The most expensive Pokémon card ever sold is a PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator, which fetched $16,492,000 at Goldin in February 2026. That is the highest price paid for any trading card at auction, in any game. This list ranks the 15 highest verified Pokémon card sales through October 2026, mixing public auctions and disclosed private deals.
Most of the top ten came in just nine months. Cards that sold for tens of thousands in 2024 now clear seven figures.
| Rank | Card | Price (USD) | Sale date | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 10) | $16,492,000 | Feb 2026 | Goldin |
| 2 | Art Academy “Raincoat” Pikachu (PSA 10) | $8,400,000 | Sep 2026 | Fanatics Collect |
| 3 | Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 9, MBA Gold Diamond) | $5,000,000 | Sep 2026 | Heritage Auctions |
| 4 | Art Academy Mudkip (PSA 10) | $3,720,000 | Sep 2026 | Fanatics Collect |
| 5 | “Ivy” Pikachu (CGC 8.5) | $3,300,000 | Aug 2026 | Private sale |
| 6 | Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 9, private sale) | $2,000,000 | 2024 | Goldin (private sale) |
| 7 | 1998 No. 3 Trainer Bronze Trophy Pikachu (PSA 10) | $1,769,000 | May 2026 | Goldin |
| 8 | 1996 Japanese Base Set “No Rarity” Charizard (PSA 10) | $1,700,000 | Mar 2026 | Public auction (house not confirmed) |
| 9 | Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 9) | $1,406,250 | Mar 2026 | Heritage Auctions |
| 10 | 1996 No Rarity Charizard, artist-signed case (PSA 10) | $1,232,200 | Mar 2026 | Public auction (house not confirmed) |
| 11 | Gold Star Rayquaza, EX Deoxys (CGC Pristine 10) | $1,020,000 | Aug 2026 | Fanatics Collect |
| 12 | 1997 No. 1 Trainer Gold Trophy Pikachu (PSA 8) | $982,100 | Mar 2026 | Goldin |
| 13 | 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard (PSA 10) | $954,800 | Feb 2026 | Goldin |
| 14 | Complete 1st Edition Base Set (all PSA 10) | $911,000 | Dec 2025 | Heritage Auctions |
| 15 | 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard (PSA 10) | $550,000 | Dec 2025 | Heritage Auctions |
1. Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 10): $16,492,000
The 1998 Illustrator is a promo card handed to winners of an illustration contest run by a Japanese comic magazine. Just 39 to 41 were ever made, and this is the only copy graded PSA 10, the top grade.
Logan Paul bought it privately in 2021 for about $5.3 million, then consigned it to a month-long Goldin sale that closed on February 16, 2026. The winning bid was about $13.3 million, and the buyer’s premium took the total to $16.49 million, the most ever paid for a trading card of any game.
How we valued it: final price with buyer premium, taken from the auction result.
2. Art Academy “Raincoat” Pikachu (PSA 10): $8,400,000
A 2015 Japanese promo that went to winners of a Pokémon Art Academy drawing contest on the Nintendo 3DS. Each winning design was printed 100 times, and this Pikachu in a raincoat is one of them.
It closed on September 28, 2026 after 64 bids. The winning bid was $7 million, and a 20% buyer’s premium made it $8.4 million. Earlier PSA 10 copies had sold for a small fraction of that, which tells you how fast a few hot cards moved this year.
How we valued it: hammer $7 million plus the 20% premium.
3. Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 9, MBA Gold Diamond): $5,000,000
A second copy, this one graded PSA 9 and carrying an extra Gold Diamond designation from a separate grading service. It is one of roughly 15 copies at PSA 9.
Heritage’s September 2026 Dallas sale for about $5 million including premium, a record for the PSA 9 grade. Six months earlier a different PSA 9 had set the previous mark at $1.4 million.
How we valued it: about $5 million all in, per trade reports of the lot.
4. Art Academy Mudkip (PSA 10): $3,720,000
Another card from the same 2015 Art Academy contest, this one showing Mudkip in artwork by contest winner Daisuke Ochiai. Only about 100 exist, and very few are graded Gem Mint.
Fanatics Collect’s September Premier Auction, in the same week as the Raincoat Pikachu, for about $3.72 million with premium. Mudkip had never been a six-figure card before 2026.
How we valued it: all-in sale total from the completed lot.
5. “Ivy” Pikachu (CGC 8.5): $3,300,000
A 1996 Japanese CoroCoro Comic promo, the first of five known variations of that Pikachu, identified by ivy leaves under its left foot. The grading company says only two copies are in its census, and this is the higher one.
This changed hands privately in August 2026 for a reported $3.3 million, the most ever paid for a card graded by that company.
How we valued it: private deal price as announced by the grader.
6. Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 9, private sale): $2,000,000
A plain Illustrator in mint condition, the grade most buyers can actually hope to find.
Goldin brokered it privately in mid 2024 for a reported $2 million. It is the oldest sale on this list, and it shows where the PSA 9 market stood before the 2026 surge.
How we valued it: private deal price as relayed in coverage, month unstated.
7. 1998 No. 3 Trainer Bronze Trophy Pikachu (PSA 10): $1,769,000
Trophy cards were prizes for the top three finishers at the first Japanese Pokémon tournaments. The bronze third place trophy is the only copy graded above PSA 8, and PSA has graded just five.
Goldin’s Spring Elite auction closed it in mid May 2026. The hammer was $1.45 million and the 22% buyer’s premium brought it to $1.769 million, a record for a Trophy Pikachu.
How we valued it: $1.45 million hammer plus the 22% premium.
