Pokémonis considered one of the most valuable media franchises on Earth, with an estimated net worth of $95 billion. The franchise hasreleased its own games, TV shows, live-action movies, comics, and merchandise. Making its debut in 1996 asPocket Monsters: Red and Greenon Game Boy,Pokémonhas now become a global phenomenon.
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Pokémon Trading Card Gameis a strategic card game that launched in 1996. As of now, 30.4 billion cards have been sold worldwide. WhilePokémoncards are easily available at online stores and Walmarts, the company has released some cards in minuscule amounts, as to increase their rarity. Sometimes, special cards are handed over towinners in competitions, so their batch only contains 10 to 15 cards. Thus making them far rarer than others.
10Pikachu Illustrator
This card made it to the news last year after one was sold for $195,000 on an auction. The reason is simple; it is one of the rarest Pokémon cards and those lucky few who own it don’t put it up for sale. In 1998, 39 of them were awarded to the winners of the illustration contest held by CoroCoro Comic.
Estimates show that only 6 of them remain. It features artwork by the creator ofPokémonhimself– Atsuko Nishida. A low mint condition card can easily fetch $50,000. This card holds sentimental value for its owners. It’s a sign of their achievement and makes sense why they would not want to sell it.
9Pikachu Trainer No 1
Pikachu Trainer is said to be the rarest Pokémon card ever. Only 4 of them are rumored to be in circulation. The Pokémon Company awarded it to the winner of the 1997Pokémon Card Game Tournament. Pikachu Trainer No 2 and 3 were also awarded to the winners of the following year’s tournaments.
One specialty about them is that they give the owner entry to the next year’s tournament. Of course, only the most prestigious players can get a hold of one. Trainer No 3 went missing in transit after being sold on eBay. Talk about misplacing a package.
8Pre-Release Raichu
This card’s whole existence was a mistake. 121 of them were printed by Wizard of the Coast (They were the originalPokémoncard printer until The Pokémon Company started producing them in-house). Once they recognized the blunder, 100 copies were wasted before seeing the light of the day. The remaining 21 were handed over to the employees. Some sources say that the employees scooped up the cards.
10 or 11 cards are suspected to be still around. Since none of them made it to the market, the estimated worth of a single card is $10,000+. That too is only available on sites like eBay.
7Tamushi University Magikarp
This card is only valuable for its rarity as Magikarp is not powerful or in any way popular with the masses. It was produced way back in 2010, as aprize for childrenwho participated in the Tamushi University Hyper Test. The students with correct answers were invited to compete in a tournament. Each winner of the tournament was awarded this Magikarp card.
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30 to 50 are in existence today. A PSA 10 grading card can easily go for $26,000 or more.
6Tropical Mega Battle 2001 Psyduck
In the early 2000s, around 50 players from Japan, America, and Europe would gather to take part in aPokémon Trading Cardgame held in Hawaii. It was then replaced by World Championships, which had more players competing and bigger prizes.
These cards were distributed to the participants of theTropical Mega Battle 2001to mark the end of the event. Around 12 of them are in existence; they can be valued at anywhere between $5,000 to $10,000. That said, the card has to be in mint condition.
51st Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard
Charizard has always been a fan-favorite. Aside from low print cards, Charizards cards are still themost sought Pokémon cards. The original design of the Pokémon cards were holographic but that was later changed. This Charizard card misses a shadow in the right corner and it’s the 1st edition– meaning all the right boxes are ticked.
The total tally of this card is not available. However, a PSA 10 graded has an asking price of a whopping $50,000. Also, it has 120 HP, so not a bad choice for using in battles too.
41st Edition Shadowless Holographic Blastoise
This is another holographic, shadowless 1st edition card. 1st edition cards are always rare and go for high prices. The price of this card can go up to $10,000. Blastoise is the evolved form of Wartortle. The huge water cannon on its back can launch a powerful Hydro Pump attack. Blastoise is quite popular too, which is another reason for the increased card price.
3Master Key Prize Card
This card was given to the winners of a tournament exclusively held in Japan in 2010. Due to its rarity– only 34 being produced– these cards can easily fetch $10,000. The gold foil at the bottom of the card goes reads “Pokémon World Championship 2010 Japan National Tournament prize card.” Truly, a prize to be treasured.
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It’s a single card from the Pokémon Card Game Legend set, meaning the price can go even higher if sold with the set. The card says “Draw a card. Then, flip a coin. If heads, shuffle Master’s Key into your deck.”
21st Edition Shadowless Holographic Machamp
This is another 1st edition, holographic card. The shadowless cards were printed by mistake; it’s amazing to see that people are earning money from it years later. A mint condition card graded by PSA is sold for $5,000. It’s impressive to see a non-Kanto starter worth this much.
Like others, the total number of this Machamp card is unsure. But the lesser the better, as the card’s price would drop if a bunch of them surfaced.
11st Edition Shining Holographic Charizard
This card was first found in the Neo Destiny set with many other additions. It was the first shining card and a Charizard, at that. There’s no way that this wouldn’t be valuable. This card is easily worth $5,000, but there’s a low chance of anyone putting it up for sale. Who sells their Charizard?
The Neo Destiny sets are a collector’s item themself, so finding a Charizard with the whole set is a difficult task. This card also has the iconic holographic design.
