Most expensive Pokemon TCG card valued at $6,000,000, less than 20 ever made

Pokemon TCG was initially published by a Japanese company called Media Factory in 1996 and was brought to the US by Wizards of Coast. After the collectibles gained momentum, The Pokemon Company bought the rights to make and publish the cards that sold over 52.9 billion worldwide. However, not all of them were created equal.

While some are valuable in Pokemon TCG competitions, others are valued for their rarity. In the latter category, some older cards have aged like fine wine.

In fact, the most expensive card currently is priced at nearly $6 million. Here is everything you need to know about the costliest Pokemon TCG card.

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What is the most expensive Pokemon TCG card?

The elusive Pikachu Illustrator takes the title of the most expensive Pokemon card by a mile. There is a mint-condition version, certified GEM-MT 10 by PSA (the go-to authority for verifying such collectibles), and estimated to cost $6,000,000.

The card was initially handed to the winners of an art competition by CoroCoro in Japan in 1997. The adorable collectible has an illustration of Pikachu drawing other Pocket Monsters. The Electric-type mascot of the franchise can be seen holding a pen and a brush with a drawing of Charmander behind it in the world's most expensive card.

The inscription on the card congratulates the winners saying (translated from Japanese):

"Your illustration was recognized as excellent in the Pokemon Card Game Illustration Contest. Therefore, we recognize you as an officially certified illustrator of Pokemon cards and give you that honor."

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How much does the Pikachu Illustrator Pokemon TCG card cost?

There are less than 20 of these cards in the entire world. Each has a different PSA rating, which determines individual cards' value. A PSA-graded 7 Pikachu Illustrator card sold first for between $195k and $200k. Later, the same collectible was sold for $250,000, $375,000, and $900,000.

Logan Paul, a popular YouTube personality, had purchased a PSA Gem Mint 10 version of the Pikachu Illustrator for $5,250,000. He paid for it using a PSA 9 version of the special edition Pokemon TCG card and $4,000,000.

Once Paul wore it to his WWE Wrestle Mania debut, its value shot up even more, with its last known price being $6,000,000.

Another copy of the Pikachu Illustrator Pokemon TCG card was sold for $672,000. Although it cost a small percentage of the version bought by Logan Paul, this card was special for two reasons.

Firstly, this was a CGC 9.5 graded collectible, making it one of the first copies of the Pikachu Illustrator card to exist without a PSA certification. Secondly, it was sold by former New York Giants player Blake Martinez.

The Pikachu Illustrator card is only expected to grow more expensive in the future, with popular personalities taking an interest. This might even push the price of other similar Pokemon TCG collectibles.