Gotta Catch ‘Em All!
You’ve probably heard about people going to throw out old Pokémon cards before a quick search revealed that they were actually worth thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, you aren’t likely to land yourself in the Guinness Book of World Records with your leftover cards unless you get really lucky. That said, cards being common is no indication of their value either sentimentally or in-game, it’s just a matter of scarcity. With that out of the way, let’s start with the legendaries before moving onto the more common cards!
1. Test Print Blastoise
Pokémon on the front, Magic: the Gathering on the back. This Blastoise isn’t rare because the Pokémon itself is, but rather because the card shouldn’t exist at all! Due to a printing error in the late 90s, a few Blastoises ended up with mismatched backs and only a handful are believed to still be in existence.
2. Ishihara GX
Created for employees rather than collectors, this Black Star Promo card was printed in honour of CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara’s 60th birthday. As you would expect, this card had a limited printing as a collector’s item. Some cards bearing Ishihara’s signature sell for over $200,000!
3. Snap Pikachu
A delightful snapshot of everyone’s favorite lightning rat, Snap Pikachu was released in 1999 to celebrate the release of Pokémon Snap. The objective of this first-person game was not to capture, train, and battle your Pokémon, but to take photos of different Pokémon to be graded by Professor Oak. Few people knew about Snap Pikachu upon its release, and authenticated cards sell for almost $300,000.
4. Bronze Trophy Pikachu
As we said before, Pikachu has far and away the most cards of any character, so it only makes sense that some of those cards are much, much more valuable than others. This Pikachu doubled as a bronze medal at the first ever PTC tournament! Its scarcity and place in Pokémon history make it one of the most prestigious cards out there.
5. Signed Charizard
A base card without the now-common rarity stamp is a catch in and of itself, but a no-rarity Charizard signed by the artist? Now that’s a legendary Pokémon! The one and only known no-rarity Charizard with a signature by Mitsushiro Arita sold for a whopping $324,000.
6. Galaxy Star Holo Blastoise
As a rule, Pokémon cards are produced on a mass scale and rarely, if ever, subject to a specific commission. That’s what makes this Galaxy Star Holo Blastoise so special, being quite literally one half of a whole. The unconventional background and altered font combined with the cards’ scarcity make for a commanding package, selling for $360,000.
7. Shadowless Holo Charizard
Not only is this Charizard a first edition, but it’s also holographic and shadowless. This Charizard isn’t the rarest in terms of scarcity but condition. Other variations of this card exist, and you might just find one in a moldy old binder, but a shadowless holo Charizard in mint condition will sell for $420,000.
8. Silver Trophy Pikachu
Like the bronze Pikachu we discussed earlier, less than 15 of this smiling Pikachu holding a silver trophy were ever printed. Of those fifteen examples, only four survive, with a mint condition card raking in $444,000 in 2023.
9. Charizard Topsun Blue Back
The Pokémon brand is strong enough that it can stand on its own rather than relying on crossovers and sponsorship, which is why this Charizard is one of the rarest of all time. Packaged alongside sticks of gum, the Topsun cards were some of the earlier on the market. Their distinct blue backing and occasional date misprints can net up to $493,000.
10. Illustrator Pikachu
The world record for the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold is this somewhat unassuming Illustrator Pikachu. Pikachu is shown on the other side of the brush, making art of Charmander and some of his other friends, with a small brush icon in the lower right corner. Illustrator Pikachu nabbed the Guinness World Record in 2021 when YouTuber and MMA fighter Logan Paul purchased it for an astonishing $5,275,000!
Now that we’ve discussed some of the rarest cards on the market, let’s look at some cards that you’re more likely to pick up in stores.
1. Base Pikachu
Being the face of the brand, it should come as no surprise that Pikachu has the most cards of any Pokémon with over 218 variants and counting (some collectors have logged over a thousand)! This Base Pikachu is about as common as you can get. However, collectors do make a distinction between the original Japanese yellow-cheeked Pikachu and the American debut card with its rosy red cheeks.
2. Base Charizard
Evolving from the adorable Charmander to its majestic dragon form, Charizard is one of the most widely loved Pokémon of all time. We’ll see a few other Charizards on the other side of this list, but this Base card is a staple of the game.
3. Base Potion
Selling for as little as 1¢ online, potion cards are a necessity for players rather than collectors. This base card can restore some health to your Pokémon after a particularly nasty battle, removing up to 2 damage counters.
4. Base Pokéball
A handy-dandy container for the capture and keeping of wild Pokémon. As the name suggests, this is the most basic type of Pokéball available, though there are over a dozen other options that affect your catch rate. As a bonus, base Poke balls can be used for crafting new objects.
5. Flittle
This small, birdlike psychic Pokémon was first introduced in Generation IX and has been frequently found in card packs since. But don’t despair if you find one Flittle after another; this underestimated cutie evolves into the ostrich-like Espathra, the only known Pokémon to use the Lumina Crash move.
6. Radiant Eevee
Since its first appearance in Pokémon: Red and Blue, Eevee has since become one of the game’s most recognizable characters, largely due to its 9 different “eeveelutions”. So, it should come as no surprise that the Radiant Eevee was the most sought-after card in its expansion. However, overprinting led to a Radiant Eevee included in every Premium Collection boxset, decreasing the value.
7. Trick or Trade Pikachu
While Trick or Trade cards like this one from the 2023 BOOster pack are cute and intended to be given out in place of Halloween candy, these sets are monetarily worthless. The cards are cheaply printed and feature recycled art. However, the bonus Pikachu stamp and accessibility make it worth it for kids just getting into the game.
8. Common Caterpie
A Gen I worm type capable of emitting a horrible stench, Caterpie was the first Pokemon to be caught and evolve in Pokemon the Series. That said, Caterpie has one of the lowest base defense stats of any Pokémon, so it isn’t worth much either in-game or out of it.
9. Patrat
A normal rodent-like Pokémon first introduced in Gen V, there isn’t anything abnormal about Patrat. Like Caterpie, it has the lowest base stat of any Pokémon in its generation and is commonly found in most packs. It makes sense that Patrats would want to stick together, considering that they’re based on prairie dogs.
10. Lillipup
Another normal-type Pokémon from Gen V, some players consider Lillipup one of the best starters in Pokémon Black and White. Intelligent, obedient, and easily trained, Lillipup is one of the most popular starters among newcomers, so perhaps it’s a good thing that it comes in abundance.
