The Most Expensive Pokémon Cards Ever Sold
The most expensive Pokémon card is the PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator, which sold for $16,492,000 at Goldin on February 16, 2026. Guinness World Records verified it as the most expensive Pokémon card, and the most expensive trading card of any kind, ever sold at auction. Second is a PSA 10 Raincoat Pikachu promo at $8.4 million in September 2026.
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| Card | Grade | Price | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pikachu Illustrator (1998) | PSA 10 | $16,492,000 | Goldin, Feb 16, 2026. Logan Paul to AJ Scaramucci |
| 2. Raincoat Pikachu, Pokémon Art Academy promo (2015) | PSA 10 | $8,400,000 | Fanatics Collect, Sep 2026 |
| 3. Pikachu Illustrator (1998) | PSA 10 | $5,275,000 | Private sale, 2021. Marwan Dubsy to Logan Paul |
| 4. Bronze Trophy Pikachu, No. 3 Trainer (1998) | PSA 10 | $1,769,000 | Goldin, May 2026 |
| 5. Japanese Base Set Charizard, no rarity symbol (1996) | PSA 10 | $1,700,000 | Mar 3, 2026. Venue not disclosed |
| 6. Pikachu Illustrator (1998) | PSA 9 | $1,406,250 | Heritage Auctions, Mar 27, 2026 |
| 7. Gold Star Rayquaza, EX Deoxys (2005) | CGC Pristine 10 | $1,020,000 | Fanatics Collect, Aug 28, 2026 |
| 8. Gold Trophy Pikachu, No. 1 Trainer (1997) | PSA 8 | $982,100 | Goldin, Mar 2026 |
| 9. 1st Edition Base Set Charizard (1999) | PSA 10 | $954,800 | Auction, Feb 2026 |
| 10. Pikachu Illustrator (1998) | PSA 8.5 | $727,120 | Goldin, Mar 2026 |
| 11. Pikachu Illustrator (1998) | CGC 9.5 | $672,000 | Goldin, Oct 29, 2022. Consigned by Blake Martinez |
| 12. Japanese Base Set Charizard, no rarity symbol (1996) | PSA 10 | $641,721 | Goldin, Sep 2025 |
| 13. Prerelease Raichu (1999) | PSA 6 | $550,000 | Heritage Auctions, Sep 2025 |
| 14. 1st Edition Base Set Charizard (1999) | PSA 10 | $550,000 | Heritage Auctions, Dec 2025 |
| 15. Topsun Charizard, blue back (1997) | PSA 10 | $481,200 | Goldin, Jan 2021 |
| 16. Gold Trophy Pikachu, No. 1 Trainer (1998) | Not stated | $450,000 | Heritage Auctions, Dec 2025 |
Public auction results and private sales made public by the buyer or seller, each checked against the auction house, Guinness World Records or major news coverage (sources at the foot of this page). Prices include the buyer's premium. Sales we could not confirm, such as a PSA 9 No. 1 Trainer reported at $3 million on eBay in September 2025 and later relisted, are left out.
The most expensive Pokémon card ever sold is the one-of-a-kind PSA 10 copy of Pikachu Illustrator, a 1998 Japanese prize card. Only 39 copies were given to winners of CoroCoro Comic illustration contests, none were ever sold in shops, and this is the only copy PSA has graded Gem Mint 10.
What is the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold?
Logan Paul's PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator. He bought it privately in 2021 for $5,275,000, trading a PSA 9 Illustrator plus $4 million, a deal Guinness certified as a record at the time. He sold it at Goldin's headquarters in New Jersey on February 16, 2026: bidding ended at $13.3 million and the price with buyer's premium was $16,492,000. The buyer, AJ Scaramucci, had the card hung around his neck on the $75,000 diamond chain Paul wore at WrestleMania.
The record is about more than the card. A PSA 9 Illustrator sold for $1,406,250 at Heritage a month later, and a PSA 8.5 for $727,120 at Goldin, so the single top grade, the celebrity owner and the live-streamed sale were together worth well over ten times the next-best copy.
The second most expensive Pokémon card
A PSA 10 Raincoat Pikachu sold for $8.4 million on Fanatics Collect in September 2026, after 64 bids. It is a 2015 Japanese promo given to winners of a Pokémon Art Academy drawing contest, and Kotaku notes the winners received 100 copies in total, never sold in shops. The jump is extraordinary: PSA 10 copies had sold for $16,100 and $26,100 in 2025 and $156,250 at Heritage in June 2026.
