Most expensive Pokémon cards: records and the top 20
The most expensive Pokémon cards: the top 20 regular cards from current sets, then promos and limited cards like the $16.49M Pikachu Illustrator, in USD.
The most expensive Pokémon card ever sold is a PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator, a 1998 Japanese contest prize: $16,492,000 at Goldin on February 16, 2026, according to Guinness World Records. The most expensive regular card, from current English booster packs, is the red Mew RGB Rare from 30th Celebration, at a $4,492.45 USD market price on November 6, 2026 (about $6,340 CAD). This guide ranks them apart: regular cards first, then promos and limited cards, then cards printed only in Japanese.
The most expensive regular Pokémon cards
Regular cards are printed in open runs for packs and retail products. These are the 20 most expensive from current English sets, at ungraded market prices.
| # | Card | Set | Rarity | November 6 | In CAD | Since October 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mew R/RGB | 30th Celebration | RGB Rare | $4,492.45 | about $6,340 | -25% |
| 2 | Mew B/RGB | 30th Celebration | RGB Rare | $4,263.60 | about $6,017 | +14% |
| 3 | Mew G/RGB | 30th Celebration | RGB Rare | $3,164.40 | about $4,466 | -15% |
| 4 | Umbreon ex 161/131 | Prismatic Evolutions | Special Illustration Rare | $1,178.25 | about $1,663 | -7% |
| 5 | Mew ex 232/091 | Paldean Fates | Special Illustration Rare | $828.72 | about $1,170 | -4% |
| 6 | Mega Gengar ex 284/217 | Ascended Heroes | Special Illustration Rare | $626.37 | about $884 | -20% |
| 7 | Victini 171/086 | Black Bolt | Black White Rare | $613.44 | about $866 | -2% |
| 8 | Zekrom ex 172/086 | Black Bolt | Black White Rare | $581.13 | about $820 | -4% |
| 9 | Pikachu ex 276/217 | Ascended Heroes | Special Illustration Rare | $572.75 | about $808 | -20% |
| 10 | Mega Charizard X ex 125/094 | Phantasmal Flames | Special Illustration Rare | $570.61 | about $805 | -8% |
| 11 | Victini 172/086 | White Flare | Black White Rare | $528.34 | about $746 | -4% |
| 12 | Reshiram ex 173/086 | White Flare | Black White Rare | $451.42 | about $637 | -3% |
| 13 | Mega Dragonite ex 290/217 | Ascended Heroes | Special Illustration Rare | $402.35 | about $568 | -14% |
| 14 | Sylveon ex 156/131 | Prismatic Evolutions | Special Illustration Rare | $377.94 | about $533 | -9% |
| 15 | Mega Rayquaza ex 141/103 | Delta Reign | Mega Hyper Rare | $349.35 | about $493 | out Nov 6 |
| 16 | Mega Rayquaza ex 138/103 | Delta Reign | Special Illustration Rare | $327.81 | about $463 | out Nov 6 |
| 17 | Team Rocket's Mewtwo ex 231/182 | Destined Rivals | Special Illustration Rare | $310.92 | about $439 | -13% |
| 18 | Charizard ex 199/165 | Scarlet & Violet 151 | Special Illustration Rare | $296.64 | about $419 | -8% |
| 19 | Magikarp 203/193 | Paldea Evolved | Illustration Rare | $291.60 | about $412 | -16% |
| 20 | Leafeon ex 144/131 | Prismatic Evolutions | Special Illustration Rare | $285.13 | about $402 | -8% |
How we built this list: English cards from sets released since Scarlet & Violet (March 31, 2023), ranked by their TCGplayer market price on November 6, 2026, which is the average of recent sales of ungraded, near-mint copies. Each card counts once, at its most expensive printing. Promo cards are in their own table below. CAD amounts use the Bank of Canada rate of November 6, 2026 (1 USD = 1.4113 CAD). The card tiles show today's price; the table shows the November 6 price. We refresh this ranking once a month.
