$1M+ CLUB · SOURCED POKÉMON CARD SALES · SOURCED
The most expensive Pokémon cards ever sold.
Sourced single-card sales and reported transactions of $1,000,000 or more, ranked by sale value, with the grade, the date the sale closed, where it sold and the sources behind it. The record is the Pikachu Illustrator PSA 10 at $16,492,000 (February 16, 2026).
- $1M+ sales in this view12of 18 tracked
- The record$16,492,000Pikachu Illustrator PSA 10 · 2026
- Combined, this view$46.8M12 single cards
- Most $1M+ salesPikachu Illustrator6 sales over $1 million
| Rank | Card | Price paid | Sold | Status · sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pikachu IllustratorPSA 10 · Japanese · 1998 Japanese CoroCoro Comics illustration contest promoHammer price $13.3 million plus Goldin’s buyer’s premium. Sold by Logan Paul; the lot also included a diamond necklace and presentation box. Guinness World Records: most expensive trading card sold at auction.February 16, 2026 · Goldin · Confirmed | $16,492,000$16.5M · the record | February 16, 2026GoldinAuction | ConfirmedGuinness World Records · CNN |
| 2 | “Raincoat” Pikachu (Art Academy)PSA 10 · Japanese · 2015 Japanese Pokémon Art Academy promo, art by Y. FujishimaClosed after 64 bids. The second most expensive Pokémon card ever sold.September 27, 2026 · Fanatics Collect · Confirmed | $8,400,000$8.4M · 51% of the record | September 27, 2026Fanatics CollectAuction | ConfirmedDexerto · CBR |
| 4 | Pikachu IllustratorPSA 9 · Japanese · 1998 Japanese CoroCoro Comics illustration contest promoSome reports date the close to September 19. The highest price for a Pikachu Illustrator below PSA 10.September 18, 2026 · Heritage Auctions · Confirmed | $5,000,000$5M · 30% of the record | September 18, 2026Heritage AuctionsAuction | ConfirmedSports Illustrated · Yahoo |
| 5 | Mudkip (Art Academy)PSA 10 · Japanese · 2015 Japanese Pokémon Art Academy promo, art by Daisuke OchiaiClosed after 61 bids in Fanatics Collect’s September Premier Auction; one of three PSA 10 copies.September 25, 2026 · Fanatics Collect · Confirmed | $3,720,000$3.72M · 23% of the record | September 25, 2026Fanatics CollectAuction | ConfirmedOTIA · Sports Illustrated |
| 7 | Pikachu IllustratorCGC 9 · Japanese · 1998 Japanese CoroCoro Comics illustration contest promoWinning bid $2,300,222 plus Goldin’s 22% buyer’s premium, in the Summer Goldin 100 auction. Often rounded to $2.8 million.September 19, 2026 · Goldin · Confirmed | $2,806,271$2.81M · 17% of the record | September 19, 2026GoldinAuction | ConfirmedRipster · Sports Illustrated |
| 8 | Torchic Gold StarPSA 10 · English · 2004 EX Team Rocket Returns #108The most expensive English-language Pokémon card sold so far. One of 19 PSA 10 copies.September 10, 2026 · Alt · Confirmed | $2,700,000$2.7M · 16% of the record | September 10, 2026AltAuction | ConfirmedComicBook.com · TheGamer |
| 9 | Bronze Trophy PikachuPSA 10 · Japanese · 1998 Japanese 3rd Place, 3rd Official Tournament prize cardFinal bid $1,450,000 plus buyer’s premium; the record public sale for any Trophy Pikachu. The only PSA 10 of five graded.May 18, 2026 · Goldin · Confirmed | $1,769,000$1.77M · 11% of the record | May 18, 2026GoldinAuction | ConfirmedStar City Games · Sports Illustrated |
| 10 | Pikachu IllustratorPSA 9 · Japanese · 1998 Japanese CoroCoro Comics illustration contest promoSold in Heritage’s March Trading Card Games & Manga Signature Auction.March 27, 2026 · Heritage Auctions · Confirmed | $1,406,250$1.41M · 8.5% of the record | March 27, 2026Heritage AuctionsAuction | ConfirmedTheGamer · Star City Games |
| 11 | Charizard, 1st EditionPSA 10 · English · 1999 Base Set #4, ShadowlessClosed after 46 bids around October 9; reported as awaiting payment confirmation. If completed, the record for a 1st Edition Charizard.October 9, 2026 · Alt · Pending payment | $1,385,274$1.39M · 8.4% of the record | October 9, 2026AltAuction | Pending paymentVICE · GempireCards |
| 14 | “Raincoat” Pikachu (Art Academy)PSA 10 · Japanese · 2015 Japanese Pokémon Art Academy promo, art by Y. FujishimaA different PSA 10 copy from the $8.4 million sale two weeks earlier.October 11, 2026 · Goldin · Confirmed | $1,037,000$1.04M · 6.3% of the record | October 11, 2026GoldinAuction | ConfirmedOTIA · Sports Illustrated |
| 15 | Rayquaza Gold StarCGC Pristine 10 · English · 2005 EX Deoxys #107The first English-language Pokémon card to sell for more than $1 million. The only CGC Pristine 10.August 28, 2026 · Fanatics Collect · Confirmed | $1,020,000$1.02M · 6.2% of the record | August 28, 2026Fanatics CollectAuction | ConfirmedCGC · Dexerto |
| 16 | Mudkip Gold StarPSA 10 · English · 2004 EX Team Rocket Returns #107Closed after 48 bids, including buyer’s premium.September 21, 2026 · Fanatics Collect · Confirmed | $1,020,000$1.02M · 6.2% of the record | September 21, 2026Fanatics CollectAuction | ConfirmedComicBook.com · GempireCards |
Single cards only
One graded card sold for US$1,000,000 or more. No sets, lots, live bids or unpaid “sales”.
