--- title: Someone Spent $225,000 on One Pokemon Card From 1998 description: At a recent auction, a Pokemon card sold for $225,000 to an unknown buyer. authors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2019-10-31T16:40:41.000Z' modified: '2019-10-31T16:54:12.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - collectibles - Pokemon word_count: 332 canonical: https://money.com/the-most-expensive-pokemon-card/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![191031-PikachuCard](https://img.money.com/2019/10/pikachucard-scaled-2560.jpg) Forget Beanie Babies — your childhood collection of Pokémon cards might be where the real money is. A 1998 Pikachu card set a global record last week when it was auctioned off for $224,250, [according to gaming news site Kotaku](https://kotaku.com/the-most-expensive-pokemon-card-on-earth-sold-for-195-1839401186). In a Facebook post after the sale, Weiss Auctions [declared it](https://www.facebook.com/weissauctions/photos/pb.646035562089506.-2207520000.1572442950./3151905641502473/?type=3&eid=ARAvhnIiJ8qQ8KPw4dxtd3V65vcp44MVdIo1vL6xJIJfQPHQgMrXw-oaTKprtEBlQVZBwREe4rmHDMQx) "the most valuable and rarest Pokémon card in the world." The buyer's identity has not been made public. The item in question is a Pikachu Illustrator card, which was produced in the '90s for the winners of the CoroCoro Comic Illustration Contest in Japan. There were just 39 copies of the card given out as prizes, and only 10 are said to be authenticated. The promotional card features a drawing of the iconic yellow Pokémon surrounded by art supplies. Illustrated by designer Atsuko Nishida, the card also includes a [message](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Illustrator_\(CoroCoro_promo\)) for the beholder: "We certify that your illustration is an excellent entry in the Pokémon Card Game Illustration Contest. Therefore, we state that you are an officially authorized Pokémon card illustrator and admire your skill." The Pikachu Illustrator card sold this month might have taken the "most expensive" title, but it's not the first to ever hit the market. In 2016, [CNBC reported](https://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/21/worlds-most-valuable-pokemon-card-sold-at-auction-for-more-than-54000.html) that Heritage Auctions sold a Pikachu Illustrator for $54,970 — a price the auction house [said](https://www.ha.com/heritage-auctions-press-releases-and-news/new-pokemon-go-app-arouses-pokemon-card-market.s?releaseId=2977) had been driven up by the popularity of Pokémon Go. Other cards have also pulled in big profits: A [Charizard](https://mentalfloss.com/article/502831/5-most-valuable-pokemon-cards) sold for $11,999 in 2016, and a full first-edition set [went for](https://goldinauctions.com/LotDetail.aspx?inventoryid=51339) almost $100,000 in 2017. A 1998 [Magikarp](https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tamamushi-University-Magikarp-PSA-10-1998-Pokemon-Japanese-Trophy-Prize-Card/323787340895?hash=item4b633abc5f:g:NQIAAOSwlS1cv9sV) card is currently available on eBay for $34,995. Pokémon cards are rising in value over time, but they're not all created equal. If you're checking your old binders for collectibles, [Heritage Auctions says](https://www.ha.com/information/valuable-pokemon-cards.s?type=surl-pokemon) to look for first-edition cards, which have a special mark on the left side; shadowless cards, where the border around the illustration is flush against the background; and error cards, which are misprinted. 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