The most expensive Pokémon card ever sold is the 1998 Japanese Pikachu Illustrator card, in a PSA 10 grade, which sold in a private deal for about 5.275 million US dollars.
What the card is
The Pikachu Illustrator was originally awarded as a prize in a 1997–1998 illustration contest run by CoroCoro Comic in Japan, so only a very small number of copies were ever produced. Its artwork by Atsuko Nishida and the unique “Illustrator” text instead of the usual “Trainer” or “Supporter” make it one of the most distinctive and coveted cards in the hobby.
Record-breaking sale
In 2022, collector and influencer Logan Paul acquired the only known PSA 10-graded copy by trading a PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator plus 4 million dollars in cash, for a total valuation of about 5.275 million dollars. This transaction is widely cited in collector sources and Guinness World Records as the highest price ever paid for a single Pokémon card.
How it compares to other cards
Even the next most valuable Pokémon cards, such as the 1995 Japanese Topsun Charizard blue back (around 493,000 dollars) or high-grade 1st Edition Base Set Charizard cards (around 400,000+ dollars), sell for only a fraction of the Pikachu Illustrator’s record. Other ultra-rare trophy cards like the Trophy Pikachu or No. 1 Trainer cards reach into the mid–six figures, but still sit well below the multi‑million valuation of the Pikachu Illustrator PSA 10.