Graded record sales of regular cards
Graded copies of older pack cards sell for far more than any ungraded card above. Some of the highest sales we can source, buyer's premium included:
| Card | Grade | Price (USD) | Where | Date | Source and status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typhlosion (1st Edition Neo Genesis, 2000) | PSA 10 | $1,549,690 | Alt | October 8, 2026 | UltraBall: reported, payment not confirmed |
| Charizard (1st Edition Base Set, 1999) | PSA 10 | $1,385,274 | Alt | October 2026 | UltraBall: reported, payment not confirmed |
| Charizard (1st Edition Shadowless Base Set, 1999) | PSA 10 | $1,380,000 | Fanatics Collect | October 23, 2026 | Polkastarter: closed October 23, unpaid at last check |
| Mudkip ☆ (EX Team Rocket Returns, 2004) | PSA 10 | $1,020,000 | Fanatics Collect | September 2026 | UltraBall: reported |
| Charizard (1st Edition Base Set, 1999), pulled by Logan Paul | PSA 10 | $954,800 | Goldin | February 2026 | Sports Illustrated |
The two October Charizard sales are different copies, and neither payment is confirmed. A $2,700,000 sale of a PSA 10 Torchic ☆ (EX Team Rocket Returns) at Alt on September 10, 2026 is reported by UltraBall only, with payment not confirmed, so we leave it out. Raw copies of cards from 1999 to 2006 rarely sell on TCGplayer, which is why the top 20 covers current sets.
Which sets have the most expensive cards
Three sets each place 3 cards in the top 20: 30th Celebration (the three Mew RGB Rares, in a set that came out on September 16, 2026, according to Pokémon's 30th Celebration page), Prismatic Evolutions (Umbreon, Sylveon and Leafeon ex) and Ascended Heroes (Mega Gengar, Pikachu and Mega Dragonite ex). The Black Bolt and White Flare pair places 4 Black White Rares, and Delta Reign, out on November 6, already has its two Mega Rayquaza ex in the list. The full price list of each set is on its Kontora page, for example 30th Celebration, Ascended Heroes and Delta Reign.
The pattern is the same as in most sets: Special Illustration Rares and special rarities of popular Pokémon (Mew, Umbreon, Pikachu, Charizard, Gengar) take the top places, and the rest of a set is worth far less.
What moved since October 15
17 of the 18 cards that had a price on October 15, 2026 are cheaper on November 6. The red Mew RGB Rare fell the most in dollars, from $6,000.27 to $4,492.45 (-25%), while the blue Mew went the other way (+14%). Mega Gengar ex and Pikachu ex from Ascended Heroes both lost about a fifth. The two Mega Rayquaza ex from Delta Reign had no sale before release, so they have no October price; our Delta Reign chase cards guide follows them from preorders.
The most expensive Pokémon promos and limited cards
Promos and prize cards are made in small or controlled numbers and never sold in packs. Almost all the record prices in Pokémon are for these cards, and most were only ever made in Japanese.
| Card | How many | How it was obtained | Best documented sale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pikachu Illustrator (Japanese, 1998) | 39 officially distributed, according to Fanatics Collect | Prize in CoroCoro Comic illustration contests | PSA 10, $16,492,000, Goldin, February 16, 2026 (Guinness) |
| Art Academy promos (Japanese, 2015), such as Raincoat Pikachu and Mudkip | "100 cards" per winner, according to Nintendo | Prize in the Pokémon Art Academy contest | Raincoat Pikachu PSA 10, $8,400,000, Fanatics Collect, September 28, 2026 (GosuGamers); Mudkip PSA 10, $4,880,000, Goldin, October 25, 2026 (ICv2) |
| Gold 1st Place Trophy Pikachu (Japanese, 1997) | not confirmed by The Pokémon Company | First prize at an early Japanese tournament | PSA 8, "over $3 million" ($3,080,500 per UltraBall), Goldin, October 25, 2026 (ICv2) |
| Bronze Trophy Pikachu (Japanese, 1998) | not confirmed by The Pokémon Company | Third prize at a Japanese tournament | PSA 10, $1,769,000, Goldin, May 2026 (Star City Games) |
| Prerelease Raichu (1999) | not confirmed | The stamp was an "accidental carryover from Wizards of the Coast's early test-league era"; this was "the only example authenticated and encapsulated by PSA at the time of the sale" (Intelligent Collector) | PSA 6, $555,000 with buyer's premium, Heritage, September 2025 (Intelligent Collector) |
Other Pikachu Illustrator sales in 2026, per UltraBall: PSA 9 for $5,000,000 (Heritage, September), PSA 9 for $3,237,954 (Alt, October 22, payment not confirmed) and CGC 9 for $2,806,271 (Goldin, September 20). A second Art Academy Mudkip PSA 10 sold for $3,720,000 at Fanatics Collect in September (Otia).
