The Top 10 Most Iconic Pokémon Cards of All Time

First up, but by nary means slightest - the Van Gogh Pikachu. Rarely does a paper origin a literal planetary scandal, but this 2023 collaboration with Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum did precisely that.

Resellers swarmed the IRL acquisition store to snatch up this exclusive paper to merchantability astatine a ridiculous price. I was really successful Amsterdam astatine the aforesaid time, unrelated, and I saw queues stretching backmost for miles. Even with the paper dropping connected the Pokémon Center website successful the weeks pursuing the incident, it sold retired successful minutes, starring to an authoritative apology from TCG officials.

9. Lugia Neo Genesis Holo Card

The archetypal quality of Lugia successful the Pokémon TCG - the Neo Genesis Lugia holo paper is simply a high-value archetypal edition; its grounds for a PSA 10 1st Edition Lugia peaked astir $50,000 - $55,000 successful the past.

Illustrated by Hironobu Yoshida, this iconic, colorless-type paper features notoriously mediocre people quality, making gem-mint, print-line-free copies incredibly rare.

8. Mewtwo (Base Set 1st Edition Holo)

The worldly of playground legends, the 1999 Pokémon Base Set 1st Edition Mewtwo Holo is 1 of those cards that feels similar a axenic encapsulation of 90’s Pokemania, with Ken Sugimori’s gorgeous purple-hued illustration.

Plus - Mewtwo is conscionable awesome, and it’s arsenic elemental arsenic that.

7. ______'s Pikachu (Birthday Pikachu)

While not competitively legal, this paper conscionable feels similar pure, unadulterated joy. Originally a "Create-a-Card" run reward, Birthday Pikachu famously includes a blank enactment for you to constitute your ain name.

While PSA won't beryllium blessed if you really instrumentality a Sharpie to it, the paper is the cleanable practice of the idiosyncratic transportation we each person with this franchise. It got a reprint successful 2021 Celebrations, but the archetypal promo remains a high-value beatified grail that reminds america Pikachu has ever been our #1 bestie.

6. Charizard VMAX (Shining Fates SV107)

The "Shiny Vault" Charizard VMAX from Shining Fates was immense for the hobby erstwhile it dropped successful 2021.

Boasting a monolithic 330 HP, a almighty G-Max Wildfire attack, and an awesome shiny Charizard, which is achromatic alternatively of orange, this highly collectible Shiny Ultra Rare paper is 1 of my idiosyncratic favourite Charizard cards ever.

5. No. 1 Trainer (2010 World Championships Pikachu)

If you’ve been astir the competitory country for a portion similar me, you’ll retrieve the envy you felt erstwhile the TCG Pokémon World Champions successful the Junior, Senior, and Master Divisions received the No. 1 Trainer Trophy card.

You mightiness not cognize these half-art trophy cards are a tribute to the archetypal 1997 Pikachu trophy cards, archetypal awarded to winners of the archetypal authoritative tourney successful Chiba, Japan. I’d emotion to bring this back!

4. Kadabra (Skyridge/151)

This infamous paper is the crushed Abra was forced to germinate consecutive into Alakazam for 2 decades. Following the 2003 Skyridge set, Kadabra vanished from the TCG wholly owed to a suit from illusionist Uri Geller.

Geller alleged the spoon-bending Pokémon was an unauthorized parody of his likeness, reportedly seeking £60 cardinal successful damages.

While the archetypal suit was dismissed successful 2003 by the US courts, Geller continued to record lawsuits successful different regions until helium issued an apology successful precocious 2020. This paved the mode for the psychic Pokémon’s instrumentality successful June 2021’s Pokémon Card 151 expansion.

3. Umbreon VMAX (Evolving Skies Alternate Art)

Affectionately known arsenic "Moonbreon," this gorgeous paper is the golden modular erstwhile it comes to modern-day paper chasing. The creator of the Secret Rare Alternative Art is KEIICHIRO ITO, an creator since the Unified Minds set, who has illustrated 62 cards.

His different enactment includes immoderate of my idiosyncratic favourites, specified arsenic Medicham from Ascending Heroes, and Toedscruel successful Paradox Rift.

Fetching a hefty $1,671.18 implicit connected TCGPlayer to this day, it’s wide considered the astir iconic paper successful the full Sword & Shield series.

2. Ancient Mew (The Power of One Promo)

Released to beforehand Pokémon The Movie 2000, Ancient Mew’s hieroglyphic substance and unsocial sparkly foil made it look similar a genuine artifact recovered successful the ruins Mew hid distant successful during the movie.

It has a unsocial paper backmost that has ne'er been utilized for immoderate different Pokémon card. I retrieve watching the movie successful the cinema, but my Mew paper was mislaid to time. I astir apt traded it connected the playground for a Pidgey.

1. Charizard (Base Set)

There could beryllium nary different - it had to beryllium Charizard, didn’t it? It’s the paper that started the fire, each the mode backmost successful 1999.

The archetypal artwork by Mitsuhiro Arita has go the look of the TCG for aged and caller players alike, which is reflected successful the information that it’s 1 of the astir coveted Pokémon cards you tin propulsion from a regular booster pack. That’s the Charizard effect!

Sara Heritage is simply a freelance contributor for IGN.