From Pikachu to Payday, Discover Which New Pokémon Cards Are Worth Hundreds

On Sept. 9, 2022, Pokémon released another round of trading cards, the Short & Shield — Lost Origin collection. A press release on the Pokémon website noted that the expansion included more than 190 cards and three brand-new Radiant Pokémon. So, are any of the newer Pokémon cards worth anything?

It’s a mixed bag, according to players who’ve discussed newer Pokémon card values.

“Are modern Pokémon cards worth any money? Certainly. Will they hold their value? Probably not,” one says on Quora. “The reason most Pokémon cards now are worth a lot of money is from being in the standard rotation and being good.”

Another player says most cards aren’t valuable, and if they are, it’s because they’re rare or they’re sought-after, as in the case of a card “being used in a popular and/or tournament-winning deck,” which “the main reason why newer cards are going to be valuable.”

TCGplayer reports that it isn't just vintage Pokémon cards that are worth collecting, since Pokémon cards from newer sets debut at triple-digit prices. The site adds that VMAX Pokémon cards, Secret Rares, Full Art variants, and Shiny Pokémon rank among the cards most valuable on today’s market, with many bringing in hundreds of dollars in resales.

The site also listed the most expensive Pokémon cards available from modern Pokémon packs — as in “the stuff you can find on shelves right now” — calculated from “raw” TCGplayer marketplace prices for near-mint cards.

Mewtwo cards from the Pokémon GO TCG sets, for example, are valued at $50–$60. The Evolving Skies set has five cards worth more than $100, with the Alternate Art Secret Rare version of Rayquaza VMAX worth more than $200 and the Alternate Art Secret Rare version of Leafeon VMAX in the $125 range.

Some of the other newer Pokémon cards that seem to be increasing in value since releasing include:

• Arceus V, estimated value of $37
• Hisuian Sneasler V, estimated value of $31
• Origin Forme Palkia V, estimated value of $39
• Charizard VSTAR, estimated value of $69
• Charizard V, estimated value of $150

There are everyday Pokémon card collectors, and then there’s YouTube star Logan Paul, who got a PSA Grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card in a trade worth $5,275,000.

As Guinness World Records reports, Paul got the card when collector Matt Allen traded it for Paul’s PSA Grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card, worth $1.25 million, and an additional $4 million. The transaction made the Grade 10 card the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at a private sale, according to the record-keepers.

“The Pikachu Illustrator is one of the rarest and most highly coveted Pokémon cards in the world,” Paul said in a statement. “Only 39 were given out to Illustration contest winners in 1998, and this was a purchase for the only one in the world that has been graded a perfect ’10.’”

According to Screen Rant, the runners-up for the most expensive Pokémon card include:

• Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Charizard card ($420,000)
• Wizards of the Coast Blastoise Prototype card ($360,000)
• An autographed Ishihara GX card ($247,230)
• Kangaskhan Family Event trophy Pokémon card ($151,100)

If you're an avid Pokémon card collector, now might be a good time to shuffle through your collection to see if you have any that are valuable. If you come across any you think are worth something, you may be able to trade your Pokémon cards for cash by listing them for sale on eBay, Mercari, or the Facebook Marketplace. Valuable or rare Pokémon playing cards can also be sold to pawn shops or TCGplayer.