The Pokemon Trading Card Game has seen its share of ups and downs in popularity through the years, but even its downs have kept it safely in the stratosphere of the most popular five or six card games worldwide. And when it's hot, it's hot — the Sword & Shield era has seen a serious resurgence, and Scarlet & Violet doesn't seem to be slowing things down.
Such luxurious stature must inevitably extend to the icon among icons, the electric rodent more folks recognize than even Mickey Mouse himself. We're talking about Pachirisu, the most splendid little mouse there is.
No, of course we mean Pikachu. Stick around for a few moments, and we'll show you just how much dough these beautiful bits of cardboard are going to cost you if you still live by the old adage, "gotta [own] em all."
Updated on April 29, 2023 by Quinton O'Connor: The rarest and most lucrative Pikachu cards haven't really changed recently, but their pricetags at auction have only gotten more sobering to gaze upon. We've included links to these sales so you can see for yourself just how monetarily magnetic this mascot can be.
12 Pikachu Wizards Promo #1 Ivy Misprint
What happens when you accidentally stick Jungle Pikachu (the very first Pikachu card ever made, mind you) in a field of ivy rather than the grassier terrain the card is known to feature? You get a pricey, pricey Pikachu, that's what happens.
At least, that's the conventional story. In truth, it takes an extra step before your "Ivy Misprint" Pikachu is worth thousands. This little anecdote about just how easy it is to make a lucky few individuals far wealthier overnight seems like a fitting way to kickstart the list. A Grade 9 example has sold for $787!
11 1999 PokeTour Promo
The 1999 PokeTour Promo Pikachu isn't a stunner or fancy feat of unique artwork. It's got a neat gold imprint to let folks know it was only available during this event. That's really all you need to know about it. Oh, and the fact that a PSA 10 mint-condition copy sold for a whopping $1,545 last year. That's important, too.
10 Pikachu Birthday
Pikachu Birthday comes in a couple of variations. The allure, of course, is that collectors are going to want them both. The pitfall? They may have to fork over circa $212 to do so.
There's something quaintly hilarious about the Pikachu Birthday card, looking back after all these years. The power was high enough back in the day that official Pokemon Leagues quickly banned it for potential foul play. (Lots of little kids surely grew up rather swiftly if left to be believed without on-hand identification, no doubt.)
And while it's true that this would still raise questions in 2022, it probably wouldn't matter enough for anyone to bother. The attack boost from 30 to 80, even at the meager cost of two Electric Energy, just... isn't anything to write home about anymore.
9 Pikachu VMAX Rainbow
Expect Pikachu VMAX Rainbow to fluctuate in the years to come, though it still makes our list even after a thorough update. It's from one of the most recent sets in the series, but the card itself is eminently playable and the rare rainbow printing is beautiful.
How's three hundred bucks sound for a Pokemon TCG card that was only envisioned a year ago as of this writing? It's especially painful for collectors to log into Pokemon TCG Online, see Pikachu VMAX Rainbow in a ton of competitive decks, and desperately wish they could summon one IRL.
Speaking from experience, there.
8 Shiny Pikachu Holon Phantoms
The Shiny Pikachu Holon Phantoms card can rock the bank skyward of $5,700. Amazingly, the only reason for this is rarity. "Well, isn't that what it all boils down to?" Yes and no. In most cases, the priciest Pokemon cards are rare on top of rare, because they are extremely limited in number either by design (one-time promos) or error (misprints).
Holon Phantoms, a late expansion during the Pokemon TCG's EX era, just happens to tout a shiny variation on its Pikachu card. And it just happens to be beloved. Ergo, it just happens to be outlandishly expensive.
7 Pretend Magikarp And Gyarados
Were you in Hiroshima during the grand opening of its local Pokemon Center? If so, great! We sure hope you fetched the one-time promotional Pretend Magikarp and Pretend Gyarados Pikachu cards. Good luck scooping them up otherwise, unless roughly $2,000 is in your pocket, and you don't mind losing it all at once.
To be clear, you'll get both cards for that ballpark estimate. Two adorable cards, at that. Can we put a price on cuteness? That's up to you to decide.
6 Pikachu 2005 San Diego Comic Con
San Diego Comic Con can be a magical place. Hit shows are announced, hyped movies get trailers, even video games can be unveiled. To say nothing of the comics, of course. Or — apparently — the Pikachu 2005 San Diego Comic Con card.
Here's the thing about this one. For all intents and purposes, it is virtually indistinguishable from the regular Emerald-era card of the same make and model. But it was handed out at a special event and has the slight alteration to prove it. And it turns out, that's enough to make collectors weak-kneed, spending as much as $30,000 in past auctions with a more routine $7,000 in the bag.
5 1999 1st Edition Pikachu Red Cheeks
How's an extra $170 sound right about now? Probably sweet, even if you're fairly well off. If so, check to see if you still have a high-quality First Edition Jungle Pikachu hanging around. If you aren't sure, then it's unlikely it's in particularly solid condition, but you may be able to snag a hundred or so even if it's got some visible blemishes.
There's not a lot of exact science involved in this one. The First Edition Jungle Pikachu is the first widespread Pikachu card on the market, dating back to the TCG's inaugural expansion. First Edition Pikachu is the gatekeeper to all the rest of them.
4 Pikachu On The Ball
The Pikachu on the Ball card, like Pretend Magikarp and Gyarados, had some pretty specific conditions. For one, you had to be part of the FA Pokémon Youth Futsal Program, to which you could join if you sent a request email to them. Because of this process, this card is likely to go up in price from here on out.
As it stands, the card can hit around $80. Not bad for a... Pikachu on a ball.
3 The First Pokemon Movie Misprint
The very first Pokemon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back, provided players with multiple promo cards including The First Movie Pikachu. That one's worth an okay chunk of change to this day, but the real money is in the rare misprints early on in which the company stamped their name upside-down.
We call these sorts of cards misprints, or if we're feeling mean-spirited, misfires. Whatever happened to the stamp location, hey, mistakes exist. It's fine. What's less fine is that, if you want this card, you'll need to shell out around $250.
2 No. 2 Trainer Promo Pikachu Cards
This is where the value just skyrockets. There are three types of No. Trainer Promo Pikachu cards. Owning even one will likely put you back $50,000 or more. Differentiated primarily by the expressions on their faces, the No. 2 Trainer Promos are the Pokemon Trading Card Game's ultimate verison of the "legendary trio" archetype.
You'll have better luck summoning Exodia to save the world in the Yu-Gi-Oh animated series than catching all three.
1 Pikachu Illustrator
They say there were only ever somewhere between 20 and 40 Pikachu Illustrator cards ever printed. We'll likely never know the exact number, but at present, hardcore collectors estimate only nine remain. Imagine realizing you used to own one of these until your dog chewed it up a few years back?
The sting would be real. Pikachu Illustrator has netted $900,000 in a fairly recent auction. When a casual Pokemon fan swings by and asks you the inevitable question of how much a First Edition Charizard costs today, just pretend they asked about Pikachu Illustrator instead. They'll probably believe you.