Modern promos at market price
Ungraded modern promos have market prices too. On November 6, 2026:
| Promo | Set | Market price | In CAD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat (085) | Scarlet & Violet Promo Cards | $932.81 | about $1,316 |
| Paradise Resort (World Championships 2026) [Staff] (092) | Mega Evolution Promo | $848.00 | about $1,197 |
| Celebratory Fanfare (Ace Trainer) (028) | Mega Evolution Promo | $687.78 | about $971 |
| Paradise Resort (World Championships 2024) (150) | Scarlet & Violet Promo Cards | $596.85 | about $842 |
| Paradise Resort (World Championships 2026) (092) | Mega Evolution Promo | $389.99 | about $550 |
The Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat came from the Van Gogh Museum collaboration, and the Paradise Resort cards are World Championships promos, with Staff versions that sell for more.
Pokémon cards printed only in Japanese
Most of the promos above exist only in Japanese. Among Japanese pack cards, the first 1996 Base Set print, with no rarity symbol, is the top tier: a PSA 10 Charizard reportedly sold privately for $1,700,000 on March 3, 2026 (Essential Japan), and another copy, in a case signed by the artist Mitsuhiro Arita, sold for $1,232,200 at Goldin on March 8, 2026 (UltraBall), according to Sports Illustrated. Japanese cards have their own market, so they are not in the English ranking above.
How to check what your Pokémon card is worth
- Find the set and the number at the bottom of the card (for example 161/131), then open the card on its Kontora set page: the price is the TCGplayer market price, updated every day.
- Check the version: the same Pokémon can be a Double Rare, an Illustration Rare or a Special Illustration Rare in one set, at very different prices.
- Condition matters: these prices are for near-mint cards. Whitening on the edges, scratches or bends lower the price.
FAQ
What is the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold?
A PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator, sold for $16,492,000 including the buyer's premium at Goldin on February 16, 2026, according to Guinness World Records. Logan Paul, who sold it, had acquired it in July 2021 in a private trade valued at $5,275,000 ($4 million plus a PSA 9 Illustrator), according to Guinness World Records.
What is the most expensive Pokémon card right now?
Among regular cards from current sets, ungraded, the red Mew RGB Rare from 30th Celebration, at a $4,492.45 USD market price (about $6,340 CAD) on November 6, 2026. The blue and green Mew RGB Rares are next, at $4,263.60 and $3,164.40. The record for any Pokémon card is the $16,492,000 Pikachu Illustrator, a contest prize.
What is the most expensive Pokémon card from Scarlet & Violet?
The Umbreon ex Special Illustration Rare (161/131) from Prismatic Evolutions, at $1,178.25 USD on November 6, 2026, followed by Mew ex (232/091) from Paldean Fates at $828.72.
What is the most expensive Charizard from a current set?
Mega Charizard X ex (125/094), the Special Illustration Rare from Phantasmal Flames, at $570.61 USD on November 6, 2026. The Charizard ex Special Illustration Rare from 151 (199/165) sells for $296.64.
Are these prices for graded cards?
The top 20 uses TCGplayer market prices for ungraded, near-mint English cards on November 6, 2026. The record sales, for regular cards and for promos, are graded copies, and each is labelled with its grade.
How often is this list updated?
Once a month. The card tiles in the table always show today's price.
Questions or tips about this? Talk about it with other collectors on r/KontoraMarket.