8. 1996 Japanese Base Set “No Rarity” Charizard (PSA 10): $1,700,000
The first Japanese Charizard, printed without a rarity symbol. Roughly ten have earned a PSA 10.
It sold on March 3, 2026 for $1.7 million, the first Charizard of any print to pass $1 million at auction. The previous best for this card was about $640,000 in September 2025.
How we valued it: reported sale total, auction house unnamed in what we opened.
9. Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 9): $1,406,250
A PSA 9 copy that led Heritage’s March 2026 trading card sale.
It made $1,406,250 on the first day of the March 27 and 28 auction, which Heritage called a public auction record for the grade at the time. The September copy above then more than tripled it.
How we valued it: price realized, per the house, premium included.
10. 1996 No Rarity Charizard, artist-signed case (PSA 10): $1,232,200
A second PSA 10 No Rarity Charizard, this one sealed in a case signed by Charizard’s illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita.
Five days after the $1.7 million copy, on March 8, 2026. The signature added story but not enough to beat the unsigned card.
How we valued it: reported sale total, venue unnamed.
11. Gold Star Rayquaza, EX Deoxys (CGC Pristine 10): $1,020,000
A 2005 English card, the only copy to earn the grader’s Pristine 10. It is also the first English language Pokémon card to sell for more than $1 million.
It closed on August 28, 2026 after 35 bids at $1.02 million including premium, beating the previous English record by $65,200.
How we valued it: all-in price from the August Premier result.
12. 1997 No. 1 Trainer Gold Trophy Pikachu (PSA 8): $982,100
The first place trophy from the earliest Pokémon tournaments. It is a lower grade than the bronze copy, yet it made nearly $1 million.
Reported at $982,100 in March 2026. A higher graded gold trophy copy was on offer in Goldin’s 30th anniversary auction, closing October 25, 2026, with pre-bids above $1 million; we do not rank it because it has not closed.
How we valued it: reported total, hedged because we found it in one place only.
13. 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard (PSA 10): $954,800
The most famous Pokémon card in English, from the first print run of the 1999 Base Set. Roughly one in four graded copies reaches PSA 10.
This copy was opened on Logan Paul’s stream, then sold for $954,800 in February 2026. It was the English language record until the Rayquaza passed it in August.
How we valued it: all-in price, matched by the later record that cites it.
14. Complete 1st Edition Base Set (all PSA 10): $911,000
Every card in the 102 card first edition set, each graded PSA 10, sold as one lot.
It brought about $911,000 in December 2025. The Charizard alone is now worth more than the rest combined.
How we valued it: approximate total as reported for the lot.
15. 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard (PSA 10): $550,000
A first edition Charizard that reset the English record in late 2025 at $550,000.
Within two months, the Goldin copy at $954,800 beat it by more than $400,000. It stays on the list as the marker for how quickly the ceiling rose.
How we valued it: approximate total as reported, premium included.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
- February 2026: the PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator sells for $16.49 million, tripling the $5.3 million it cost in 2021.
- March 2026: a Japanese No Rarity Charizard becomes the first Charizard to pass $1 million, and a PSA 9 copy sets a grade record at $1.4 million.
- May 2026: a PSA 10 bronze Trophy Pikachu sets a record for its card family at $1.769 million.
- August 2026: the Gold Star Rayquaza is the first English language card over $1 million, and the Ivy Pikachu reaches $3.3 million privately.
- September 2026: a Raincoat Pikachu makes $8.4 million, a PSA 9 Illustrator makes about $5 million, and a Mudkip makes $3.72 million. All three came within about ten days.
What drives these prices
- One copy beats everything. The top card is the only PSA 10 of a 39 card print run. When there is a single best example, collectors with deep pockets bid against each other with no substitute.
- Contest and trophy cards win. Four of the top six cards were never sold in packs. They were prizes, so scarcity was built in from day one.
- Grade is a multiplier. Illustrators graded PSA 9 now sell for several million, PSA 7 for under a million, and the lone PSA 10 for sixteen. The gap between the top grade and the next is wider than the gap between the next and the bottom.
- Anniversary demand. 2026 marks 30 years of the franchise, and auction houses timed their biggest consignments to it.
- Buyer’s premium is real money. A 20% to 24% premium added $1.4 million to the Raincoat Pikachu and $3.2 million to the Illustrator.
FAQ
What is the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold?
A PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator, which sold for $16,492,000 including buyer’s premium at Goldin on February 16, 2026.
What is the most expensive Charizard?
The 1996 Japanese No Rarity Charizard in PSA 10, at $1.7 million in March 2026. The best English language Charizard on this list is the PSA 10 first edition at $954,800.
What was the most recent big record?
The Raincoat Pikachu at $8.4 million in late September 2026 is the biggest sale since the February record. Goldin’s 30th anniversary auction closes October 25, 2026 and may add more.
What is the cheapest card on this list?
The Charizard first edition at $550,000 from Heritage in December 2025. Anything below that sits outside the top 15.
Why are Pokémon cards worth so much?
Scarcity, top grades and a collector base that grew up with the franchise. Cards that were prizes rather than pack pulls have the fewest copies.
What should I expect to pay for a good Pokémon card?
Most of the market is far below this list. A graded first edition Base Set Charizard in lower grades generally lists from about $25,000 to $50,000, while common cards cost a few dollars.
How we put this list together
We ranked cards by verified sale price, using auction results and disclosed private sales compiled in an internal valuation model. Prices are approximate, include the buyer’s premium where stated, and change as new sales close.
Last updated: October 2026.
