There is no verified, definitive top five—and “perfect copy” is not a literal condition guarantee. The documented auction record does show what top-graded examples of several exceptionally scarce Pokémon cards have sold for: a PSA Gem Mint 10 Pikachu Illustrator reached $16,492,000, while a PSA Mint 9 Trophy Pikachu No. 1 Trainer sold for $450,000. These are completed sales, not current offers or guaranteed replacement prices.
Why a definitive list of the five rarest is not possible
Rarity can mean different things: a card may have been awarded to very few people, few copies may be known to survive, or few may have earned a particular grade. Those measures are not interchangeable, and the records available here do not establish a consistent ranking of five cards with verified top-grade sale prices.
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So rather than inventing a fifth-place cutoff or filling gaps with estimates, this guide focuses on the best-documented trophy cards and two high-grade comparison sales. The prices below are historical auction results, not current asking prices.
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Pikachu Illustrator: the record-setting contest prize
Why it is scarce
The Pikachu Illustrator was awarded as a prize in a 1998 illustration contest, not distributed in an ordinary booster pack. Guinness World Records notes its popularity with collectors and credits its artwork to Atsuko Nishida, identified as Pikachu’s original creator. Guinness World Records’ report documents its record auction result.
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What a PSA Gem Mint 10 sold for
On 16 February 2026, a Pikachu Illustrator graded PSA Gem Mint 10 sold through Goldin Auctions for $16,492,000, including the buyer’s premium, according to Guinness. Its report described this as the only known PSA Gem Mint 10 at that time. That is a historical benchmark for a uniquely graded copy, not a prediction of what another example would cost or proof that one is currently available.
A separate PSA 9 sale with an enhancement
Heritage Auctions reported that a Pikachu Illustrator graded PSA 9 sold for $5 million in its 18–19 September 2026 auction. That specific card also had an MBA Gold Diamond enhancement; the enhancement is not part of the PSA grade and should not be treated as a standard feature of other PSA 9 copies. Heritage described 15 PSA Mint 9 copies, with one example graded higher, at the time of its report. Heritage’s auction report provides those details.
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Trophy Pikachu No. 1 Trainer: a tournament award
The Trophy Pikachu No. 1 Trainer from the 1998 Lizardon Mega Battle is another documented prize card. Heritage Auctions estimates that 15 copies of this version were awarded; that is an estimate, not a confirmed surviving-copy census.
A copy identified as the 2nd Tournament version and graded PSA Mint 9 sold through Heritage on 12 December 2025 for $450,000. Heritage’s lot page states a 25% buyer’s premium, so the result belongs in its auction context. The cited record does not establish a PSA 10 price for this card, and a PSA 9 result cannot be used as a substitute for one. See the Heritage lot record.
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Two PSA 10 Charizard sales for comparison—not a rarity ranking
High-grade cards from scarce sets can also command substantial prices. Heritage’s searchable sold-lot archive lists these September 2026 results:
| Card | Grade | Recorded sale | What the sale does—and does not—show |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legendary Collection reverse holo Charizard | PSA 10 | $575,000 | A high-grade auction result; it does not establish a definitive rarity rank. |
| Gold Star Charizard | PSA 10 | $475,000 | A high-grade auction result; it does not establish a definitive rarity rank. |
The archive is a record of sold lots, not evidence of present availability or a complete census of surviving cards. Heritage’s Pokémon sold-lot archive lists the results.
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How to read “perfect copy” prices
Collectors often use “perfect” informally to mean a top grade, but a grade is an assessment by a grading company, not a promise that a card is literally flawless. Keep the grade, any separate enhancement, and the auction price treatment attached to every comparison. A PSA Gem Mint 10 is not equivalent to a PSA Mint 9, and a card with an additional enhancement is not a like-for-like example of an unenhanced copy.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches- Check the exact card and version: tournament, edition, and finish can distinguish otherwise similar names.
- Keep the grading label: compare PSA grades with the grade actually reported for each sale rather than assuming all “mint” descriptions mean the same thing.
- Check the sale date and venue: a completed auction result records a past transaction, not a live offer.
- Read the premium terms: the Guinness record explicitly includes buyer’s premium; Heritage’s Trophy Pikachu lot page states its premium. Do not compare a total with a hammer price as if they were the same figure.
- Separate the card from added features: the MBA Gold Diamond detail applies to the specific Pikachu Illustrator sale, not to PSA grading generally.
What these records say about buying one today
These records establish that particular examples sold at the stated prices. They do not establish what a buyer would pay now, whether another example is currently offered, or what a future auction would realize. For an actual purchase, verify the current listing or auction terms, the card’s exact identity and grade, and whether the quoted total includes buyer’s premium.
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