The Rarest Pokémon Cards

The Rarest Pokémon Cards, by Copies Known

Most of these were never sold in packs. They were prizes, trophies, or test prints. Counts are per card version, not totals across years. They come from the sources at the end of this page. Where nobody knows the exact number, we say so.

1. Blastoise Galaxy Star Hologram test print

   1998 · English · Wizards of the Coast presentation card

   Card printer Cartamundi made this blank-backed Blastoise so Wizards of the Coast could show what English Pokémon cards would look like. Grading company CGC says a second copy was made for use outside the U.S., and nobody knows where it is now. A CGC 8.5 copy sold for $360,000 at Heritage on January 14, 2021.

   2believed made

2. No.1 Trainer, World Championships

   2004 to present · English · Champion trophy cards

   The winners of the Pokémon World Championships get a No.1 Trainer card. Only 3 copies of each year's card were made from 2004 to 2012. From 2013 the count rose to 6 a year, when video game champions were added.

   3a year, 2004 to 2012

3. Prerelease Raichu

   1999 · English · Base Set Raichu with a Prerelease stamp

   This Raichu was reportedly printed by mistake. Wizards of the Coast denied the card existed until 2006. Wizards estimated about eight copies, and Bulbapedia says eight to ten. A PSA 6 copy, the only one PSA had graded, sold for $555,000 at Heritage in September 2025.

   8 to 10thought to exist

4. Trophy Pikachu (No.1, No.2 and No.3 Trainer)

   1997 to 1999 · Japanese · Tournament trophy cards

   Gold, silver and bronze Pikachu cards went to top players in the qualifying rounds of early Japanese tournaments, not the finals. Bulbapedia estimates about 14 copies of each 1997–98 Mega Battle print and about 9 of each 1999 print. For the very first 1997 tournament print, it can only confirm at least 2 copies. A PSA 10 bronze No.3 Trainer sold for $1,769,000 at Goldin in May 2026.

   9 to 14per print, estimated

5. Master's Key

   2010 · Japanese · Finalist prize

   This card went to the finalists of Japan's 2010 World Championship qualifier in Tokyo, in both the card game and the video game. Going by the number of finalists, Bulbapedia counts 36 copies.

   36given out

6. Pikachu Illustrator

   1998 · Japanese · CoroCoro Comic art contest prize

   Winners of three art contests in the kids' magazine CoroCoro Comic each got one. That adds up to 39 official copies. Two more had surfaced by August 2020, so at least 41 are known. The only PSA 10 sold for $16,492,000 at Goldin on February 16, 2026, the most ever paid for a trading card at auction.

   39officially given out

7. Ishihara-GX

   2018 · English · Private event gift

   Guests got this card at a private party for Tsunekazu Ishihara's 60th birthday during the 2018 World Championships in Nashville. He is the president of The Pokémon Company. Nobody knows how many were printed. PSA's own estimate was anywhere from 30 to 200.

   30 to 200estimated

Every number above is a count or estimate from the cited source as of November 2026. Old prize cards sometimes turn up, so these counts can change.

How to Read a Pop Count

Sellers love to say a card is "one of 5 graded." That number is useful, but it is not the number of copies that exist.

• It only counts graded cards. PSA's population report lists cards PSA has graded. Raw cards in binders are not in it.
• Each grader keeps its own count. A card graded by CGC or Beckett shows up in their report, not PSA's.
• Some cards get counted twice. PSA asks owners who crack a slab to send the label back. If they don't, the old grade can stay in the count after the card is graded again.
• Counts go up over time. The trophy Pikachu that sold in May 2026 was reported as one of five PSA had graded. As more copies get graded, that number can rise.

To judge how rare your own card is, start with the printed rarity mark and collector number. Our guide on how to tell if a Pokémon card is rare shows what each symbol means.