Magic: The Gathering was created in 1993 by Richard Garfield and kicked off the trading card game craze. On the Pokémon side, the most sought-after cards were never sold in shops: the Pikachu Illustrator was given in 1998 to winners of illustration contests in the Japanese magazine CoroCoro, in only 39 copies. Such cards, often graded by companies like PSA and CGC, are now among the most expensive collectibles in the world.
Given to winners of illustration contests in CoroCoro magazine, it was never sold in stores. A copy bought by Logan Paul in 2022 for $5.275 million remains the record for any trading card, according to cllct. Another sale, at $900,000, was reported by Galaxus in March 2022, and one at $195,000 at Weiss Auctions by Print21.
Sold privately by Adam Cai (Pristine Collectibles) to an undisclosed buyer, it is the most expensive Magic card ever sold according to CGC Cards. It is the only Pristine 10 copy in the CGC population report.
Sources : TechRaptor · cllct · private sale, April 2024
Serialized 001/001 card from the "Tales of Middle-earth" set, bought by rapper Post Malone for $2 million. It held the Magic card record until the 2024 Black Lotus sale.
Sources : Business Insider · Star City Games · 2023 sale
An artist proof of the card signed by its original illustrator, bought by Post Malone for $800,000 according to Business Insider (some sources date this sale to 2023).
Sources : Business Insider · MTG Rocks · acquired in 2022
Sold on eBay in 2021 for $511,100, this card more than doubled the previous Black Lotus record, according to Kotaku via Yahoo.
Sources : Commander's Herald · Yahoo (Kotaku) · eBay sale, 2021
A starter deck from Magic's very first edition, still sealed, sold for $108,000 at Heritage Auctions in November 2021.
Source : cllct · Heritage sale, November 2021
An unopened box of 36 First Edition Pokémon Base Set packs sold for $78,000 at auction according to Print21, around the same time as a Beta Black Lotus at $26,400.
Source : Print21 · auction, date not given in the article
Prices found in the press and on marketplaces during our research of Oct 4, 2026. These are isolated sales, or asking prices where stated: they are not a price guide. Amounts are in their original currency.