1. 1998 Pokemon Japanese Promo Pikachu Holo Illustrator. Logan Paul purchased the 1998 Pokemon Japanese Promo Pikachu Illustrato-Holo for $5.3 million in July 2021. The Pikachu Illustrator card is widely considered the rarest and most expensive Pokemon card in existence.
As of August 2022, the most expensive Pokémon card is a Professional Sports Authenticator grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card that social media personality and boxer Logan Paul purchased for $5.275 million, according to Guinness World Records. A PSA grade of 10 means the card was in perfect condition.
Arceus. The God of Pokemon, Arceus, is, of course, one of the rarest Pokemon in existence. Originally, you can only catch this Legendary Pokemon through the use of a cheating device. You can catch Arceus in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum versions after obtaining the Azure Flute event item.
#1 Iono (Special Illustration Rare)
Small wonder that it's the most valuable Pokémon card of 2023 so far. Iono is a card the player base has been yearning to have for years. It places both players' hands at the bottom of the deck and then both players draw a card for each Prize card they have remaining.
In 2022, a Shadowless Holo of Charizard with a PSA grade of 10, a grade only handed out 122 times to Charizards, sold for a record-breaking $420,000 at auction. If you're looking to start building your Pokemon card collection, check out the best Pokemon card packs to buy or the most expensive Pokemon cards ever sold.
A secret card is a card whose collection number is greater than the listed number of cards in the set, for example, numbered 101/100. Secret cards are generally rarer than the other cards in the set, and typically are holofoil cards as well.
Out of all of the shining Pokemon cards, Charizard is by far the most valuable. A first-edition version of the card in mint condition has even sold for $15,500! While most may not have it in such a pristine edition, even its average sale price is nothing to sneeze at.
The strongest Pokemon of all time is Arceus. Known as the creator of the universe, this Mythical creature is essentially God in the world of Pokemon, and it backs this lore up with incredible battle performance.
VSTAR cards come with a pretty hefty HP, but they're not quite as sturdy as a VMAX card. The prize cards available for each card reflect this trade-off – the mighty VMAX cards offer three prize cards when Knocked Out, while VSTAR cards only offer two.
Full-art cards, full-card foils, and unusual card frames are typically Ultra Rare or higher. Unlike cards of the lower rarities, the rarity symbol on Ultra Rare Pokémon cards is never black. Ultra Rare cards never feature a reverse foil treatment — instead, Ultra Rare cards are usually foil from top to bottom.
The first-ever holographic Charizard card is considered the Michael Jordan of Pokemon cards. It's not very flashy by today's standards, but many hailed it as the greatest Pokemon Card of all time.
Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie
While our number one spot for the rarest 'mon is technically three Pokemon, that's also part of what makes them so rare. Each one only spawns in specific regions, and they don't show up often at all.
He was also a fun Pokémon to catch in the original games. Pikachu was one of the first rare Pokémon you could encounter.
Ditto is a rare and powerful Pokemon, and many players are eager to catch one in its Shiny form. This guide will tell you how to catch Shiny Ditto in Pokemon Go.
A single individual card from the Pokemon trading and collectible card game (TCG/CCG). This is of Secret Rare rarity.
Charizard VMAX - 020/189 - Ultra Rare.
Charizard GX - 20/147 - Ultra Rare.
Some of the rarest cards in all of the Sword and Shield expansions are VMAX cards, especially the variations. Typical VMAX cards receive a rare designation, the rainbow versions are considered secret rare, and alt-art cards are ultra rare.
Additionally, Ultra Rare variants of V and VMAX cards exist in most Sword and Shield TCG expansions and are worth even more money. These typically feature different and full artwork from the standard V and VMAX cards, but they're incredibly rare.