The most expensive Charizard
Sports Illustrated reported a PSA 10 Japanese Base Set Charizard without a rarity symbol (the first 1996 print run) sold for $1.7 million on March 3, 2026, the first Charizard past a million. The best-known English card, the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard in PSA 10, reached $954,800 in February 2026; Heritage sold another for $550,000 in December 2025. PSA has graded 125 of them at 10, and TCGplayer notes some have sold for as little as $168,000. A sale at $1,385,274 was reported on October 9, 2026 but not yet confirmed, so it is not in the table. More on the Base Set Charizard and every Charizard card.
The most expensive English Pokémon card
The CGC Pristine 10 Gold Star Rayquaza from 2005's EX Deoxys sold for $1,020,000 on Fanatics Collect on August 28, 2026, making it the first English-language Pokémon card to pass $1 million. It is the only copy CGC has graded Pristine 10; a Gem Mint 10 of the same card sold for $168,000 a month earlier.
Trophy Pikachu cards
Trophy Pikachus were the first Pokémon tournament prize cards, awarded by placing at Japanese tournaments in 1997 and 1998, with Mitsuhiro Arita artwork in gold (No. 1 Trainer), silver (No. 2) and bronze (No. 3). The only PSA 10 of the 1998 Bronze No. 3 Trainer sold for $1,769,000 at Goldin in May 2026; the same card had sold for $324,000 on Fanatics Collect in November 2024. In October 2026, bidding on a PSA 8 Gold No. 1 Trainer from the 1997 first tournament in Goldin's Pokémon 30th Anniversary auction had passed $2.3 million including buyer's premium; that auction had not closed when this page was written. See the rarest Pokémon cards for how few of each exist.
The most expensive modern Pokémon cards
Cards from sets still in print cost far less than the record holders, but the top chase cards run into hundreds of dollars ungraded. These are the most expensive card in each recent English set, from TCGplayer's market price for a near-mint ungraded copy. A PSA 10 copy usually sells for several times more.
| Card | Set | Rarity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Umbreon ex 161/131 | Prismatic Evolutions | Special Illustration Rare | $1,269.69 |
| Mega Gengar ex 284/217 | Ascended Heroes | Special Illustration Rare | $816.38 |
| Victini 171/086 | Black Bolt | Black White Rare | $623.46 |
| Mega Charizard X ex 125/094 | Phantasmal Flames | Special Illustration Rare | $623.20 |
| Victini 172/086 | White Flare | Black White Rare | $550.89 |
| Charizard ex 199/165 | 151 | Special Illustration Rare | $324.63 |
| Mega Lucario ex 188/132 | Mega Evolution | Mega Hyper Rare | $225.54 |
| Mega Darkrai ex 116/084 | Pitch Black | Special Illustration Rare | $136.89 |
| Mega Greninja ex 116/086 | Chaos Rising | Special Illustration Rare | $127.82 |
| Mega Zygarde ex 124/088 | Perfect Order | Mega Hyper Rare | $94.87 |
| Lillie's Clefairy ex 184/159 | Journey Together | Special Illustration Rare | $87.06 |
Prices are TCGplayer market prices for near-mint ungraded copies, updated October 14, 2026 and read October 20, 2026 through TCGdex. They follow recent sales and move every day; none is guaranteed. Every card in each set is listed on the set card lists.
Three things stand out. Prismatic Evolutions still holds the priciest modern card, the Special Illustration Rare Umbreon ex, at about $1,270, two years after release. Black Bolt and White Flare's Black White Rares are worth more than almost every Special Illustration Rare because they are so hard to pull. And Charizard pulls its weight in every era: the Special Illustration Rare Mega Charizard X ex is worth three times its own, much harder to pull, Mega Hyper Rare.
Why some Pokémon cards cost so much
Very few copies
The top of the list is prize cards: 39 Pikachu Illustrators, five of each 1998 Kamex trophy Pikachu. Scarcity sets the floor.
The grade
A PSA 10 Illustrator made $16.49 million; a PSA 9 made $1.41 million a month later. At the top, one grade point can be worth ten times.
The character
Pikachu and Charizard fill most of the list. Popular Pokémon draw more bidders for the same rarity.
The first print
1st Edition stamps and Japanese cards without a rarity symbol mark the earliest copies, and collectors pay for them.
The story
A famous owner or a filmed pull can add a premium: Logan Paul's PSA 10 Illustrator set the all-time record, while identical PSA 10 1st Edition Charizards have sold anywhere from $168,000 to $954,800.
The market
2025 and 2026 broke most records, around Pokémon's 30th anniversary. Prices fall as well as rise.
