The most expensive cards in each game

Prices of trading cards move all the time, so exact amounts go out of date quickly. What stays stable, though, is which cards sit at the top and why. Here are the most valuable cards in each game, and the four factors that decide why exactly those cards cost more than all the others.

The lists below are ranked by how high the cards stand within their own game, with the most sought-after first. The order is based on what is known and in demand in the hobby, not on a current price list. Prices move, and we give no amounts.

The four factors behind an expensive card

1. Few copies. Either a small print run from the start or few copies left in fine condition.
2. High demand. A popular character, a well-known artwork or tournament strength.
3. Condition. The same card can differ a thousandfold or more between worn and top-graded.
4. Proven authenticity. A graded card commands a higher price than an ungraded one in the same condition.

All four have to work together. A card that exists in a single copy that nobody wants is not expensive, and neither is a popular card printed in millions of copies.

Pokémon

1. Pikachu Illustrator	Awarded to winners of an illustration contest in 1998. Only a handful of copies exist. The hobby's best-known card and one of the most expensive ever sold.
2. First edition Charizard, Base Set	The single most iconic item traded in the hobby. The price is driven entirely by the grade.
3. Trophy cards from Japanese tournaments	Awarded to placing players, often in single-digit print runs.
4. Early misprints and test prints	Cards that were never meant to reach the market.
5. Modern special illustrations	The most expensive modern cards, that is special illustrations of popular Pokémon in top condition.

What the old top cards have in common: they were printed when nobody kept cards. Read more in the set guide.

If you are instead asking which Pokémon cards are valuable in an ordinary collection, the answer is a different and duller one: almost none. The world's best Pokémon cards in the list above are in practice museum pieces. What makes a modern card worth something is a special illustration, a low print count and top condition, in that order, and how to judge that for your own card is covered in the guide to valuable Pokémon cards.

Magic: The Gathering

1. Black Lotus, Alpha	The game's best-known card, from the very first edition in 1993. Small print run and near-mythical status.
2. Power Nine	Nine cards from the first editions that were so strong they were banned in almost every format.
3. Alpha and Beta in general	The first two printings, told apart by the rounding of the corners.
4. One Ring, serialized	A single copy, numbered 1 of 1, from the Lord of the Rings edition.
5. Serialized cards in general	Modern cards with printed numbering in very small print runs.

Yu-Gi-Oh!

1. Tournament Black Luster Soldier	Awarded as a single copy to the winner of a Japanese tournament in 1999, struck in stainless steel. The game's rarest card.
2. Early tournament prizes	Cards in stainless steel and other materials, in single-digit print runs.
3. First edition Blue-Eyes White Dragon	The most iconic card, expensive in top condition.
4. Ghost and Starlight rare	The rarest modern treatments.

Sports cards

1. Honus Wagner T206	Baseball card from the T206 series, printed 1909–1911, with an extremely small print run. Among the most expensive collectibles ever sold.
2. Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps	The best-known card of the post-war era.
3. Modern autographed rookie cards	Numbered ones of star players' first cards.
4. Superfractor, 1 of 1	The top of Topps' parallel family, always unique.
5. Logoman patch cards	Cards with the league logo in the fabric piece, often unique.

One Piece and Lorcana

1. One Piece, manga rare	Manga-style illustrations in very small print runs.
2. One Piece, alternate illustrations	Popular characters in different art, especially from the first sets.
3. Lorcana, enchanted cards	Foil across the whole card, among the rarest in normal packs.
4. Lorcana, the first chapter	The print shortage at launch makes early cards more expensive than later ones.

Why you should not chase them in packs

• The most expensive cards almost never come out of packs sold today. They are from editions that are no longer printed.
• The odds of modern top cards are often one in several thousand packs. On sports cards they are printed on the packaging.
• It is usually cheaper to buy the card directly than to open packs until it shows up.
• An unopened pack has a value of its own that disappears the second you open it.

What decides the price of your card

1. Identify the card exactly by set and card number.
2. Check which version you have, that is regular, foil, special illustration or numbered.
3. Judge the condition honestly. Read the condition guide.
4. Compare with sold prices, not asking prices. Read the valuation guide.
5. Consider whether grading would pay off. Read the grading guide.

A word about prices

We deliberately give no exact amounts here, because they change faster than a page can be updated and because a single record price says little about what a card normally commands. We sell cards and give no advice on what will rise in value. Buy what you enjoy owning.

Frequently asked questions

• Is there a list of the world's most expensive cards? The records change constantly. The factors in this guide are what lasts.
• Can I find a card like that in a pack? The most expensive cards come from editions that are no longer printed.
• Why are graded cards so much more expensive? A confirmed grade removes the buyer's risk on both condition and authenticity.
• What does a numbering like 1 of 1 mean? That only one copy exists. It is the strongest single price driver.

Shop: trading cards and sports cards at Bangerpack.

Written by those of us who run Bangerpack. Range and prices change continuously. What applies when you read this is shown in the category.