Trading Cards are insanely valuable. It might not seem like it, after all, their just tiny slabs of cardboard that can probably be produced a couple cents to a dollar, but sit on them a while (not literally, of course) and they start picking up value at an exponential rate. Of course, tell your parents you want to start investing in rare Pokemon cards and they’re more likely to laugh at your face and think you speak from youthful naivety.
But just wait a couple decades, then take them all out of your safe, and you’ll be surprised to find how much money you could be sitting on. Anyway, so here’s a list of the currently most valuable and rare Pokemon cards out there. In comparison to a lot of other trading cards out there, sports and wrestling cards, for example, these are really new considering Pokemon is a relatively new concept, but they’ve grown in value in a short decade or two.
Most of these cards were made in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast. Soon, however, Pokemon the company took over production of these cards, and soon they reached collectible status. The value of these rarest Pokemon cards can be attributed to a whole array of reasons — their availability, age (the older that these get the better, provided they remain in min condition), the quality of the card, the history of the card, etc.
Table of Contents
- Top 10 Most Valuable And Rare Pokemon Cards
- #10. Pokemon Full Art EX Cards — $26 to $37 a card
- #9. Charizard First Edition — $300 to $700 a card
- #8. Holofoils First Edition — $8,496 a set
- #7. Crystal Cards — $9,875 a set
- #6. Japanese L-P Promo Cards — $10,000 a card/ $84,788 a set
- #5. Pre-Release Raichu Cards — $10,000 a card
- #4. Japanese Parent/Child Mega Battle Cards — $10,000 a card
- #3. Tropical Mega Battle 2001 — $10,000 a card
- #2. Pokemon Snap Cards — $15,989 a card
- #1. Pikachu Illustrator Cards — $100,000 a card
Top 10 Most Valuable And Rare Pokemon Cards
So here they are, the 10 most valuable and rare Pokemon Cards in the world.
#10. Pokemon Full Art EX Cards — $26 to $37 a card
Not all of these Full Art EX cards are all that valuable. However, there are some particular cards left in this set which are now quite rare such as the Mew EX card or the Lugia EX card, and these now sell at the rate of $26.
Furthermore, the Diox EX card can be sold for more than $37.
#9. Charizard First Edition — $300 to $700 a card
The first edition Charizard card was launched as a promo card back in 1998 for a campaign known as “Trade Please”.
A first edition grade 9 or higher card may seem for $300, and if it’s in mint quality then it may even sell for as high as $700.
#8. Holofoils First Edition — $8,496 a set
These are decades old cards that were released in Japan, with both Japanese and English versions available.
The most valuable and rare in the Holofoil series are the generation I cards. Recently a complete set of Holofoil Series I cards were auctioned off at $8,496.
#7. Crystal Cards — $9,875 a set
The Crystal Cards are based on the set of Crystal Pokemon which come with their own unique features and evolutions, and getting into the changes that they can go through is quite complicated to explain.
However, these are rare and valuable, and an entire set has been auctioned off at $9,875.
#6. Japanese L-P Promo Cards — $10,000 a card/ $84,788 a set
These were brought into circulation after the release of the popular Pokemon game — LEGEND. These were also issued in Japan and only 69 of them were produced.
The Master Key is the most valuable of the lot and only 34 of them remain in existence now. A complete set was recently auctioned off at $84,788.
#5. Pre-Release Raichu Cards — $10,000 a card
This is the evolved form of the most popular Pokemon character, that is, Pikachu. However, only 10 to 15 of these cards from this particular set still remain in the world and that puts its valuation at $10,000 per card.
However, only 10 to 15 of these cards from this particular set still remain in the world and that puts its valuation at $10,000 per card.
#4. Japanese Parent/Child Mega Battle Cards — $10,000 a card
The Parent/Child Mega Battle, more popularly known as the Kangaskhan, was a legit Pokemon Tournament which was held in Japan in 1998. These were supposed to be played in teams of parents and their children competing against other family units.
The prize for winning games was a couple of rare promotional cards. There were just enough made to be given out as prizes, and so they are extremely rare Pokemon cards due to the scant numbers and fascinating history. Each card can be sold at $10,000.
#3. Tropical Mega Battle 2001 — $10,000 a card
Breaking the trend of all the valuable cards being produced by Japan, these were made in Hawaii for a particular occasion.
However, only 12 of these were made, which makes them extremely hard to track down. They can be sold for anything between $5,000 to $10,000.
#2. Pokemon Snap Cards — $15,989 a card
Released in 1999 solely for Nintendo 64, Pokemon Snap was a popular Pokemon video game which birthed the Pokemon Snap Cards. The origin for these cards is quite fascinating. A Japanese magazine by the name of CoroCoro Comic asked people to send them snapshots of their Pokemon Snap gameplay, and the best of these were eventually compiled to illustrate the Pokemon Snap Cards.
The exact numbers still left in the world is unknown, however, this back story, along with its uncertain rarity makes it extremely valuable and each card can sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars, though the highest to date has been $15,989.
#1. Pikachu Illustrator Cards — $100,000 a card
Called the “Holy Grail of Pokémon”, these cards were originally released in 1998 in Japan. These are the rarest of Pokemon card owing to the fact that only 5 of them remain in existence. And they do not have an English version.
These are so valuable that even a card in non-mint condition would still sell for $50,000. Also for this card, the top reads as Illustrator and not trainer.
So these are the 10 most valuable Pokemon cards or sets of cards in Pokemon Land. Do let us know if you ever happen to stumble into them. And if you happen to have a couple of old cards lying in a chest of drawer somewhere, untouched, you might wanna start going through them lest you be sitting on a fortune and not know it!
So do let us know down in the comments what you think of the most rare Pokemon cards collection, whether you can see yourself spending such money on them, or if you think we neglected to mention some other rare and valuable cards. We’d love to hear from you.
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