Top 10 Most Graded Pikachu Cards of All Time

If you’re looking to buy or sell sports and gaming cards, check out eBay! *When you click links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Pikachu is the most recognizable trading card character on the planet, and the numbers back it up. Across PSA, CGC, Beckett, and SGC combined, collectors have submitted millions of Pikachu cards for grading. It’s amazing the absolute power of Pokémon’s IP.

The scale of Pikachu grading is hard to fathom. “Previously, Michael Jordan was kind of our most graded athlete slash character of all time,” Elizabeth Gruene, PSA’s head of pop culture, told Polygon. “We graded 1.5 million Pikachu cards just last year.”

2025 also marked the first time ever that trading card games surpassed sports cards in total cards graded at PSA, with Pokemon representing roughly 90 percent of all TCG cards submitted.

To gather the most graded Pikachu cards of all time, we pulled population data from all four major graders via GemRate.com and ranked every Pikachu card by combined total grades. This cross-grader methodology gives us a deep inside look as to what people around the world are submitting when it comes to our favorite red cheeked mouse.

Why Pikachu Gets Graded More Than Anyone Else

The Pokemon TCG launched in Japan in 1996 and hit North America in 1999. Pikachu was the franchise mascot from day one, and every generation of new releases, anniversary sets, artist collaborations, and promotional campaigns puts at least one Pikachu card front and center. Pre-order bonuses, McDonald’s promos, Pokemon Center city exclusives, gym event prizes: each one becomes its own grading wave.

Two things to understand before you read the list. First, these numbers reflect grading population, not card value. A card that gem rates at 88 percent and was given out by the millions will always outpace a rare vintage card that exists in a few hundred copies. Second, gem rates vary wildly by era. Modern cards on clean Scarlet and Violet era stock regularly gem at 80 to 90 percent. Vintage cards from the late 1990s gem at a fraction of that due to printing tolerances, centering issues, and wear from 25 years of handling.

Top 10 Most Graded Pikachu Cards (All Graders)

Data sourced from GemRate.com. Combined totals include PSA, CGC, Beckett, and SGC. Cards are matched per exact card entry across grader databases and ranked by combined total grades.

10. 2023 Pokemon Japanese Gym Event Campaign Pikachu #120

Combined Total: 61,313 | PSA: 41,971 (78%) | CGC: 19,109 (63%) | BGS: 211 (90%) | SGC: 62 (77%)

Japanese Pokemon TCG gym events distribute participation prize cards to players at officially sanctioned events. The 2023 Gym Event Campaign Pikachu #120 has accumulated 41,971 PSA grades at 78 percent, with BGS adding 211 grades at an excellent 90 percent. CGC adds 19,109 grades at 63 percent. SGC rounds out with 62 grades at 77 percent. The high gem rates across both submitting graders reflect the competitive player base taking care of their cards. PSA 10s sell for around $100.

9. 2021 Pokemon Celebrations Birthday Pikachu Holo #24

Combined Total: 43,567 | PSA: 36,366 (63%) | CGC: 6,173 (57%) | BGS: 658 (53%) | SGC: 370 (45%)

The Celebrations Classic Collection Birthday Pikachu Holo has meaningful populations across all four graders: PSA at 36,366 (63%), CGC at 6,173 (57%), BGS at 658 (53%), SGC at 370 (45%). The gem rate progression from PSA down through each grader reflects each company’s increasing strictness. All four graders tell the same moderate-difficulty story on this card. PSA 10s sell for around $350.

8. 2021 Pokemon Celebrations Full Art Pikachu #005

Combined Total: 47,324 | PSA: 39,094 (2%) | CGC: 7,138 (12%) | BGS: 788 (10%) | SGC: 304 (6%)

The standout anomaly on this entire list. The Celebrations Full Art Pikachu #005 has been graded 47,324 times across all four graders, yet every single grader reports a gem rate in the low single digits or low teens: PSA at 2 percent, CGC at 12 percent, BGS at 10 percent, SGC at 6 percent.

