Ahh Magikarp. The original weakling of the Pokémon world. Whether you played the games or collected cards, Magikarp was nearly completely useless across all of them. One Magikarp card description goes so far to call it “An underpowered, pathetic Pokémon”.
That being said, it may be surprising to learn that Magikarp has some incredibly impressive Pokémon cards. If the artwork isn’t enough, the prices are certainly worth taking note of. You may actually think that Magikarp was a holy entity in the Pokémon world based on some of them.
This list then will cover the 15 most expensive Magikarp Pokémon cards ever made! It will be filtered based off the average sold price, but the PSA 10 prices will be included as well. There will also be different versions of the same card included across the list.
No more splashing about (see what I did there?), let’s get to it!
#15 – Japanese Shining Magikarp #10 25th Anniversary Promo
Raw: ~$40 | PSA 10: ~$75
Coming in first is the 25th Anniversary Promo of the Japanese Shining Magikarp. In case it isn’t clear, this is a remake of the original Shining Magikarp that released ~25 years before! This entire set were remakes from the originals to commemorate some of the first Pokémon card sets ever released!
While the picture above doesn’t do it justice, this card has an incredibly cool sparkle on most of the card. Not a bad pickup for around $40!
#14 – Japanese Magikarp Master Ball #129
Raw: ~$45 | PSA 10: ~$83
While the English Pokémon 151 set was a monster hit, the Japanese version of the set had one thing that the English didn’t. Master Ball holos. And this Japanese Master Ball Magikarp is part of that set.
These cards were a major hit when they came out and despite a reprint, they have continued to hold some great value for collectors. If you’d like a cheaper version of it, then pick up one of the Poké ball holo versions!
#13 – Magikarp & Wailord GX #183
Raw: ~$50 | PSA 10: ~$100
For number 13, Magikarp actually decided to team up with an interesting counterpart, the enormous Wailord. Despite Magikarp being the OG splash master, it’s hard to imagine it adding any effect to the Super Splash move mentioned on the card.
Moving on from the actual move though, the Rainbow art is very good and the picture above certainly does not do it justice. If you’re collecting Magikarp, why not make a ton of room for Wailord as well?
#12 – 1st Edition Shadowless #35
Raw: ~$50 | PSA 10: ~$650
Coming in at #12 is the first English released Magikarp Pokémon card EVER, the 1st Edition Shadowless Magikarp #35. In case you were wondering about the respect Magikarp got in the original cards, let’s review the description. “In the distant past, it was stronger than its horribly weak descendants that exist today.” Ouch.
If you like the card but want to spend a little less, the Shadowless version runs for about $5 and the OG base set Magikarp will run for even less than that! If you like Magikarp, these originals are an absolute must-have.
#11 – Magikarp Reverse Holo #75
Raw: ~$63 | PSA 10: ~$375
The next Magikarp on the list comes from the incredibly expensive Skyridge set and is yet another reverse holo card. The Skyridge set also contains one of the most valuable Charizards of all time so its no surprise that even a Magikarp would hold some serious value.
Fortunately for those looking to spend a little less, there is a non-holo version of this Magikarp that runs for about $20. If you can get it though, the reverse holo Magikarp is a pretty sweet card.
#10 – Magikarp Reverse Holo #52
Raw: ~$80 | PSA 10: ~$1,650
Coming in at #10 is the Reverse Holo Magikarp from the Legendary collection set. If you haven’t heard of or seen this set in person before, it is one of the best holo patterns ever created in Pokémon.
Because of its reverse holo though, these cards were incredibly difficult to grade well and often came out with unfortunate print lines. Its uniqueness though would absolutely be a standout in any Pokémon card collection.
#9 – Japanese Magikarp #80
Raw: ~$110 | PSA 10: ~$500
Coming in at #9 is a modern Japanese hit. The Japanese Magikarp from the Triple Beat set was a hit out of the box and has only continued to climb in value and popularity since its release.
While not as pricey as its English counterpart *cough spoiler alert* this Magikarp was an instant favorite among collectors and will likely continue to be through the years!
#8 – Japanese Magikarp & Wailord GX #99
Raw: ~$125 | PSA 10: ~$250
Didn’t get enough of the Magikarp Wailord duo the first time around? Why not add in a crudely drawn but very cool Japanese Magikarp & Wailord to the list?
The Japanese Tag Bolt set was released in December of 2018 and is still one of the hottest sets of the last 10 years. While the price of the Japanese version has fluctuated in the past few years, this Magikarp still holds a respectable #8 spot on our list.
#7 – Shining Magikarp #66
Raw: ~$160 | PSA 10: ~$2,300
Coming in at #7 is the Shining Magikarp from the Neo Revelation Pokémon card set. For those who aren’t aware, the “Shining” Pokémon across the Neo sets hold some of the highest value Pokémon cards ever. While this Shining Magikarp isn’t the top of the list, it still holds a respectable value and high popularity among collectors even today.
