Top 7 Most Expensive Pokemon Card In The World

Pokémon was created in 1995 and it became a multi-media franchise in Japan in 1996 with the release of the Pocket Monsters game: Red and Green Game Boy. The Pokémon Trading Card Game(TCG) has had huge success thanks to the Pokémon video game in 1997.

As the popularity of Pokémon grew bigger in Japan, the English version of the Game Boy was released in North America in 1998 and followed by TCG in 1999. Ever since then, Pokémon has conquered the world and after 20 years, video games, cards, and animation series related to Pokémon are still popular to this day.

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Due to the rise in popularity of Pokémon, the TCG cards are some of the most highly collectible items in the world, especially for Pokémon fans out there. Similar to other cards out there, some Pokémon cards are considered very rare for several reasons mainly due to them being limited edition, wrongly printed or as a present for specific individuals.

7. Kangaskhan (Parent/Child Mega Battle)

This special Kangaskhan card was given to the team that won the Parent/Child Mega Battle in 1998 and it was never released to the public. There has not been any information regarding the number of cards for this limited edition Kangaskhan card but it was estimated that around 45 of these cards existed in many conditions.

Every time this Family Event Kangaskhan card was sold, it will commonly go for thousands of dollars. In October 2020, a pristine condition Kangaskhan card was successfully sold for the whopping price of $150,000 making this one of the most valuable Pokémon cards out there.

6. Pikachu Illustrator

Pikachu can be seen as the mascot for the whole Pokémon franchise. So it is not surprising that this rare Pikachu Illustrator is one of the most wanted Pokémon cards for collectors out there. Pokémon Illustrator was given to the winner of the lucky draw during the Pokémon Card Game Illust Artist Contest in the November 1997 issue of CoroCoro Comic. 

Only 39 of these Pokémon Illustrator cards have been awarded and only a few of them have been seen sold out there. Despite that, the highest sale ever recorded for the Pokémon Illustrator card was $375,000.

5. Master's Key

Master's Key is another limited edition Pokémon card that was given to the participants of specific championships. This special card was given to every competitor in the Japanese World Championship 2010.

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Not just that it was also given to all participants in every category of the video game in that championship. Based on the results of the tournament, 36 Master's Key card was awarded but only some of them managed to be sold or checked for grading and validation.

One Master's Key in its original trophy has been sold in 2019 for $21,201.

4. Raichu Pre-release

This error card was given to a worker of the Wizards of the Coast but for many years no one has seen solid proof that the card still exists to this day. Later in 2006, an ex-worker of the Wizards of the Coast uploaded a picture of this card online. 

But with all things said, not one of the Raichu pre-release cards has been sold or given to a professional grading service for validation. It was estimated that 8 to 10 of these cards still exist out there.

3. No. 1 Trainer

The Pokémon Super Secret Battle "No. 1 Trainer" holographic card is considered by many Pokémon fanatics as the holy grail of TCG Pokémon. Only one of these cards was given to 7 winners in the Pokémon World Championship 1999. This priceless card is a ticket to the final championship known as Super Secret Battle.

The final location of the battle was only revealed to the winners when they received this No. 1 Trainer card. Because the card was super special and very hard to find, it is almost impossible to find one for sale out there.

But one card of the No.1 Trainer in pristine condition was successfully sold on 12 July 2020 for the price tag of $90,000.

2. Tropical Mega Battle Trainer No. 2

The Tropical Mega Battle is an annual event that was held in Hawaii from 1999 to 2001. Due to the championship being held for a few years, the 8 limited edition cards that were given to the winner of the championship have been proven hard to find.

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As of now, the Trainer No. 2 card is one of the rarest cards to be found since only 5 of them have been officially graded by a professional and one of them managed to be sold. One of the only Trainer No. 2 cards that were sold was at a price of $50,300 on eBay in October 2020.

1. Blastoise

On 17 January 2021, the unique Blastoise card that was only used during the presentation of the Wizards of the Coast managed to be sold in an auction for $360,000 making it the rarest and most expensive Pokémon card in the world.

It was reported that this special Blastoise card is owned by the WotC Public Relations team ever since it was established in 1998. This Blastoise card has been used by Wizards of the Coast to show to Nintendo the English version of Pokémon cards.

This card was only printed on one side and has an empty backside with the word "Hydropump" written on the card and not Hydro Pump.

Source:

• The Loud Out

• Dicebreaker

• Zen Market

Also read: Top 7 Most Expensive Video Game Ever Sold