As a kid, you couldn’t escape Pokémon. From the Nintendo video game franchise to the animated TV series and movies through the wildly-popular trading card series, there were a multitude of ways to, well, catch ‘em all. As kids grow old, though, they put away things like their collectible trading cards, leaving them to collect dust with all of the other childhood memories.
That said, Pokémon turned 25 in February 2021, and since many were still at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they went back through their trading cards, hoping to turn their childhood obsession into big bucks. Getting your cards graded was a nightmare into itself, but if you stuck through it, maybe you could make a few dollars. Or maybe make $16 million off of one card like Logan Paul did back in February, although if that’s the road you’re going down, you will have to pay to play, and you better make sure that the Pikachu or Charizard card you’re holding onto is as close to first edition (and in as mint condition) as can be.
With Pokémon’s 30th anniversary celebration in full swing, it begs the question: will we see any more expensive Pokémon card purchases this year? Maybe it make sense to figure out how much people have spent on Pokémon trading cards over the years. Here is a look at the 10 most expensive Pokémon card purchases.
The Galaxy Star Holographic Blastoise
Grade: CGC 8.5
Seller: private seller
Price: $360,000
Purchase Date: January 2021
According to CGC Trading Cards, a collectibles authenticator, this “presentation” card was apparently the only one in existence, used for marketing as a prototype of the English-language Pokémon cards.
The First-Edition Charizard
Grade: SGC 10
Seller: private seller
Price: $369,000
Purchase Date: December 12, 2020
Kind of crazy to think that, right before the first Christmas during the COVID-19 pandemic, copping this “pristine” first edition Charizard selling for under half a million dollars was considered a record-breaking purchase.
Another First-Edition Charizard
Grade: PSA 10
Seller: private seller
Price: $420,000
Purchase Date: March 2022
Sold about a year and change after the SGC 10 Charizard card, this PSA 10 grade first-edition Charizard selling for almost $60,000 more is proof that yesterday’s price is not today’s price.
The Silver No. 2 Pikachu Trainer
Grade: PSA 10
Seller: private seller
Price: $444,000
Purchase Date: September 2023
This card is extremely rare, as it was only printed to be “the second place prize from the 1997-98 Japanese Lizardon Mega Battle Pokemon tournament events,” and features Pikachu holding a trophy.
The Pre-First Edition Blue Back Charizard
Grade: PSA 10
Seller: private seller
Price: $493,230
Purchase Date: January 2021
This is another rare card, that was apparently made in 1995 but was released in 1997 in Japan (with apple-flavored bubble gum). This card is one of 31!
Blake Martinez’s Pokémon Illustrator Pikachu
Grade: CGC 9.5
Seller: Blake Martinez
Price: $672,000
Purchase Date: October 2022
Word on road is that Blake Martinez retired from the NFL after this card sale, making so much bank off Pokémon cards that he took his talents to Whatnot.
The Pokémon Illustrator Pikachu Card That Almost Cracked a Million
Grade: PSA 7
Seller: private seller
Price: $900,000
Purchase Date: February 23, 2022
This card reportedly had 30 bidders, but some mysterious entity put up the $900K to grab this card, making it the highest-priced Pokémon card at the time.
Logan Paul’s Million Dollar Pokémon Illustrator Pikachu Card
Grade: PSA 9
Seller: Matt Allen
Price: $1,275,000
Purchase Date: June 2021
This particular card sale found Logan Paul, avid Pokémon card collector, spending over a million dollars for a PSA Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card from prominent card collector Matt Allen.
Logan Paul’s $5 Million Pokémon Illustrator Pikachu Card
Grade: PSA 10
Seller: Marwan Dubsy
Price: $5,275,000
Purchase Date: July 22, 2021
About a month later, Paul put down over $5 million for a near-perfect Pokémon Illustrator Pikachu Card, the only one with a PSA 10 rating. During WrestleMania 38, Guinness World Records presented Paul with a certificate for the achievement.
Logan Paul’s $16 Million Pokémon Illustrator Pikachu Card sale
Grade: PSA 10
Seller: Logan Paul
Price: $16,492,000
Purchase Date: February 16, 2026
This is the flip dreams are made of, the reason folks ran through their parents attics to find the cards they abandoned, although when Paul spent $5.275 million on the card, that should have been seen as an investment. With so few cards being graded at this high of a quality, all it took was Paul waiting for the right price. Well played.