Premium included
Prices include the auction house’s buyer’s premium where applicable. Pending payments are labeled and must not be treated as paid.
Checked by hand
Each sale links to the auction house, grader, Guinness or reporting that confirms it, and carries a status.
Big numbers we don’t count
These were widely reported, but they aren’t completed single-card sales of $1 million or more, so they’re not ranked.
- Pikachu Illustrator, PSA 9, reported $4,000,000 (September 12, 2025, eBay). Reported as a $4,000,000 sale, but the seller later said the buyer never paid and the card was relisted. Kotaku · Elite Fourum
- Trophy Pikachu “No. 1 Trainer”, reported $3,000,000 (September 2025, eBay). Reported at $3 million, but the seller soon relisted the same card, so the sale doesn’t appear to have completed. Paul Fraser Collectibles
- Gold Trophy Pikachu (1st Place), PSA 8, bid $2,425,000 (closes October 25, 2026, Goldin). Still a live auction (Goldin’s Pokémon 30th Anniversary auction, closing October 25, 2026). Bids aren’t sales; we’ll add it if it closes above $1 million and is paid. ICv2
- Complete 1st Edition Base Set, reported $1,200,000. A whole set, not a single card. Oricon
FAQ
The $1M+ club, answered.
Answers written from the list above (last reviewed October 20, 2026), then what we count and why.
What is the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold?
The Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 10): it sold for $16,492,000 at Goldin on February 16, 2026, including the buyer’s premium. Guinness World Records lists it as the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction. The "Raincoat" Pikachu (Art Academy) (PSA 10) at $8,400,000 and the Pikachu Illustrator (PSA 10) at $5,275,000 are next (as of October 20, 2026).
How many Pokémon cards have sold for over $1 million?
We count 18 single-card sales of $1,000,000 or more that we could verify one by one: 16 in 2026, 2 in 2021 (as of October 20, 2026). For context, a report by UltraBall (October 20, 2026) counts 19 sales above $1 million in 2026 through October 16, 2026, some of them private and unpublished; we list only the ones with a public source.
What is the most expensive English Pokémon card ever sold?
The Torchic Gold Star (PSA 10), 2004 EX Team Rocket Returns #108, which sold for $2,700,000 at Alt on September 10, 2026. 6 sales of English cards have reached $1 million; every sale above it was a Japanese card.
What is the most expensive Charizard card ever sold?
A PSA 10 Charizard, 1st Edition (1999 Base Set #4, Shadowless), which sold for $1,385,274 at Alt on October 9, 2026 (payment not yet confirmed when we last checked). 3 Charizards have passed $1 million: $1,385,274 (Alt, October 2026), $1,000,952.84 (eBay, September 2026), $1,000,000 (Beezie, September 2026).
How many times has a Pikachu Illustrator sold for $1 million or more?
6 times on our list: PSA 10 for $16,492,000 (February 2026); PSA 10 for $5,275,000 (July 2021); PSA 9 for $5,000,000 (September 2026); CGC 9 for $2,806,271 (September 2026); PSA 9 for $1,406,250 (March 2026); PSA 9 for $1,275,000 (June 2021). The card was given to winners of a 1998 CoroCoro Comics illustration contest in Japan; only a few dozen copies are known.
Why did so many Pokémon cards pass $1 million in 2026?
16 of the 18 sales on this list happened in 2026, the Pokémon TCG’s 30th anniversary year. The list’s first $1M+ sales of Gold Star cards, Art Academy promos, 1st Edition Charizards, Trophy Pikachus and “Ivy” Pikachus all came in 2026.
What counts as a $1 million sale here?
One single card, sold for US$1,000,000 or more in total, including any buyer’s premium. Whole sets, lots, bids on live auctions and sales that were never paid don’t count. Each sale is listed once, on the day it closed, with links to the sources we used.
What do Confirmed, Reported and Pending mean?
Confirmed: public auction or sale confirmed by the auction house, Guinness or several outlets. Reported: private or marketplace sale announced by a party to it; no public bidding record. Pending payment: closed, but payment wasn’t confirmed when we last checked.
Why do different sites list different prices for the same sale?
Usually because some quote the hammer price (the winning bid) and others the total paid, which adds the auction house’s buyer’s premium of about 20 to 25%. We always show the total paid. Some round, and a few repeat sales that later fell through; those are in “Big numbers we don’t count”.
Why are most of the cards Japanese?
The rarest Pokémon cards are Japanese promos made in tiny numbers for contests, tournaments and magazines, such as the Pikachu Illustrator, Trophy Pikachus and Art Academy prizes. English cards first passed $1 million in August 2026.
How often is this list updated?
We review it by hand when a major auction closes. Last reviewed October 20, 2026. A live auction is added only after it closes above $1 million and payment is reported.
Can I use this data?
Yes. Credit “Pallet.Club, $1M+ Pokémon card sales” and link here. The list is available as JSON at /leaderboard/million-dollar-cards.json and CSV at /leaderboard/million-dollar-cards.csv.
Is this investment advice?
No. A record sale says what one buyer paid for one copy on one day. It doesn’t set a price for other copies or grades.