Pokemon TCG Collection Highlights

In my nearly two decades of card collecting, I've acquired a number of rare and unique items. This article presents a snapshot of some of the rarest and most valuable Pokemon cards in my collection and if you like what you see, you can follow me at https://www.instagram.com/thecardpletionist/

Pokemon



Pokemon Demo Game Booster Pack
The pack on the left is the Pokemon Demo Game booster pack. This pack was the very first Pokemon TCG product released in the United States. The pack contains a rules insert explaining the basic mechanics of the TCG and 24 shadowless base set cards that are indistinguishable from other shadowless cards. As a result, the pack is only valuable in sealed condition as is relatively worthless when opened. It is unclear how many of these packs are left as most were opened to teach new players the game. 

PokeCard Creator Pack

The pack on the right is a sealed Kids WB PokeCard Creator Pack. This booster pack was awarded to winners of the Kids WB! Poke Card Creator Contest, whereby applicants were invited to submit illustrations of one of five pre-selected Pokemon (Treecko, Wurmple, Torchic, Mudkip, and Pikachu). The grand prize winners in each age group (contestant ages ranged from 5 - 15) had their illustration featured on one of the pokemon cards in the pack. There were a total of 5 grand prize winners (each of which received 50 booster packs) and 5,000 randomly selected 1st prize winners who each received a booster pack. A grand total of 5,250 booster packs were distributed, making this booster pack one of the rarer sealed English releases. 





Japanese and Korean Rayquaza EX and Giratina EX Lottery Promos


These Japanese alternate art reprints of  Rayquaza EX and Giratina EX from the Dragons Exalted expansion were lottery prizes awarded to the winners of the Super Rare Card Get! contest. Contestants who purchased four or more BW5 pokemon products at participating stores were eligible to participate in the lottery. A total of 1,000 copies of each card were distributed to the contest winners. 

Korean versions of Rayquaza EX and Giratina EX were also released. Like their Japanese counterparts, the Korean versions were distributed via a lottery drawing with a total of 1,000 copies being distributed to the contest winners. 

Information about the Korean lottery event is difficult to find, so I've reproduced some of the promotional information below. Note that the image below comes from this Korean blog, but was originally found on the Korean Pokemon TCG website. 

PokePark Premium Files

Only available for purchase at the short-lived Japanese Pokemon theme park, "PokePark", only 1,000 of each of these premium files were supposedly printed. You can read more about these products in this regional differences article: http://thecardpletionist.blogspot.com/2016/12/regional-differences-pokepark.html



Trainer Deck A and B

These theme decks were given to stores running pokemon league events when the Pokemon TCG initially launched. These decks were never available for retail purchase and each card in the deck features a red border with the words "Trainer Deck A/B" on the back of the card. Trainer Deck A features a non-holographic, unlimited base set Machamp while Trainer Deck B contains a non-holographic base set Blastoise.




1st Edition Base Set Charizard

While not as rare as some of the other items on this page, the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard remains one of the most expensive and sought after cards in the Pokemon TCG. PSA 10 copies routinely sell for $2,500-$3,000 (when I wrote this in 2016, these prices were accurate. In 2020, PSA 10 copies are selling for over $20,000). My complete first edition base set can be seen here: http://imgur.com/a/gEarT

 

University Magikarp

n June 1998 Japanese elementary students were invited to enter a contest offered through Shogakukan's magazines for a chance to participate in a pokemon "conference" (aka card tournament) at "Celadon University," a fictional pokemon university in the non-fictional Japanese city Osaka. Students were required to solve a series of tests in the initial application and those that successfully completed the problems were invited to participate in the conference. On the first day of the tournament, players were split into age groups and further subdivided into subsections. The top players from each subsection advanced to the second day of the tournament to battle the other top players in their age category. Players with at least one victory were awarded a copy of this card: often referred to as the University Magikarp or Uni-Karp. For a very long time, collectors believed that only 30-50 copies of this card were printed. Today, evidence suggests that approximately 1,000 copies were intended for distribution. It is unclear how many copies were actually awarded and very few copies of the card have hit the open market since the 1998 tournament. This card still routinely sells for over $1,000. 



Parent-Child Kangaskhan

This Japanese exclusive trophy card was given out as part of the Parent/Child Mega Battle Tournament in May 1998. Parents and children entered as a team (very appropriate for Kangaskhan) and teams that won a certain number of matches were awarded the card. The card was illustrated by Ken Sugimori and has not been reprinted, making it extra appealing to collectors. It is unknown exactly how many copies of the card exist, but most collectors estimate the number to be between 30 - 50 copies.

Pokemon Art Academy Cards

Three of the winning entries from the 2015 Pokemon Art Academy Competition, only 100 copies of each card were printed, making these and the other Art Academy promos exceptionally rare. You can read more about the Art Academy Competition on Bulbapedia here http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Illustration_contests#Pok.C3.A9mon_Art_Academy_Competition



CoroCoro Best Photo Contest Poliwag

In May 1999, CoroCoro magazine held a contest in which readers were invited to submit pictures of Pokemon taken in the Pokemon Snap Nintendo 64 video game. The winners had their picture featured on a Pokemon card from the Japanese Base Set. The winners included Bulbasaur, Poliwag, Magikarp, Gyarados, and Pikachu. A total of 20 copies of each of the five winning cards were printed and awarded to the applicable winning contestant. The letter in the first image is a copy of the letter that the contest winner received along with his 20 copies of the Poliwag card.



2014 No. 4 Trainer

Awarded to the fourth place finisher in the 2014 Pokemon World Championships, only 6 copies of this card were ever printed. One for each fourth place finisher in each of the three age groups in the Pokemon TCG world championship, and one for each fourth place finisher in each of the three age groups in the Pokemon Video Game world championship.




2012 No. 3 Trainer

Awarded to a third place finisher in the 2012 Pokemon TCG World Championships. One copy of this card was printed for each age group in the World Championship. As a result, only 3 copies of this card were ever printed.

20th Anniversary Solid Gold Pikachu

Released in connection with the 20th Anniversary of the Pokemon TCG in Japan, this 24 karat solid gold card was available only to Japanese purchasers from October 18th to November 7th, and could only be ordered on the Japanese Pokemon Center and 7net websites. The cards were produced by jeweler Ginza Tanaka on a made to order basis. The card cost a whopping 216,000 yen (~$2,000) and thus far, it is unknown how many copies of this card were produced. The card itself is a reprint of the Base Set Japanese Pikachu.

2005-2006 Champion's League Promo

"Champion's League" was awarded to the top 4 finishers in 3 age brackets during the Champion's League tournaments held in 2005 and 2006 in Japan and Taiwan. According to Bulbapedia, between 24 - 36 copies of this card were distributed (12 at each tournament - with potentially 2 Japanese tournaments (2005, 2006) and the 2006 Taiwan tournament). A version of this card with different artwork was awarded in the 2007 Champion's League tournaments. The Champion's League tournaments ran from 2000 - 2007 and essentially functioned as precursors to World Championship Qualifiers, with the winners in each age bracket moving on to represent their country in the TCG World Championships. With fewer than 50 copies in print, this is easily one of the rarer cards in the TCG.