Four graders, four terrible gem rates. The centering problems on the Celebrations Full Art subset are not a grader quirk: they are baked into the card stock itself. Collectors kept submitting in hopes of beating the odds. A PSA 10 is genuinely rare and sells for about $1,200. The same card in PSA 9 trades for $20 to $40. That grade gap is one of the largest for any modern Pokemon card.

7. 2021 Pokemon Japanese Yu Nagaba x Pokemon Card Game Pikachu #208

Combined Total: 53,580 | PSA: 47,662 (75%) | CGC: 4,248 (74%) | BGS: 1,603 (81%) | SGC: 67 (63%)

Yu Nagaba is a Japanese illustrator known for his minimalist line work. His Pokemon collaboration produced a promo set distributed through Pokemon Center stores in Japan in 2021. The Pikachu, featuring Nagaba’s distinctive loose sketch style on a gold foil background, became one of the most sought-after modern Japanese promos. PSA leads with 47,662 grades at 75 percent. CGC adds 4,248 grades at 74 percent, nearly matching PSA. BGS contributes 1,603 grades at 81 percent. SGC rounds out with 67 grades at 63 percent. PSA 10s sell for about $220.

6. 2023 Pokemon Japanese Detective Pikachu Returns Pre-Order #098

Combined Total: 55,150 | PSA: 51,133 (87%) | CGC: 2,903 (80%) | BGS: 1,047 (84%) | SGC: 67 (87%)

A pre-order bonus for the 2023 Nintendo Switch game Detective Pikachu Returns. Detective Pikachu in his deerstalker cap has become a collector favorite. PSA leads with 51,133 grades and BGS adds 997, both posting excellent gem rates of 87 and 91 percent respectively. The clean protective pre-order packaging explains the high grades across both graders. CGC and SGC have no meaningful population. PSA 10s sell for $500.

5. 2023 Pokemon 151 Pikachu Art Rare #173

Combined Total: 59,443 | PSA: 49,013 (84%) | CGC: 9,589 (78%) | BGS: 569 (25%) | SGC: 272 (40%)

The Scarlet and Violet 151 set celebrates the original 151 Pokemon from Red and Blue, and the Art Rare Pikachu #173 is one of its headline pulls. PSA leads with 49,013 grades at 84 percent. CGC adds a substantial 9,589 at 78 percent. BGS has 569 grades but a notably low 25 percent gem rate, suggesting Beckett’s stricter subgrades are significantly harder to clear on this specific card. SGC adds 272 at 40 percent.

The BGS gem rate divergence from PSA here is one of the sharpest on this list (84 percent vs 25 percent), worth knowing before you decide which grader to use for this card. PSA 10s sell in the $150 range.

4. 2023 Pokemon Sword and Shield Crown Zenith Full Art Pikachu #160

Combined Total: 64,704 | PSA: 56,145 (54%) | CGC: 6,132 (51%) | BGS: 1,796 (52%) | SGC: 631 (50%)

Crown Zenith was the final English set of the Sword and Shield era. The Full Art Pikachu Secret Rare #160 became the chase card of the release. What makes this entry particularly interesting is the gem rate consistency across all four graders: PSA at 54 percent, CGC at 51 percent, BGS at 52 percent, SGC at 50 percent.

Four independent grading companies all landing within 4 percentage points of each other is about as definitive as it gets. The centering issues on this card are real and consistent, not a quirk of any single grader’s standards. It is also the only card in this top 10 where all four graders have a meaningful presence. PSA 10s sell in the $250 range.