How to check what your Pokémon card is worth
- Identify the exact card. Read the set symbol and the number at the bottom (such as 161/131), and check for a 1st Edition stamp or a special foil pattern. Two cards with the same name can differ in price by thousands of dollars.
- Judge the condition honestly. Look at the corners, edges, surface and centering. Most market prices assume near mint; whitening or scratches cut the price sharply.
- Look up recent sold prices. Use TCGplayer's market price or completed sales for ungraded cards, and sold listings for graded ones, matching the grade and grading company.
- Decide whether grading pays. A PSA 10 can sell for several times a raw copy, but grading costs money and most cards do not come back a 10. See what PSA grading costs.
The full walk-through, with where to look up each kind of card, is in our Pokémon card value guide.
The most valuable cards in Godpack's packs right now
You are not going to pull a Pikachu Illustrator, but you can open for real high-value slabs. Each Godpack pack holds one real Pokémon card, a Near Mint raw card or a PSA or CGC slab, and shows its full odds before you open. These were the six most valuable cards in Godpack's packs on October 20, 2026, all in the $100 Master pack.
Godpack's live pack contents and card values on October 20, 2026. Each slab is a single copy and can be pulled at any time.
Below those sit modern chase slabs such as a PSA 10 Mega Charizard Y ex 294/217 ($1,950), a PSA 10 Mega Charizard X ex 125/094 ($1,626.16) and a PSA 10 Charizard ex 199/165 from 151 ($1,601). Browse what is in each pack on Pokémon slabs.
- Prices: Starter $1, Trainer $10, Arena $25, Ultra $50, Master $100; the demo is free.
- Odds: every pack lists its full odds before you open, and each is set to a 100% expected return.
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- Selling back: card value minus a 5% fee, lower for VIP members.
Expensive cards are rare pulls, anywhere
Every Godpack pack is set to a 100% expected return, so the average card across a pack's pool is worth the pack price. Any single pack can be worth more or less than you paid, and most pulls land in the lower tiers of the odds table, so a $2,900 Mew ex is a long shot in any one Master pack. If you want one specific card, buying the single is the surest way to get it.
Real packs are for people 18 or older, or the age of majority where you live if higher. Open them for collecting and fun, not to make money.
Opening for a big card: your options
- The Master pack$100, PSA and CGC slabs, odds listed first.
- Pokémon slabsThe graded cards in Godpack's packs now.
- Booster packsWhich current sets have the best hit rates.
- A free demo packA real slab revealed, no account.
FAQ
What is the most expensive Pokémon card?
The PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator, which Logan Paul sold for $16,492,000 at Goldin on February 16, 2026. It is the only Illustrator PSA has graded 10, and Guinness World Records lists it as the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction.
What is the second most expensive Pokémon card?
A PSA 10 Raincoat Pikachu, a 2015 Japanese Pokémon Art Academy contest promo, which sold for $8.4 million on Fanatics Collect in September 2026.
How much is the most expensive Charizard card?
A PSA 10 Japanese Base Set Charizard with no rarity symbol sold for $1.7 million on March 3, 2026. The English 1st Edition Base Set Charizard record is $954,800 for a PSA 10, in February 2026.
What is the most expensive modern Pokémon card?
Among the sets from 151 to Pitch Black, the Special Illustration Rare Umbreon ex 161/131 from Prismatic Evolutions, at a TCGplayer market price of $1,269.69 ungraded in October 2026.
Why is the Pikachu Illustrator so expensive?
Only 39 were awarded to winners of 1998 CoroCoro Comic illustration contests and none were sold in shops. The record copy is also the only one graded PSA 10, and its celebrity owner and live sale added to the price.
How do I find out what my Pokémon card is worth?
Identify the set and card number, judge the condition, then check recent sold prices for that exact card and grade, such as TCGplayer's market price for ungraded cards. Our Pokémon card value guide walks through each step.
Can I pull expensive Pokémon cards on Godpack?
Yes. On October 20, 2026 the most valuable card in Godpack's packs was a PSA 10 Mew ex 232/091 worth $2,900 in the $100 Master pack. Each slab is a single copy, every pack shows its odds first, and most pulls land in the lower tiers.
Related pages
- Rarest Pokémon cardsThe cards with the fewest copies in existence.
- Pokémon card valueHow to price any card, raw or graded.
- PSA grading costWhat grading costs, and when it pays.
- How Godpack's odds workPublished odds and the 100% expected return.
Open a pack with the odds up front
Every Godpack pack lists its full odds before you open. Start with the free demo or a $1 pack.