If you’d like a cheaper modern version of this card, the Celebrations Shining Magikarp can check both of those boxes, coming in between $20-$60.
#6 – Magikarp #203
Raw: ~$200 | PSA 10: ~$1,200
Coming in at #6 is the English version of our #9 contender. The Paldea Evolved Maikarp #203. This Magikarp has arguably some of the best artwork of the entire list and has consistently increased in price and popularity since its release.
While this Magikarp was around $50 in July of 2023, it has continued to increase in price all the way to the $200 raw value it has now. It seems that if you want this Magikarp, you better pick it up quickly or the price will continue to rise!
#5 – Magikarp & Wailord GX #161
Raw: ~$220 | PSA 10: ~$725
Yes, the English version of Magikarp & Wailord made it on this list as well. And while the raw values are relatively close, the PSA 10 values are substantially different.
It has almost always been the case that Japanese card manufacturing has been better than English. English tends to be off-center, have print lines, and generally get torn up far easier than their Japanese counterparts and this set was no different.
Regardless of your preference though, every Tag Team Magikarp & Wailord is worthy of making this list. And if you’d like one but don’t like the price, fear not. There is a Full Art Magikarp & Wailord that runs about $30-80 and a SM Promo version that runs for just a little less than that.
#4 – Japanese Web Magikarp #35
Raw: ~$225 | PSA 10: ~$313
Coming in at #4 is the Japanese Web Series Magikarp, which was an exclusive series printed only in Japan. While this set reprints cards from earlier sets, the unique W at the bottom marks this cool and unique set.
What’s even more impressive is that this Magikarp only falls in price behind Gengar and Dark Charizard in the entire set and sits right in front of Dark Blastoise. If that doesn’t give major props to this Magikarp, then I don’t know what will.
#3 – 1st Edition Shining Magikarp #66
Raw: ~$325 | PSA 10: ~$3,500
Coming in at #3 is the 1st Edition version of our #7 on this list, the 1st Edition Shining Magikarp. This Magikarp sits only behind its evolution, the 1st Edition Shining Gyarados in the set but still boasts an impressive $300+ price tag.
While the Neo Destiny set has some incredible cards, it does barely fall outside of one of the most valuable Pokémon card sets of all time. That said, it sits in good company among other Shining cards in the set.
#2 – Japanese Shining Magikarp #129
Raw: ~$380 | PSA 10: ~$3,900
Tired of seeing this Shining Magikarp yet? Me neither.
The #2 most expensive Magikarp is actually the Japanese Shining Magikarp, which is the original version of the #15 Magikarp on this list. While close in price, the Japanese version slightly edges out its English counterpart in both raw and PSA 10 values.
And while the art is close to the same, the Japanese version has an incredibly cool sparkle around the card which its English sibling does not. Score one for Japanese versions here.
#1 – Magikarp 20th Anniversary Festa #XY-P
Raw: ~$800 | PSA 10: ~$1,200
Coming in at #1 is likely one you haven’t heard of. It is a Japanese exclusive 20th Anniversary Magikarp. This card was a specialty release in the 20th Anniversary Festa event in Japan in 2016 and could only be obtained at this particular event.
Because of that, this card was incredibly difficult to get a hold of and is still hard to get a true value on because of how rare it is. Despite its PSA 10 value not being as impressive as some others on this list, the raw value of this card remains far higher than any other before it.
If you love the artwork but not the price, there is an XY Promo Magikarp with the exact same artwork that you can pick up for $10-20. Happy Hunting!
#0 – Magikarp [Sparkle] #129
Raw: ~$940 | PSA 10: ?
While not technically a Pokémon card, the Topps Sparkle Magikarp holds an unbelievably impressive value worthy of being a shoutout on this list. There is a Tekno version as well that costs around $600 and a number of other versions that can be picked up if you are a Magikarp collector!
#00 – Pretend Magikarp Pikachu #150/XY-P
Raw: ~$1,500 | PSA 10: ~$2,700
While not technically a Magikarp, the Pretend Magikarp Pikachu was yet another noteworthy addition to the list. It is one of a number of Pikachu Promo cards that hold unbelievable value and show no signs of dropping at all. Be careful though as this card and others in that set have fakes that you should watch out for.
If you would rather call this a Pikachu, then you should check out the most expensive Pikachu list while you are at it.
While it may be a stretch to call this card a Magikarp, I don’t think anyone would be upset with having this in their collection.
Summary
Hopefully you enjoyed this list of expensive Magikarp cards! If you feel I missed anything, please send me an email with your thoughts to [email protected]
Thanks for reading!
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