Do you have a £13 million Pokémon card? Probably not. But you might have one worth hundreds.

In 2022, Logan Paul made headlines when he bought a PSA 10 Pikachu ‘Illustrator’ Pokémon card in a private deal valued at $5.275 million. 

This week that same card was confirmed to have sold for $16.49 million (around £13 million), making it the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold. 

To understand why, we have to go all the way back to 1998 (before yours truly was even on the scene). The Pikachu Illustrator wasn’t sold in shops. It was awarded to winners of an illustration contest in Japan. Only 39 were ever distributed and Logan’s remains the only known perfect PSA 10. 

But what’s interesting is that Logan hasn’t just chased the rarest cards. He’s also bought cards for emotional reasons, including a vintage PSA 10 Shining Magikarp for his daughter (worth an estimated $9,000!). 

Valuable Pokémon cards aren’t just from the 1990s though. Some were printed five years ago, some were printed last year, some are still sitting in binders across the UK right now. 

As someone who actively collects, I’ve seen it firsthand. I pulled Ethan’s Ho-Oh EX from Destined Rivals recently, and not long after, hit the Ascended Heroes Gold Mega Dragonite EX. Both came from regular packs bought in the UK. No special boxes.  

The difference is pull rates. Modern chase cards can sometimes only appear once every several hundred packs. That scarcity is what turns ordinary pack pulls into cards worth real money. 

Before we get into the list, it’s worth remembering that this isn’t new. Early holographic cards from sets like Base Set (1999), Jungle (1999) and Neo Revelation (2001) were the chase cards of their time. Cards like holographic Charizard, Blastoise and Venesaur weren’t guaranteed pulls. They were rare and that rarity is why they still hold value today. 

Here are 10 Pokémon cards, you might own that could be worth far more than you expect. 

1. Umbreon VMAX Alt Art (“Moonbreon”)

Set: Evolving Skies 

Year printed: 2021 

Typical UK value: £1,200-£1,500 raw 

This is widely considered the most important modern Pokémon card. 

Evolving Skies (dubbed by fans as ‘Evolving Cries’) had extremely difficult pull rates and Umbreon was the hardest chase in the set. Many collectors opened hundreds of packs without pulling it, possibly down to the factory making the card being burgled and the cards being stolen. Even though the set was popular, the specific odds of pulling this card kept supply low. Demand has stayed strong ever since. 

2. Latias & Latios GX Alt Art (“Lovebirds”) 

Set: Team Up 

Year printed: 2019 

Typical UK value: £1,300-£1,500 raw 

This card wasn’t fully appreciated when it released. Now that Team Up is out of print, it’s become one of the most desirable Tag Team cards ever made. Fewer sealed packs exist each year, which limits how many more copies enter the market. Collectors who pulled this in 2019 and held onto it have seen significant increases in value. 

3. Magikarp Illustration Rare 

Set: Paldea Evolved 

Year printed: 2023 

Typical UK value: £120-£200 raw 

Magikarp has always had collector appeal, but this Illustration Rare boosted it. The artwork and relatively low pull rate made it popular quickly. Many people pulled it without realising it would become one of the standout cards of the set. 

4. Mew EX Special Illustration Rare (“Bubble Mew”) 

Set: Paldean Fates 

Year printed: 2024 

Typical UK value: £300–£400 raw 

If you’ve pulled Bubble Mew, congratulations, you’ve basically found the emotional support Pokémon of modern collecting.  

This dreamy, floaty artwork version of Mew quickly became one of the defining chase cards of Paldean Fates (and the Scarlet and Violet era) and its value reflects that status. 

Collectors estimates and market listings have placed it in the £300+ raw range consistently, with graded copies climbing much higher.  

5. Giratina VSTAR Gold 

Set: Crown Zenith

Year printed: 2023

Typical UK value: £200-£250 raw

Gold legendary Pokémon consistently perform well long term. Crown Zenith had strong pull rates overall, but gold cards remained extremely difficult to find. This card remains one of the most valuable from the set.

6. Charizard EX Special Illustration Rare 

Set: Obsidian Flames 

Year printed: 2023 

Typical UK value: £50-£100 raw 

Charizard has been valuable since the very beginning. Every generation introduces new versions and collectors continue chasing them. Special Illustration Rare versions, with lower pull rates and detailed artwork, are particularly desirable. 

7. Espeon EX Special Illustration Rare 

Set: Prismatic Evolutions 

Year printed: 2025 

Typical UK value: £150-£160 raw 

Espeon as an Eeveelution has always had a strong collector base (whilst not as strong as it’s sibling, Umbreon) and its rarity makes it one of the popular chase cards from the set. As the set becomes harder to find, prices may increase. 

8. Ethan’s Ho-Oh EX Special Illustration Rare 

Set: Destined Rivals 

Year printed: 2025 

Typical UK value: £130-£150 raw 

Ho-Oh has historic collector importance, with its original holographic versions dating back to 2001. Special Illustration Rare cards like this combine nostalgia with modern scarcity. 

9. Mega Dragonite EX Gold Hyper Rare

Set: Ascended Heroes 

Year printed: 2026 

Typical UK value: £200 to £350 raw 

Gold Mega cards represent some of the rarest pulls in modern Pokémon sets. Mega evolutions have always been popular and combining that with gold rarity creates strong collector demand, even though they are quite hard to shift if you’re selling it. 

10. Rayquaza V Alt Art 

Set: Evolving Skies 

Year printed: 2021 

Typical UK value: £150-£170 raw 

Rayquaza has consistently been one of the most valuable Pokémon to pull. 

Alternate art cards from Evolving Skies remain some of the hardest to find. As sealed packs disappear, these cards become harder to obtain. 

Why modern Pokémon cards are worth money 

The main reason why modern Pokémon cards are worth money is pull rates. Some chase cards appear once every several hundred packs. That means most people never pull them. 

This is the same principle that made early holographic cards valuable. Scarcity drives demand and demand drives value. As sets go out of print, supply becomes permanently limited. 

It’s worth checking your old Pokémon cards 

You don’t need a record-breaking Pikachu Illustrator to have something valuable. Cards pulled from sets released in 2019, 2021, 2023 and even 2026 are already selling for hundreds in the UK. 

Look out for: 

• Gold cards 

• Special Illustration Rare cards 

• Alternate art cards 

• Cards from older or out-of-print sets 

Even one valuable pull can be sitting unnoticed in a binder. And as Logan Paul’s sale proves, Pokémon cards aren’t just collectibles anymore -they’re assets. Also, if anyone happens to have a spare Bubble Mew lying around, please get in touch!