The Pokémon franchise boasts 122 video games on various consoles, with over 380 million units sold as of March 2021. According to Statista, Pokémon Red, Green and Blue is the franchise’s most successful game, with more than 31 million units shipped worldwide.

As of July 2022, there were 905 unique Pokémon. There were also over 9,000 unique English-language Pokémon cards, according to Bulbapedia, creating substantial work for any collector trying to “catch 'em all.”

Although you don’t need to purchase rare cards at auction in order to build a deck and battle other players, there are collectors willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the rarest cards.

How many Pokémon are there?: We counted every generation of Pokémon, including Arceus.

Remembering Kazuki Takahashi: 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' creator found dead at sea at 60

What is the most expensive Pokémon card?

As of August 2022, the most expensive Pokémon card is a Professional Sports Authenticator grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card that social media personality and boxer Logan Paul purchased for $5.275 million, according to Guinness World Records.

A PSA grade of 10 means the card was in perfect condition. There is only one known PSA grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card in the world, according to Guinness.

In June 2021, Paul purchased a PSA grade 9 Pikachu Illustrator card for $1.275 million. He traded this card, along with $4 million, to obtain the PSA grade 10 card he now owns.

According to Guinness, Paul wore his PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator card on a chain around his neck to his April 2022 appearance at WrestleMania 38, where he was presented with a certificate for the world record.

Most expensive Pokémon cards

Here are some of the rarest and most expensive Pokémon cards, according to Dicebreaker:

1. Pikachu Illustrator

In April 2022, it was confirmed that Logan Paul paid $5.275 million for a PSA grade 10 Pikachu Illustrator card. The Illustrator card, given out to 39 winners of the 1997 and 1998 Pokémon illustration contests, is extremely rare. Only 23 have been certified by the PSA, and only one has been given a PSA rating of 10.