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Whether you’re a Pokemon veteran or brand new to the series, you’ve undoubtedly heard of the hype behind rare Pokemon cards. In particular, how valuable they can get. Rare cards can rocket in price from multiple times their value to astronomical proportions, such as some that rank in at thousands of dollars. Pokemon card rarity usually results from their low circulation numbers. However, sometimes it can be due to misprints, specific runs of the card, or particular incidents that have made it highly sought-after. PokeMania, as it was in the 90s, has made many rich adults out of collector children.
Whatever the case, if you’re in the market for Pokemon cards, it can be a good idea to keep an eye out for the rare ones. Some cards can even be as valuable as $10,000 or more. So, whether you just like to collect cards and organize them in a binder or use them to play Pokemon TCG, we have a list of some cards below that make up some of the rarest and sought-after pieces in the community. We’ll include their designs, some aspects of their art and history, as well as why they became rare Pokemon cards in the first place.
1. Pre-release Pikachu
The first one on our list is a really rare card, especially because it was never made for print publically. The only owners of this card consist of employees, those who were working for Wizards of the Coast at the time of this card’s debut. During printing at Wizards of the Coast at the time, Pokemon cards had a pre-release mark on the illustration. This helped people tell the difference between a card in rotation and one not yet available to the public. For a long time, this card was kept a secret. This is because staff members were pretty good about keeping their secrets.
Almost a decade later, the Pre-release Pikachu was discovered in 2006. As compensation for employees for the mess up, the company printed the Pre-release Pikachu, offering to any staff who wanted a copy of this rare card. Valuing and placing a price tag on the card is more difficult than most rare cards. For one, we don’t know how many copies of the card actually exist. That’s something only the employees at Wizards of the Coast from 2006 would know. However, because we have a bit of a margin to guess at, one can estimate the value of this card to be around $15,000 to $20,000 easily. And that price will only get higher as the years wear on.
2. Pikachu Misprint
Another case of a rare card being Pikachu is found in the misprint of the beloved mascot. Without the misprint on the corner that says “1st edition,” the Pikachu card would be just a card. However, this misprint has made it especially valuable to collectors out there. Only so many misprints of cards exist, especially for this one considering how early it was in the TCG timeline. Back then, cards weren’t printed nearly as widely or as much in volume. This means that when a misprint does happen, the earlier it is in the timeline, the rarer it is. In this case, this is one of the earliest misprints on record, making the card easily well over $500 in value. That’s nothing compared to the Wizards of the Coast print we mentioned earlier, but they share many qualities.
3. Espeon Goldstar
The Espeon Goldstar card is not valued for its print or design but for the legwork, one had to do just to get their hands on the card. When it was released in 2005, it was part of the Series 5 pack. Keep in mind, during this time, Espeon was a brand new Pokemon, popular in its own right and sought after by collectors everywhere. So to get this specific Goldstar card, collectors had to fulfill some specific criteria during events hosted by Pokemon. Goldstar cards are relatively rare on their own, but no such Goldstar card had that many requirements to become part of a collection. Thus, it became a rarity. If you got one back then, you’re in luck now because it’s worth about $9,000.
4. First Edition Shadowless Holographic Blastoise
When it comes to rare Pokemon cards, a Charizard or any other starter early on in the 90s is probably what most people would think of. And they’re right for doing so! Blastoise, especially this first edition one in particular, is a very rare card. Outshined by the Charizard Shadowless Holographic Card but still quite valuable, the First Edition Shadowless Holo Blastoise was part of the initial release for the TCG back in the 90s. This is as stereotypical as rare cards come, no tricks, no misprints; this is a card you had to be there for, right in the middle of the PokeMania. Technically, even a little bit before. This card came in packs that were, at the time, about 20 bucks. So now that this card is worth about $10,000, it can make one blast of a profit.
5. Holographic Shadowless First Edition Charizard
Right on Blastoise’s heels is the honored and likely well-known. Holo Shadowless First Edition Charizard card. If you know anything about rare Pokemon cards, this is the one you would recognize. Many early Trainers had these in their collections, so it became one of the most famous rare cards to own. Unfortunately for some, because it was such a widely owned card, those who lost it became the profit for those who kept the Charizard in their collections dutifully. It really shows how valuable something can get, even if it was once a common card. Despite the popularity, this card remains one of the most sought-after cards in the entire TCG community. If you have one, it might be worth double sleeving, perhaps putting in a frame, because it’s worth almost $50k today.
6. Magikarp Tamamushi University Promo Card
Although Magikarp is not the most valuable Pokemon in the games, the TCG world considers it a prized possession. Surprisingly, the Magikarp Tamamushi University Promotional Card is valued at around $20,000 today, and not for the reason you may think. As the title suggests, this card was a promotional piece obtainable by testing your Pokemon knowledge. After a few assessments, players were able to play in a tournament held in Osaka, Japan, a la summer of 1998. During this 48-hour-long tournament, players competed to win their place in the winner’s circle. And as you by now have guessed, the prize for getting in the winner’s circle was a Magikarp card, only ever printed for that tournament alone. There are likely less than 100 still around today.
7. Trophy Pikachu
The last two rare cards on our list feature the Pokemon mascot once more. Trophy Pikachu, a card valued at anywhere from $100,000 to $150,000, is a reward for players who won during the Japanese Pokemon TCG World Championship during the PokeMania hype of the 90s. Given that it’s yet another exclusive card bound by participation in a specific event, it’s no surprise that this one came out to be one of the rarest cards out there. It was only ever printed in Japanese. Despite the fact that the card is rare, out of all the ones on our list, it’s the most common to find besides the starter shadowless holos. Exclusivity makes this card what it’s valued at now, not necessarily because of how many there are.
8. Pikachu Illustrator
If you have this card, brace yourself because you have something worth well over $200,000, easy. The creators of the Pokemon Card Game Illust Artist Contest conceived the Pikachu Illustrator card as a promotional card. The CoroCoro Comic Illustration Contest challenged artists to create a card for a feature in the CoroCoro Comic. Winners of this contest received the Pikachu Illustrator Card. As far as research can tell us, only 20 of these cards are in existence. Even then, that number may be smaller since it’s been quite a while since that contest. Depending on the condition, the card itself is worth anywhere from $200k to a whopping $500k if it’s in mint condition.
Do any of these look familiar? After hearing their value, would you look through a few pawn shop bins to hope and find one? Or are you one of the lucky few who has some of these? Either way, comment below and let us know your thoughts.