$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 view0of 18 tracked
- The record$16,492,000Pikachu Illustrator PSA 10 · 2026
- Combined, this view$00 single cards
- Most $1M+ salesPikachu Illustrator6 sales over $1 million
No $1M+ sales match this view. See all 18.
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.