The Definitive Pokémon Cards of the 2000s
It's no joke that Pokémon is one of the biggest brands in the world, and its TCG is also on top of the industry. With a wide variety of consumers ranging from dealers, collectors, and competitive players, there's really a card for everyone.
When talking about Pokémon cards these days the conversation is usually directed towards one of two eras: ultra modern and vintage (Base Set, 90s). A key generation of the TCG that is arguably quite overlooked to this day is the 2000s era, a period of time highlighted by sets created around the third and fourth generation of the Pokémon video games.
Lots of people these days know all about the ultra modern cards such as the Prismatic Evolutions Umbreon ex and even extremely old collectibles such as the Base Set Charizard, but the sets from the 2000s deserve their time in the spotlight. Here are the cards that defined that generation.
Gold Star
The ultimate chase cards that came from this era were the Gold Star cards from the mid-2000s. They are easily distinguishable from other releases for a couple reasons. These cards feature a small gold star beside the Pokémon's name and always include artwork where the character itself is depicted in its shiny (alternative color) variant.
The pull rates back then for these cards were incredibly tough and there was even a limitation of only one Gold Star card per competitive deck at the time. The first three Gold Star cards released came from the EX Team Rocket Returns set with the featured Pokémon being Mudkip, Torchic, and Treecko as the Gen 3 starters.
The Charizard Gold Star from EX Dragon Frontiers, assuming it's in raw yet gradable condition, is the most expensive of the bunch at just around $20,000. When it comes to graded copies, however, Charizard takes a step back to both Umbreon and Pikachu.
The highest price ever paid for a Gold Star Pokémon card is $180,000, and this happened twice for nearly identical copies. The 2005 Pokémon Japanese Play Promo 70,000 Pts Holo Umbreon Gold Star is the card that took the top spot with BGS 9.5 and PSA 10 graded versions selling for the same amount.
As for English cards, the record isn't that far behind; $148,000 was paid last February for a PSA 10 Pikachu Gold Star from EX Holon Phantoms that received an additional MBA Silver Diamond Certification.
Crystal
This was Wizards of the Coasts' final dance before handing over printing of the Pokémon TCG to Nintendo. Their last-ever set, Skyridge, is one of the rarest in history and just so happens to be home to some of the most desired cards from the 2000s.
The Crystal cards were what anyone that opened a Skyridge pack would pray for. They were these beautiful holographic cards that shined even past the character art box with the now-iconic e-Reader border design.
Unsurprisingly, the Holo Crystal Charizard is the most valuable of the bunch. A genuine ungraded copy in near mint condition would be worth anywhere around $10,000-$15,000 these days, while an extremely rare PSA 10 version would sell for upwards for $50,000 easily.
Original EX Era
EX cards are a staple in the Pokémon TCG these days, but they look vastly different from when the line was first introduced in the 2000s. The true beginning of the EX era was from the Ruby & Sapphire expansion which also happened to be the first non-WoTC release for the TCG.
Unlike the Gold Star and Crystal lines, the original EX cards are still relatively affordable for a decent chunk of the fanbase given the current state of the market. Mewtwo ex from the EX Ruby & Sapphire set is currently trending around $220 ungraded while bigger chases like Charizard ex from EX FireRed & LeafGreen are worth just under $1,000.
Joaqin is a journalist with a strong passion for the Hobby. He has published work for HLTV.org, Rappler.com, and DLSU Sports. A decade-long Pokémon TCG collector, he recently shifted into sports cards to collect Lakers, Dodgers and Chargers players with growing PCs of Shohei Ohtani and Justin Herbert.