Pokémon Card Fetches $1 Million At 30th Anniversary Event

Published Oct 17, 2026, 5:30 PM EDT Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work. Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work. It should shock no one that a Pokémon TCG card has sold for an exorbitant amount of money, and yet, whenever one does, it is still a shock. We've seen cards go for millions in the past, their prices inflated by their rarity, the scarcity of available versions, and their pristine condition, coupled with an official grade. It's perpetually impressive that pieces of cardboard printed for mere cents are valued so highly, and yet, with the emotion behind the card, the nostalgia for the game, and the aforementioned scarcity, it's understandable why someone would want to invest heavily in it. After all, these cards are investments. Of course, the Pokémon TCG should be enjoyed, primarily, as a game. However, with scalpers artificially raising the price of certain sets and the cost of boosters and individual cards skyrocketing due to inflation, it isn't hard to see how some may jump to collecting these cards as investments for future fortunes. Such is the case with the latest mind-blowing sale of a Pokémon card, one that sold for a whopping $2.2 million during an event for the massive Pokémon 30th anniversary celebrations. Recently, Nintendo-produced products have been flying off the shelves at exorbitant prices, the most recent of which was perhaps the most expensive Legend of Zelda game of all time. Adding to that is the aforementioned $2.2 million card in the room, a rare and exceptional Pokémon card that has managed to fetch a high price simply for being nearly one of a kind. The card in question is the "1997 Pokémon Japanese Promo Gold First Place First Tournament #1 Trophy Pikachu", an extremely rare promo card for the titular tournament. It is currently the only card of its type in the PSA census, having been graded PSA NM-MT 8. This card has managed to fetch the princely sum of $2,425,000 during Goldin's 2026 Pokémon 30th anniversary auction, an event that ends on October 26, 2026. At this price, it has managed to reach the ranks of some of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever made. This number, however, only reflects the pre-bidding stage, a period in which people bid on an item before the official live bidding begins. However, should your bid be the highest, you'll be locked into that amount and will pay it once the live bidding concludes. Interestingly, the same card sold a few months ago during a Goldin auction for just $982,100, reflecting a rather significant increase in price. You can see the current pre-bid via the official lot page and bid on it yourself, should you have a few million lying around to spend on a Pokémon card. Back on October 7, ICv2 reported that the Pokémon trading card had achieved a pre-bid of $1 million, which means over the past week that total has more than doubled. There is clearly a lot of interest in this particular promo card, one that is often highly sought out due to its extremely rare nature. With plenty of time still left on the clock, the price could go even higher, so it is worth keeping an eye on, especially when the bid for this incredible Pokémon card officially ends on October 26. Video Game(s) Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White 2, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Legends Z-A First Game Pokemon Red and Blue Created by Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda TV Show(s) Pokémon First Film Pokemon: The First Movie First TV Show Pokémon