What is the Pokémon Card game? The Pokémon Trading Card Game, shortened to Pokémon TCG or PTCG, is a collectible card game, founded on Nintendo’s Pokémon franchise of anime and video games. The game first published in October 1996 by Media Factory in Japan. In the US, it was initially published by Wizards of the Coast.
The Pokémon Company ultimately took over publishing the card game in June 2003. In the year 2016, it was the year’s top-selling toy in the strategic card game subclass. In the following year, it enjoyed an 82% share holding of Europe’s strategic card game market. As of September 2019, the game has sold over 28.8 billion cards nationwide.
It is hard to pin down a final list of the most valuable Pokémon cards, because of the volatile nature of a resale-based market. The following is a list of the most expensive cards ever sold.
The list of Pokémon cards and figures mentioned below has been compiled from various sources.
The list of Top 30 Most Expensive Pokemon Cards
1. Prerelease Raichu
Price- Unknown
The prerelease Raichu was lent by Wizards of the Coast only to employees and other close friends of the company. Less than ten of these cards exist, and they were only a tradition until 2006 when a picture of one such card was posted online.
There are many fakes of this card, and an official record of any sale of a Prerelease Raichu does not exist. The price is a dilemma. It is possible that at an auction, it could beat the record for the most valuable card ever sold. As of July 2019, no owners of such a card have attempted to sell it.
2. Black Star Movie Promotional
Price- Priceless
One of the rarest Pokemon cards learned. Only 120 made but 90 where caught in production the rest of them where accidentally discharged to the public making it the hardest Pokemon card to find black Star Movie Promos #2-4 Inverse Gold Stamp Error:- Newly substantiated 1/21/13!
Testimony has been earned that there were 3, probably 4 sheets accidentally issued with this error. Each of these sheets had 121 cards; 30 Pikachu, 30 Dragonite, 30 Mewtwo, 30 Electabuzz, and 1 blank inverted card. All of the sheets were discarded but 1, leaving 120 of these cards in truth. So there were 30 of each card ever printed!
3. Trophy Pikachu Trainer Card
Price- Priceless
The Trophy Pikachu Trainer Card is a Pokémon card so unusual, it’s practically priceless. As far as we learn, nobody has ever tried to sell one, and why would you? The only people to acquire one of these cards are those Trading Card Game players who’ve spotted highly at an official competition.
The rarest of the cards are the ones from the 1990s tournaments and are usually in Japanese. Since inhabiting a Trophy Pikachu card is nearly a status symbol, we doubt anyone will be beating one on eBay any time soon!
4. No. 2 Trainer Promo Card
Price- $200,000
These Trainer cards are given to champions of the Pokémon World Championships. The importance of the cards boosts dramatically the older they are. The 1997 vintage is the most sought-after, in general.
They come with a variety of examples, including the original illustration with Pikachu holding a gold trophy. The No.2 Trainer card costs more than double the price of the No.1 card. If someone is ready to pay $200,000 for it, however, it could sit on the market for many months and dramatically reduce in price if know one id willing to pay that much.
5. Kangaskhan – Parent/Child Promo Card
Price- (As little as $133,000, but ones have been known to sell for thousands more)
The Kangaskhan- Parent/Child Tournament card was a promo prize card given out in 1998 at the Parent/Child Tag Team Mega Battle. The Tag Team Battle consisted of a tournament where each an adult and their child had to on the same team and fighting another parent/child team.
This card is considered to be one of the rarest Pokemon cards in existence, having only two games with an unknown number of copies in existence.
6. Pikachu Illustrator
Price- Up to $100,000
The sixth most expencive pokemon carsd is the Pikachu Illustrator. In January 1998 this card was provided only to champions of the CoroCoro Comic Illustration Contest. Only 20 to 39 of these cards prevail in the nation and only 10 are in mint condition. As of October 2019, these festivities of Pokémon are the most costly Pokémon card ever sold.
7. No.1 Trainer Promo Card
Price- $70,000
It’s so rare you can’t find it on eBay. The price is largely unknown, but it’s sure to be exorbitant.
No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 trainer cards are always rare. They’re only handed out to champions at official Trading Card Game world championships. This delightful, holographic Pikachu card was only provided to four champions of the very first Japanese Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament; thus it’s the rarest.
8. Tropical Mega Battle No. 2 Trainer Card
Price- $60,000
As a prize derived from a series of tropical Mega Battles, which consisted of 7 tournaments depending on player ability, the top three players were given a trainer card with an Executor on the front.
They were then capable to present these cards to gain world-class dealing at any Tropical Mega Battle. The cards are now incredibly hard to find, and it’s thought that the gold card is worth more than $100,000.
9. No. 3 Trainer Promo Card
Price- $32,499
The Pokémon Trainer #1, #2, and #3 cards are so rare that their fortunate owners are very unlikely to put them up for sale. Thus, we don’t know precisely how much they would retail for.
Each year at the Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships, one of these cards was handed out to a lucky player, ensuring them entry at the next year’s competition. Only the greatly prestigious of TCG players could ever hope to own one!
10. Tropical Wind Card
Price- $10,000
The English Tropical Wind was rewarded to players of the 2004 World Mega Battle tournament and doesn’t cost a lot of money to purchase if you wanted your own.
However, the 1999 edition, which was handed out to prize winners of another Tropical Mega Battle Tournament, is worth a tremendous deal more! Because it’s been awarded to some of the nation’s best players, it now charges $10,000.
