At this point in writing this articles, approximately 112 Pokémon card sets have been released. That doesn’t even include specialty release items, promos, or otherwise!
And while some of you may know some of the most valuable Pokémon cards, the sets that they come from have incredible value attached to them as well.
There are a lot of ways to put this list together. What I decided to do here though was take 2 items to come up with a force ranked value.
#1 – What is the cumulative average sold value of the top 5 cards of each set.
#2 – How many cards in each set are worth over $100?
Most of this came out pretty clear, but there were a few that could be argued one way or another. Ultimately though, the values of some of the biggest hitters in each respective set is what put this list together.
Unfortunately, this will not include Specialty release or specialty promo sets (sorry poncho Pikachu).
Let’s jump right in!
#15 – Pokémon Power Keepers Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$756
# of Cards over $100 – 3
Coming in at #15 is the Power Keepers set that contains 3 iconic “Gold Star” Pokémon cards. The Power Keepers set holds the Gold Star Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Flareon, all of which hold over $180+ in average sold value
The Jolteon and Vaporeon battle for the most expensive card, but these cards as well as the entire set hold some serious value in the Pokémon world.
#14 – Pokémon 1st Edition Neo Genesis Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$895
# of Cards over $100 – 4
Many of you might be surprised that the 1st Edition Neo Genesis set is all the way down at #14. After all, its most expensive card, the 1st Edition Lugia, is an iconic one.
If we were basing the value of the set off the PSA 10 cost of its cards, then this set would be carried by this card and would be incredibly high up on this list.
With the way this analysis was done though, it sits at #14. Not to worry though, this card sits among incredibly good company at #14
#13 – Pokémon 1st Edition Gym Challenge Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$946
# of Cards over $100 – 7
When the 1st Edition Gym Challenge set came out, it was like a whole new era was born. Despite it still being one of the original sets, the artwork including the trainers in the bottom right hand corner added a whole new element and look to the cards.
Even now, the artwork still hold up. In looking through all of the cards in this set, I can’t say that there is a single one that is not worth at least some admiration. Regardless of you having the Blaine’s Charizard or the Koga’s Grimer, it is an incredibly valuable and collectible one.
#12 – Pokémon Evolving Skies Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$1019
# of Cards over $100 – 5
At #12, the Evolving Skies set sits as one of the only modern Pokémon card set to make this list. With the top 5 cards totaling over $1000, it’s release and its main chase card has caused quite a bit of commotion in the Pokémon community.
Whether it be the Pokémon factory theft or the insane price fluctuation and hype of the Umbreon VMAX, Evolving Skies has certainly earned a top spot as a major chase card set.
And if you’re still asking if you should invest in an Umbreon, there are plenty of Reddit threads to help guide your decision.
#11 – Pokémon Unseen Forces Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$1007
# of Cards over $100 – 8
Unlike some of the other sets on this list, the Unseen Forces set doesn’t have a single card that carries its value. Instead, it has a Lugia (shown above), three Legendary Gold Star dogs (Raikou, Entei, Suicune), an Umbreon, Espeon, Tyranitar, and a Celebi all with average values of over $100.
Interestingly, this is the only set that contains Gold Star cards that aren’t the most expensive in the set. And while some of us may not have had this set toward the top of the list, it remains highly valuable and collectible.
#10 – Pokémon Aquapolis Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$1074
# of Cards over $100 – 8
The Aquapolis set was the second of three e-reader sets. While the first set, Expedition, barely got nudged out of the top 15, the Aquapolis set more than carries it’s weight with some major heavy hitters.
While the Crystal Lugia is a major chase for a lot of collectors, the Crystal Nidoking and many others in the set are both highly valuable and just incredibly cool.
If you happen to have some of these that you didn’t run through the ereader machine 1000 times? Definitely look into grading some of those amazing cards.
#9 – Pokémon Holon Phantoms Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$1175
# of Cards over $100 – 3
Enter, the third Pokémon set that contains Gold Star cards. The Holon Phantoms set.
It’s also worth noting that this is the only set on the list that sports a Pikachu as it’s most valuable card. And despite the set only having 3 cards over $100, those three are absolute BANGERS. The Gold Star Pikachu, Gold Star Gyarados, and Gold Star Mewtwo are all unbelievably cool and valuable.
Even the cheaper reverse holo and stamped cards in this set have some solid value and collectability. So even if you’re not willing to drop $500 on a Pikachu, the Stamped Reverse Holo #78 and Stamped Reverse Holo #79 from this set should give you plenty of satisfaction.
Need even more Pikachu in your life? Check out my other article that will more than scratch that itch.
#8 – Pokémon Team Up Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$1353
# of Cards over $100 – 5
At #8 comes only our second modern Pokémon set on the list. The Team Up set sports the incredibly popular and valuable Latias & Latios GX card that was an immediate hit.
