World Record Charizard Headlines Top Pokémon Card Sales of March 2026
March 2026 was another strong month for the Pokémon TCG community filled with more 30th anniversary-related products and record sales for chase cards. Just a few weeks removed from the massive Logan Paul auction, another Hobby record was set: this time by another beloved character from the franchise.
The Most Expensive Charizard in History
On March 3, 2026, the Japanese version of the iconic Base Set Charizard set a new all-time record for the character. This particular copy, which has no rarity symbol on the bottom right corner, received a perfect PSA 10 grade and sold for a whopping $1,700,000. It was the most expensive non-sports card sold that month.
The card effectively became the most expensive Charizard of all time and the first to ever breach the $1M mark, even surpassing the English copy from the Logan Paul Break set. A similar card which had the PSA case signed by artist Mitsuhiro Arita himself, sold five days later for $1,232,200.
Two More Pikachu Illustrators
Two more Pikachu Illustrator cards took to the public market in March, one that received a PSA 9 grade and another which got both a PSA 8.5 grade and an MBA Gold Diamond Certification.
The PSA 9 copy went up on Heritage Auctions and eventually sold for $1,406,250, while the slightly lower graded version sold for nearly half the price at only $727,120 through Goldin.
One of the Greatest Master Sets Ever
Skyridge is one of the sets that are considered incredibly rare and valued in the modern age of collecting, particularly because of its unique design, iconic variants, and tough grading. That's what makes this perfect PSA 10 Master Set of the 2003 release even more incredible.
Every single card, including the four different pack arts, were graded with PSA and received Gem MT 10 grades. The entire lot sold for $1,218,750 on Heritage Auctions, but it honestly wouldn't be a surprise if this Master Set would've gone for a lot more than that.
Champions' Prize From First-Ever Pokémon TCG Tournament
Not to be confused with the Pikachu Illustrator, these cards were given out in a different competition altogether. This is the 1st Tournament #1 Pikachu, which was given out to one of the champions in the first-ever officially sanctioned Pokémon tournament way back in 1997.
Only eight of these cards have ever been graded with PSA making it one of the rarest Pokémon cards of all time. This PSA 8 copy sold through Goldin for $982,100, the most that's ever been paid for this particular card.
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.