card value at auction: $110, 100
The incredibly rare Trophy card was handed out at the 2006 World Championship held in Anaheim, California. Since these Pokemon cards were only given to winners, it makes their population extremely low.
According to PSA, only three of these collectibles are even said to have been issued at the competition. It almost feels like a crime putting this Pokemon card at this spot because due to its scarcity, it rarely goes up for sale
However in February 2021, one finally appeared online. With over 150 bids, this item brought in a mind-blowing $110,100 at a PWCC auction.
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Meet Up At The Pokmon House
Meet Up at the Pokémon House? , more commonly known as Pokénchi or Pokémon House , is the successor to Pokémon GETTV, which premiered on October 4, 2015. It is hosted by Shko Nakagawa, Otani Rinka, Hyadain, and Abareru-kun. Similar to its predecessors, it is a variety show featuring reruns of previous anime episodes and special live-action segments. It ran during Pokémon: XY, Pokémon: Sun & Moon and Pokémon: The New Series.
Find The Year Your Pokemon Card Was Made
Look at the bottom of the card and find the year it was printed. Thats the first key indicator when identifying your card.
For example, the Base Set Pokémon Cards have 4 different print runs while looking almost identical each time. Of those sets, the UK 4th Print Base Set identifies as 1999-2000, which is the key indicator to separate those cards from the rest.
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