The Team Up set has gotten its value because it was one of the only sets that somehow escaped all reprints. It was immediately in limited supply and some of the main chase cards shot up in value. So despite it only being released in December 2018, it has quickly made a name for itself as one of the most valuable Pokémon sets.
#7 – Pokémon Dragon Frontiers Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$1698
# of Cards over $100 – 3
Tired of hearing about Gold Star Pokémon cards yet? Neither am I.
Despite the Dragon Frontiers set not having a large number of $100+ cards, it still holds tremendous value as a set. Leading the charge, the Gold Star Charizard, is an iconic card that is a grail among any collection.
Not far behind it, the Reverse Holo Rayquaza and Gold Star Mew are major heavy hitters. If you’re somehow not sold enough on the Gold Stars, there are plenty of other Delta Species EX holos that are more than worth your attention.
#6 – Pokémon Legendary Collection Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$1131
# of Cards over $100 – 15
Of all the sets in this list, the Legendary Collection set gave me the most pause when placing. It’s value is spread incredibly well across the entire set and has a large number of very sought after cards. Despite its top 5 card value falling slightly lower than some of the others, the set in total had too much value to deny.
When taking it a step further and looking into pricing for a Booster Box, the Legendary Collection is one of the most expensive at ~$35,000!
And because the holo pattern is so unique on this set, it is one of the few highly collectible sets that doesn’t have any convincing fakes in the market (though they do exist).
#5 – Pokémon Japanese Expansion Pack Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$1768
# of Cards over $100 – 7
Much like the English Base Set cards, the Japanese releases had a few of their own variations. The most valuable was the first print release of the Japanese Expansion Pack set.
You could think of this set as the 1st Edition Base Set equivalent in Japanese. The first run had no rarity symbol in the bottom right corner while the later prints did start adding them in.
If you have a Japanese Charizard that has no rarity symbol, then you have found yourself a ~$1000 Charizard! All of the other no rarity symbol cards add tremendous value as well.
#4 – Pokémon Deoxy’s Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$2337
# of Cards over $100 – 4
Thought we were done with Gold Stars? Not quite.
The Deoxy’s card set has a very similar story to Dragon Frontiers. It has a few MAJOR heavy hitters that lead the value for the entire set.
That being said, the entire set still remains one of the most highly collectible there is. The Gold Star Rayquaza alone is a $1200 card on average. If you have a PSA 10 of it? $44k.
The other Gold Stars in the Deoxys set include the Latias #105 and Latios #106, both of which hold average values of over $400.
#3 – Pokémon 1st Edition Neo Destiny Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$2993
# of Cards over $100 – 17
These next 3 sets are far above and beyond the most valuable Pokémon card sets ever. And kicking us off at #3 is the 1st Edition Neo Destiny set.
Even if you don’t have the 1st Edition versions of these cards, the non 1st Ed set would have been in the top 10 of this list also! I did not include them as I did not want to repeat any sets. Please don’t hate me.
Whether you have the regular 1st Edition Holos or ANY of the Shining cards, know that they are some of the most highly collectible and valuable sets ever created.
If you wanted to get your hands on a 1st Edition Neo Destiny booster box, you would need to drop about $18k to pick one up.
#2 – Pokémon 1st Edition Shadowless Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$3217
# of Cards over $100 – 16
Surprised that this wasn’t #1? I was as well. With the way I ran the analysis though, the 1st Edition Shadowless set comes in at #2 most valuable set.
The 1st Edition Charizard has set a number of records at auction and is considered by many as the “holy grail” of Pokémon cards. Since this article is about the entire set though it falls short of just one other.
This entire set, holographic and non, were the 1st print of US Pokémon cards EVER. So having just about anything from this set has at least a few bucks worth of value.
Regardless of how the analysis is run in the end, there can be no argument that this set sits among the top sets ever.
#1 – Pokemon Skyridge Set
Value of Top 5 Cards ~$3302
# of Cards over $100 – 37
Coming in at #1 most valuable Pokémon set is none other than the Skyridge set. While not admired during initial release nearly as much as the 1st Edition Shadowless set, it has grown to be an incredibly valuable and sought after set among all collectors.
If the art and style of the e-reader cards isn’t enough, this set was released when Pokémon wasn’t as popular. This meant this set was printed far less than most others and has skyrocketed the price as time has passed.
So what do cool cards, limited print, and 20 years give you? One of the best and most favored Pokémon sets ever released.
Summary
If you have any thoughts or questions on the article, please feel free to send me an email at [email protected]!
A lot of these cards do unfortunately have fakes. Whether you have or haven’t run into those yet, I recommend checking out my other article.
Curious if Pokemon cards are a good investment? Check out my other article on the subject here!
Thanks for reading!