Skip to content
The Pokemon TCG card game has been around for a long time now, which is why you can expect there would be a huge amount of expensive & rare Pokemon cards out there. From legendary to common ones – Pokemon cards are undoubtedly a big business in many parts of the world. While some people might think that investing thousands of dollars in a basic cardboard card is madness, the truth is – that Pokemon enthusiasts can do anything for their precious Pokemon game.
Hence, in this extensive blog post, we’re going to cover the rarest Pokemon TCG cards that are currently in existence. So, just sit down, relax and enjoy the read.
Rarest & Most Expensive Pokemon TCG Cards In The World
1. 20th Anniversary Gold Pikachu (24-Karat)
When it comes to the most valuable Japanese Pokemon cards, this is one of them, even though the card was revealed recently in 2016. The card marked the 20th anniversary of the Pokemon game franchise. The thing that makes this card so special is that it's made purely out of gold. Almost 11-grams of pure 24-karat gold have been used to create this TCG card.
Only a limited number of such cards were made by a Japanese jewellery maker known as Ginza Tanaka. On the card, there’s a picture of a fat Pikachu, having distinctive chubby cheeks. The cost of the card was around $2,000 back in 2016 (which means that the cost will be higher now) and it also came inside a special frame to keep it safe.
2. Prerelease Raichu
This is one of the most controversial Pokemon cards out there. The card is so rare that even finding details about the same is challenging. The card was printed by error before the English language release of the Pokemon TCG second expansion, known as Jungle, in the year 1999. Approximately 100 cards were printed (according to rumours) and stamped 'Prerelease' on them.
It's reported that the maker of the cards, Wizards of the Coast, had destroyed most of its creations, but only a handful of them are still out in the wild (notably around ten copies). However, in 2009, one of those ten copies was sold for around $10,500. Since then, none of the other copies were found and it remains the 'holy grail' of all Pokemon TCG cards.
3. Master’s Key
Before you decide to purchase your favourite Pokemon booster box, you must learn about this rare Master’s Key TCG card, which was recently given to all competitors in the 2010 Hawaii Pokemon World Championships. The championship allowed players to either take part in the TCG card game or the video game. As a result, the player will receive a specific version of the card based on the game he or she participates in.
Both copies of the Master's Key TCG cards were identical but had a different looking trophy design for each of them. It's estimated that only 36 such cards exist in the world today – which is equal to the number of participants that took part in that year's world championships.
However, in the year 2019, one copy of the Master’s Key card was sold for around $21,000.
And that brings us to the end of our list. We hope you enjoyed our notable mentions and for any additional queries, contact us.
3. illustrator Pikachu
An extremely rare Pikachu just became the most expensive Pokémon card of all time, after selling for close to a million dollars at auction.
The Pikachu Illustrator card dates from a reader competition run in Japanese magazine CoroCoro Comic from 1997 to 1998. 39 copies of the promo card were awarded to the winners of the illustration contest. An additional two copies were rediscovered and sold at auction in August 2020 by one of the card game’s rules designers, Yuichi Konno, bringing the total number of Pikachu Illustrator cards made to 41. The card features a picture of Pikachu drawn by artist Atsuko Nishida - best known as the original designer of Pikachu - with its text translating from Japanese as: “We certify that your illustration is an excellent entry in the Pokémon Card Game Illust Contest.
Famous youtuber Logan Paul purchased a PSA 10 graded Pikachu Illustrator card for a record breaking $5.275 Million USD in April 2022. Making it the single most valuable Pokemon Trading Card in existance.