The Pokémon Trading Card Game is a trend that appears to only be growing as time passes, with more and more fans of thefranchise being drawn into retailers and online bidding wars to secure coveted Pokémon card packs. While some may be more interested in securing a beautiful card of their favorite monster, others are more concerned with collecting the rarest and most valuable prizes of all Pokémon cards. Throughout the collections of cards produced by The Pokémon Company and Wizards of the Coast, there are a few that have only had a few dozen copies made. Superfans and collectors alike will likely never set their eyes on these rare cards in person unless they are very lucky.

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There are several cards that have reached enormous value during the height of the pandemic thanks to the popularity and presentation of the Pokémon depicted. However, some of the rarest Pokémon cards have not sold for necessarily the highest value. Despite the raving popularity of First Edition Charizards and Surfing Pikachus, these are not the rarest cards in the Pokémon TCG. In fact, some of the rarest prizes floating throughout the market are cards that aren’t as well-known as the most sought-after collector items.

When fans think of the rarest Pokémon card, Kangaskhan probably isn’t the first monster to come to mind. However, the Kangaskhan Holographic Family Event Trophy Card is one of the rarest cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. One copy was recently sold back in October of 2020 for an astounding $150,000, and only three have ever been sold to the public in the past twenty years. These statistics make Kangaskhan’s Holographic Trophy Card one of the rarest cards ever to exist. Originally, this card was awarded to the 1998 Parent/Child Mega Battle tournament teams who obtained the required number of victories. It has never been released to the public again in any collection. Only 46 of these cards of this promotional variety have ever been graded by the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), according to Dicebreaker, making this card one of the rarest.

The Pokemon TCG’s Rarest Cards Aren’t Always The Most Popular

The Pikachu Illustrator Card is one of the rarest and most valuable Pokémon cards ever produced. The card’s artwork of Pikachu was illustrated by Atsuko Nishida, the original artist that designed the internationally famous electric mouse. The Pikachu Illustrator Card was awarded to winners of promo contests held in 1997 and 1998 by the Japanese magazine CoroCoro Comic. Only 41 copies of this card were ever made, with 39 being awarded to the various winners of the promo contest. An additional pair of copies were discovered by the creators of the card but were not distributed to the public. Of these 41 cards, only 10 have ever been certified by the PSA. The most recent copy of the Pikachu Illustrator Card was sold at auction for $195,000 back in 2019, according to Eurogamer, setting a now defeated Guinness World Record. 

The rarest card may surprise fans of the franchise, as it is neither a Pikachu nor a Charizard Pokémon TCG card. The rarest Pokémon card in existence is, in fact, a Blastoise – more specifically, the Blastoise Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Hologram card. Only two of these cards were ever made, and only one has been seen publicly at auction. The Blastoise Commissioned Presentation Galaxy Star Hologram card was created by the cardmaker company Wizards of the Coast in order to obtain the contract to produce Pokémon cards from The Pokémon Company. The other card is apparently lost, with no current information on its whereabouts or owner. If it has been destroyed, then the Blastoise card sold at auction in 2021 for $360,000 may be the very last of its kind.

While it’s unlikely for even the most dedicated collectors to get their hands on these cards, it can be fascinating to understand the lesser-known treasures of the Pokémon TCG. Identifying the rarest cards in existence can be a bittersweet task, as it’s likely these cards will soon be lost to time or succumb to inevitable wear and tear. However, preserving each of these cards in memory and legacy can be a very rewarding experience for dedicated Pokémon Trading Card Game fans and collectors.

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Sources: Eurogamer, Dicebreaker

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About The Author


Natalie Lindner
(499 Articles Published)

Natalie Lindner is a Game Features Writer for Screen Rant, creating content on the past, present, and future of games in the industry. Prior to this, she worked out of a writing consultancy in Rhode Island from 2018 to 2021, where she helped college students improve their writing abilities. Natalie has contributed her video game writing to several smaller websites and projects since 2018 and is eager to continue that journey with Screen Rant.

Working out of New Hampshire, Natalie spends the time she isn’t writing about games outside; hiking or biking. On those rainy days, she can be found striving for action on the latest FPS or perusing the latest comic books.

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