Not every Pokémon card pulled by kids in the late 90s and early 2000s was lucky enough to survive its owner’s childhood. Whether it was through numerous trades, being kept in shoeboxes, or brought to school, it’s likely that many amateur collectors saw their most valuable Pokémon cards lost to time (or garage sales). Some, though, kept those rare Pokémon cards in respectable condition. That patience and discipline just might pay off.

It’s also a reality that some Pokémon collectors never stopped collecting. As that set of cards continues to grow, questions surrounding the rarest Pokémon cards, or the most expensive Pokémon cards in circulation, are creeping into some minds. Let’s see if we can’t find some of those answers.

Which Pokémon cards are the most valuable?

• Shadowless Charizard Base Set Holographic (1st Edition) - One of the first Pokémon cards ever printed, featuring one of Pokémon’s most recognizable names. The base first edition Charizard Holographic card will likely be near the top of any sought-after list as long as Pokémon is around. A recent sale of a Shadowless PSA 10 Charizard sold for $420,000 in March of 2022—even ungraded versions of this card command a respectable return according to recent sales data from Sports Card Investor.

• Shadowless Holographic Mewtwo (1st Edition) - Another piece of the 1999 base series, the Shadowless Holographic Mewtwo is still valuable. The figures might pale in comparison to the holographic Charizard. Still, some of the prices are nothing to scoff at; according to PSA’s pricing data, at its peak, this card fetched over $8k. 

• Neo Genesis First Edition Lugia - The 2000 release of the Neo Genesis variant of Pokémon cards saw the arrival of Lugia. With that release, there may have been a few Lugia cards floating around at the tail of the second millennium. The first edition of the card isn’t so easy to get ahold of nowadays, though. According to PSA, only 44 PSA 10 copies exist. According to PriceCharting, the top sale for this card in PSA10 condition was $66,000 in July 2021. The most recent sale of a PSA 10 Neo Genesis First Edition Lugia on September 21, 2021, closed at $47,970. On May 6, a PSA 8 copy sold for $1,136.11.

Which Pokémon packs have the most valuable cards?

The TCGPlayer Authentication Center dug in on Pokémon’s latest set, Temporal Forces, by opening more than 8,000 booster sets. According to the group’s findings, collectors looking for the rarest cards in Temporal Forces have a five percent chance to pull an ACE SPEC card, a 6.6 percent chance at an Ultra Rare card, and a 7.7 percent chance at an Illustration Rare, with a 1.2 percent and 0.07 percent chance to find a Special Illustration Rare or Hyper Rare respectively. Additionally, collectors have a 20 percent chance at any one of the aforementioned categories in any Temporal Forces booster set. 

While we don’t have the benefit of ripping packs of old cards to determine pull rates thanks to soaring prices, market trends can help indicate which sets have the most valuable cards. The most valuable Pokémon card packs and booster boxes according to The Gamer are: 

• Base Set 1st Edition (1999)

• Skyridge (2003)

• Legendary Collection (2002)

• EX Deoxys (2005)

• EX Crystal Guardians (2006)

• Neo Genesis 1st Edition (2002)

• EX Holon Phantoms (2006)

• Aquapolis (2003)

• EX Dragon Frontiers (2006)

• Neo Revelation 1st Edition (2001)

How to find a Pokémon card’s value

While eBay and other auction sites can give collectors an idea of what they’re holding, the TCGPlayer Marketplace can also be a valuable resource. To find the value of a Legendary Collection Holo Rare Charizard, simply enter the card into the site’s search bar. Collectors will be presented with the card’s market value, market price history, and various listings for purchasing the card. TCGPlayer has this information available for most Pokémon cards. 

What is the rarest Pokémon card?

The Pikachu Illustrator or a Tropical Wind Mega Battle Promo Cards are likely some of the rarest cards a collector will come across. EBay listings, news outlets, and many other industry voices have hailed the Pikachu Illustrator Card as the Holy Grail for Pokémon collectors. This card, similar to the Tropical Wind Mega Battle Card, was awarded as a prize for winners of an illustration contest at the 1998 CoroCoro Convention. Only 41 copies of the card are verified to exist, with only 39 in circulation, with even fewer sales recorded in PSA’s database. Logan Paul purchased a PSA 10 copy of the card for $5.275 million in July 2021, a verified Guinness World Record for the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale. 

While the Tropical Wind Mega Battle Promo cards distributed at a 1999 Pokémon tournament in Honolulu won’t fetch five million from a YouTuber, they still exist in rare air. 12 copies of the card were awarded to some of the tournament’s 50 contestants. In October 2020, a PSA 10 copy of the card sold for $65,100 on eBay, according to PSA. 

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The staying power of Pokémon cards is part of what has led to some of the market-shattering figures these cards go for. From the release of the first set of cards in 1996 to the company’s present-day releases, Pokémon cards continue to be sought after by collectors of all ages.