3. 2022 Pokemon Japanese Scarlet & Violet Pre-Order Pikachu #001

Combined Total: 90,525 | PSA: 83,138 (83%) | CGC: 5,655 (74%) | BGS: 1,653 (86%) | SGC: 79 (84%)

When The Pokemon Company uses Pikachu as a pre-order bonus for a major video game launch, collectors show up in force. This Japanese version was distributed when players pre-ordered Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. PSA dominates at 83,138 grades with an 83 percent gem rate, reflecting the clean protective packaging included with pre-order bonuses. Other regional variants of this card (Traditional Chinese, English) are tracked separately by graders and are not included in this total.

PSA 10s will run you around $150.

2. 2023 Pokemon Van Gogh Pikachu With Grey Felt Hat #085

Combined Total: 118,753 | PSA: 109,445 (44%) | CGC: 4,494 (56%) | BGS: 4,594 (36%) | SGC: 310 (40%)

One of the most viral Pokemon cards ever made. The Pokemon x Van Gogh Museum collaboration in late 2023 produced a Pikachu illustrated in the style of Van Gogh’s famous self-portrait, complete with the grey felt hat. The Van Gogh Museum sold out almost instantly. The card was scalped, resold, and discussed globally.

The gem rate tells a consistent story across every grader that touched this card: PSA at 44 percent, CGC at 56 percent, BGS at 36 percent, SGC at 40 percent. The chaotic original distribution at the museum resulted in edge wear and handling damage across the board, and no grader could escape it. PSA 10s currently trade for a staggering $3,300.

1. 2025 Pokemon Japanese McDonald’s Promo Pikachu #020

Combined Total: 329,024 | PSA: 300,295 (88%) | CGC: 18,437 (84%) | BGS: 10,287 (93%) | SGC: 5 (80%)

The most graded Pikachu card in hobby history, and it is not particularly close. Distributed as a purchase incentive at McDonald’s locations across Japan in 2025, this promo set off an immediate grading frenzy. Fast food packaging is rough on cards, meaning collectors who pulled clean copies raced to slab them. The result: over 329,000 combined grades across three graders in a single year.

PSA dominates with 300,295 submissions at an 88 percent gem rate. BGS actually leads on gem rate at 93 percent, reflecting the more selective Beckett submitter base. CGC adds 18,437 grades at 84 percent. SGC has just 5 grades at 80 percent, a tiny but notable presence. PSA 10 copies sell for around $100.

What These Numbers Tell Us About the Hobby

The Crown Zenith Full Art at #4 is the most illuminating entry: all four graders landing at 50 to 54 percent gem rate is a unanimous verdict on a card’s consistency. Compare that to the 151 Art Rare at #5, where PSA gem rate (84%) and BGS gem rate (25%) are worlds apart, and you have a real, actionable insight: which grader you choose for that card matters enormously.

The Celebrations Full Art Pikachu at #8 is the most instructive cautionary tale. Nearly 47,000 combined submissions across four graders, all returning gem rates under 12 percent. That is tens of thousands of collectors paying grading fees on a card the market made nearly impossible to gem. Understanding gem rates before you submit is one of the highest-ROI skills in the hobby.

Purchase Pikachu Cards Live on eBay Live

Pikachu cards move fast. If you want to watch real PSA 10s get bought and sold in real time, eBay Live is where it happens. Tune in to live breaks and auctions featuring the best Pikachu cards in the hobby.

Track Your Pikachu Collection With the Ludex Light Box

If you are sitting on a McDonald’s Pikachu, a raw Van Gogh, or anything worth selling, the photos matter. The Ludex Light Box is a compact photo studio built specifically for trading cards. Drop your card in, and the built-in lighting eliminates shadows and glare so every surface detail, foil pattern, and edge comes through clean. Better photos mean more buyer confidence, faster sales, and stronger prices. No ring lights, no improvised setups, no washed-out flats. Just a dedicated box built for the job.

More Most-Graded Posts

We are building out the most graded card lists across the hobby. Check out the Top 50 Most Graded Michael Jordan Cards Ever for the basketball edition, with more players and more TCG characters coming soon.

---