What are the Best Pokémon Cards to Buy?

A look at the most valuable Pokemon cards, sets, and boxes

Pokémon is the most popular trading card game (TCG) in the world. Since its release in 1996, Pokémon has appealed to both TCG players and trading card collectors. Today, both kids and adults search for the best Pokémon cards to buy. These include popular Pokémon characters like Charizard and Pikachu, as well as rare cards like 1st Edition vintage holos and Special Illustration Rare cards.

Whether you’re new to collecting Pokémon cards or a long-time TCG player looking for the most valuable Pokémon cards, this guide will help get you started and point you toward the best Pokémon cards to buy.

Best Pokémon Characters and Types of Cards

Sports fans love rookie cards of current stars and Hall of Famers, but if you’re new to Pokémon collecting you might be wondering where to start. Some of the most popular Pokémon cards to collect are characters like Charizard, Pikachu, Gengar, Rayquaza, and Umbreon.

Charizard and Pikachu cards can be found in the original Japanese base set from 1996, as well as some of the more recent Pokémon releases. 1st Edition vintage holos from the original Japanese base set that are in mint condition are some of the most valuable Pokémon cards in the world.

Gengar, Rayquaza, and Umbreon debuted a few years later and have cards in many of the popular Pokémon releases. For both new and veteran collectors, these are some of the best Pokémon cards to buy.

Along with popular characters, rarity cards are also some of the best Pokémon cards to buy. Common and uncommon cards don’t carry much value. Instead, focus on collecting cards with some of the following rarity designations:

1st Edition Vintage Holos
Gold Stars
Art Rare/Illustration Rare (AR/IR)
Special Art Rare/Special Illustration Rare (SAR/SIR)
Alternate Art

Best Pokemon Cards to Buy for Beginners and Experienced Collectors

If you’re new to TCG collecting, some of the best Pokémon cards to buy are Pokémon 151 and Crown Zenith. These sets offer many cards with beautiful art and some of the most popular and iconic Pokémon. Both Pokémon 151 and Crown Zenith also come in affordable products that are great for collectors that are just getting started.

Some of the best modern Pokémon sets for experienced collectors include Evolving Skies, Fusion Strike, Twilight Masquerade, and Temporal Forces. These all have very desirable chase cards. Additionally, Twilight Masquerade and Temporal Forces have shown to have great cards for competitive play as well.

Now you know what to collect, but are there any Pokémon products you should stay away from? We recommend avoiding unofficial products like mystery packs from big store retailers. They usually come with a sealed Pokémon pack and bulk mystery cards. The mystery cards are usually 25 random common cards and 1 “rare” card, offering very little value.

Booster Box vs. ETB: Which Offers the Best Value?

So, which Pokémon products offer the best value? Two of the most popular Pokémon products are booster boxes and elite trainer boxes (ETB). A booster box usually has 36 packs, with each pack containing 10 cards. This is where you’ll find the most value.

An ETB is like a starter kit. They have anywhere between 8 to 11 packs and also include sleeves for the cards, a checklist book to help you track the cards to collect in the set, dividers, dice, and counters for playing the game. Some ETBs also have exclusive promo cards.

Besides booster boxes and ETBs, other main Pokémon products include collection tins, promo collection boxes, ultra premium collections, and super premium collections.

The Most Valuable Pokémon Cards Ever Sold

Some of the most valuable Pokémon cards ever sold are professionally authenticated and given an overall grade on the condition of the card. A card can be graded 1-10, with 1 being poor and 10 being a flawless gem mint card. The higher the grade, the higher the value.

Here are the five most valuable Pokémon cards ever sold (as of October 2024):

1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Corocoro Comics Illustrator Pikachu PSA 10 ($5.275 million)
1995 Pokémon Japanese Topsun Charizard Blue Back PSA 10 ($493,230)
1998 Pokémon Japanese Promo Trophy Pikachu #2 Silver 2nd Place, 2nd Tournament PSA 10 ($440,000)
1999 Pokémon Base Set Charizard #4 1st Edition Holo Shadowless PSA 10 ($420,000)
1998 Pokémon Commissioned Presentation Blastoise #009 Galaxy Star Holo CGC 8.5 ($360,000)