The most expensive Pokémon cards ever sold

Pokémon cards aren't just for kids anymore. The rarest examples now sell for life-changing sums. Here are the cards that have redefined what a piece of cardboard can be worth.

1. 1998 Pikachu Illustrator — the holy grail

The most famous and valuable Pokémon card in existence. Originally given as a prize in a Japanese illustration contest, only a handful exist. A PSA 10 copy sold at auction in 2021 for $5.275 million — purchased by Logan Paul. It remains the benchmark for the Pokémon card market.

2. 1999 First Edition Shadowless Charizard — up to $420,000

The card every 90s kid wanted. A PSA 10 First Edition Shadowless Charizard can fetch over $400,000. The "shadowless" print run (missing the shadow on the right border) was only produced for a short time at the very start of the English release.

3. Trophy Pikachu cards — $360,000+

Given as trophies in early Japanese Pokémon tournaments, these are among the rarest promotional cards. A Trophy Pikachu sold for $360,000 in January 2021.

4. 1999 Tropical Mega Battle — Tropical Wind

A promotional card given to attendees of the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle event in Hawaii. With so few in circulation, high-grade copies sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

5. Snap Pikachu (1999)

A promotional card tied to the Pokémon Snap photography game. High-grade copies have sold for around $247,000.

What makes a Pokémon card valuable?

• PSA 10 grading — a perfect grade multiplies value many times over
• First Edition — the first print run, marked with a "1" stamp
• Shadowless — the earliest English print, before the shadow border was added
• Promotional cards — limited-distribution cards from events and contests
• Population — fewer graded copies in existence means higher prices

If you've got old Pokémon cards sitting in a drawer, it might be worth checking — you could be sitting on a fortune.