What is the rarest Pokemon card?

The rarest Pokemon card is the one-of-a-kind PSA Grade 10 Illustrator Pikachu Pokemon TCG card that currently belongs to Logan Paul.

The rarest Pokemon card known to exist is the 1998 CoroCoro promo Pikachu Illustrator card. Of the 20 thought to be around, only the card owned by the YouTube star is a PSA 10. However, it’s only the rarest card that we know of.

There are also countless test prints, one-of-a-kind world attendee prize cards, and other exclusive, never-before-seen cards. These are so rare that they’re kept away from auctions and the tax man.

The PSA Grade 10 Illustrator Pikachu is probably the rarest

Logan Paul’s PSA grade 10 Illustrator Pikachu was fought with difficult negotiations involving a “mystery seller.” To acquire the one-of-a-kind card, Paul had to trade a PSA 9 Pikachu with $4 million. Of the rare cards in existence, few are ever in the condition to achieve a PSA 10 grade.

Some of the rarest Pokemon cards are from the inception of trading card game history. Another notable and incredibly rare card is the 1999 First Edition Shadowless Base Set Charizard. It’s also one of the most expensive Pokemon cards.

Often, the rarity and value of Pokemon TCG cards are a result of the card’s background. Historic cards sell for high prices all the time, like this “Disco” holo foil test print Charizard that sold for 40,000 USD in 2023.

However, the card’s price could have been even higher. It was only awarded a CGC 7, with the grading company’s highest score being a Gem Mint 10. Finding a card as old as Illustrator Pikachu in Gem Mint condition is like finding the holy grail.

Numerous other ultra-rare cards are in existence, but rarely do they see the light of day. Just recently, CGC was surprised to grade a near-pristine set of canceled Japanese League promo cards from 2011.

The cards were thought to be lost before they were brought to the grading company, again by a mysterious seller. It just goes to show that rare, one-of-a-kind cards are out there, just not always within the reach of Pokemon collectors and investors.