The Pokemon trading game was first established in 1966, by Media factory in Japan and has since become a universal phenomenon; spanning from trading cards to movies and most recently a successful app animation game.
Despite all the recent franchise?s the core focus has always been on trading cards. Over the past 22 years, the company continued releasing sets and promotional cards with some of them becoming incredibly rare and highly valuable.
As with most collectors items the rarest cards are usually those which are first or special edition, e.g. one off cards given out at Pokemon competitions or event, generating this idea of exclusivity and rarity. The rarer the card, the more expensive it becomes. The value of a card can depend on its rarity or its quality; they can be graded using the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) numbers, the highest number is 10, meaning your card is in complete mint condition, dramatically increasing its value.
Snupps houses a large and ever-growing Pokemon community who uses the platform to share collections, grow their community, and buy and sell cards. Here are the top 10 rarest Pokemon cards on Snupps that are now worth between $5,000 and $100,000 ? let?s see if you have any of these!
1.Pikachu Trainer ?1, 2, and 3
Photo by @stephychu025
?1, 2, and 3 Trainer cards are only given out to winners of the Japanese Pokemon Trading Card Game world championships; each card guarantees an entry for the following year?s championships. Every year, the event releases only one of each card, making them extremely rare. @stephychu025?s Pikachu Trainer cards collection is from the third official Japanese Pokemon Trading Card Game in 1998. Although their prices are unknown, they are sure to sell at an exorbitant amount.
2. Pikachu Illustrator
Photo by @stephychu025
Known as the ?Holy Grail of Pokemon?, the Pikachu Illustrator card was only given out to winners at the CoroCoro Comic Illustration Contest in 1998. With only a few in circulation around the world, this card is the rarest card in existence. Due to its rarity, a Pikachu Illustrator card not in mint condition is worth at least $50,000. In 2014, one of these cards in mint condition was sold for $100,000 on eBay. @stephychu025 bought her Pikachu Illustrator card from a Japanese seller in PSA near Mint 7.5 condition, she can resell it for anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000. Talk about making $$$!
3. Pokemon Booster Box with Black Triangle Error
Photo by @elizajane15
Pokemon cards are generally worth more when they come in a sealed box. An old Pokemon booster box would already sell for thousands of dollars due to the rare cards it may contain. In particular, the booster box that has a black triangle error on the cover, like the one pictured, is worth up to $8,700 just because of its rarity. Fun fact, by mistake, the factory printed too many first edition booster boxes, so they had to cover the first edition stamp with a black triangle. @elizajane15 is a lucky owner of this black triangle booster box!
4. Pokemon Topsun 1995 ? First Edition Charizard
Photo by @elizajane15
@elizajane15 bought her First Edition Topsun Charizard from a German seller for a fair price. The blue back of this card indicates that this Topsun Charizard is from the first edition printing in 1995. This precious card is the original, first ever Charizard to be printed in existence, and it is worth up to $10,000 due to its rarity.
5. First Edition Shining Charizard
Photo by @foundskate
In the second generation of Pokemon games, the Neo Destiny set introduced Pokemon shining cards with exciting new additions. The Shining Charizard was the first time a shiny Pokemon was found in a card game. The Charizard itself is holographic instead of the background. @foundskate?s Shining Charizard is even rarer and more valuable because it is a first edition card, which can be worth up to $5,000 in mint condition.
6. Umbreon and Espeon Gold Star Cards
Photo by @hartman20
Only a few of the Gold Star cards are in circulation and they are labeled with a star on the right of the card name. On top of that, the well-known Masakazu Fukuda created illustrations for the Pokemon Gold Star cards portraying the Pokemon characters in action. Out of all of the Gold Star cards, the Espeon card is the most valuable and difficult to find because it was only distributed by the Pokemon Players Club to those who met certain criteria at Pokemon events. @hartman20?s Umbreon and Espeon Gold Star cards are in PSA Near Mint ? Mint 8 condition, which could be worth up to $5,000 and $6,000, respectively. Check out the rest of his awesome Pokemon Trading Card Game collection on Snupps!
7. First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard
Photo by @leonhart
When the Pokemon Trading Card Game was booming in the 90?s, Charizard was and still is one of the most popular Pokemon characters. Whether it is a first edition, a shadowless, or in mint condition, the Charizard cards are highly treasured. Surprisingly, @leonhart?s Charizard card has it all! It is a First Edition Shadowless Holographic Charizard card in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition and it is now worth up to $50,000. Shadowless cards are missing a shadow on the right of the image and it was an error made for a short period of time, making it all the more valuable. This is certainly one of the rarest and most treasured card. Check out more of @leonhart?s amazing collection on Snupps!
8. First Edition Shadowless Holographic Blastoise
Photo by @klam28
Like any other first edition shadowless holographic card, the Blastoise one is just as rare and valuable, and it could be worth up to $10,000 in mint condition. @klam2?s First Edition Shadowless Holographic Blastoise card may not be graded, but it is undoubtedly still worth thousands of dollars.
9. Magikarp Tamamushi University Promo Card
Photo by @karpchu
Magikarp may not be the most powerful card in the Pokemon game, but the Magikarp promo card is definitely one of the rarest Pokemon cards with only 30 to 100 of them in existence. The Magikarp Tamamushi University promo card was only given to top qualifying players at a Pokemon conference in Japan in 1998. @karpchu?s especially rare Magikarp promo card is a first edition and in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition, which could be worth up to $27,000!
10. First Edition Shadowless Holographic Machamp
Photo by @keysc23
Another rare and valuable card is @keysc23?s First Edition Shadowless Holographic Machamp card. Machamp card is one of the rarest cards and is exceptionally valuable due to being a first edition and shadowless. Depending on its quality, it could be worth up to $5,000. Take a look at @keysc23?s expansive Pokemon Trading Card Game collection on Snupps!
Over time prices of Pokemon cards keep rising. You never know a card from your old collection could now be worth thousands of dollars. Whether it is to pay for rent or college tuition, Pokemon Trading Card Games could be a great investment! For more Pokemon info or to showcase your own collection, check out Snupps!
Comment below if you have any of these cards or others that can top this list!
Download the free app now on the App Store, Google play or check out our website.
