Most packs opened in the early 1990s are worth almost nothing today, a hangover from the tail end of the so-called junk wax era, when manufacturers simply printed too much.
However, the 1990s also produced some of the rarest cards ever made, and some are worth millions today. Below, we’ll go over the most valuable cards from this period, ranked by value.
This ranking uses each card's highest documented sale price, whether from a public auction or a private deal confirmed by the auction house, grader, or buyer. Every card was printed between 1990 and 1999.
Logan Paul's 1998 Pokémon Pikachu Illustrator, still the only copy PSA has graded Gem Mint 10, sits far ahead of everything else on this list. Goldin closed the sale on Feb. 16, 2026, at $16,492,000 after 41 days of bidding. That number covers the buyer's premium plus the diamond necklace Paul wore the card on at WrestleMania 38.
Paul had picked the card up in 2021 for $5.275 million. Guinness World Records now lists it as the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction, a strange fate for a card Atsuko Nishida drew as a prize for winners of CoroCoro Comic's 1998 illustration contest.
1997-98 Upper Deck Game Jersey Michael Jordan Autograph (PSA 6): $4,250,000
A 1997-98 Upper Deck Game Jersey Michael Jordan autograph card sold privately for $4.25 million, Goldin announced on April 23, 2026, the most ever paid for any card showing Jordan alone.
That copy, numbered 11 of 23, pairs an on-card signature with a swatch of the jersey he wore at the 1992 NBA All-Star Game. PSA graded the card a 6 and the autograph a 9. Back in February 2021, a PSA 7 copy sold at Heritage for $1.44 million.
1996 Japanese CoroCoro Comics "Ivy" Pikachu, Marketing Variation (CGC 8.5): $3,300,000
The 1996 Japanese CoroCoro Comics "Ivy" Pikachu Marketing Variation, graded CGC 8.5, sold privately for $3.3 million in August 2026, which CGC says is the most ever paid for anything it has certified, including sports cards.
It's the first of five known Ivy Pikachu versions, with a pair of ivy leaves under Pikachu's left foot and art shifted slightly to the right. It showed up on pre-launch posters and the October 1996 cover of CoroCoro Comic, likely never meant for public release. CGC has graded two.
Collectibles marketplace Alt paid $3.15 million in April 2026 for a PSA 5 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Green Kobe Bryant, a record for a solo Kobe Bryant card.
Each player's Precious Metal Gems run was numbered to 100, but only copies 1 through 10 got green foil; the other 90 were red. This copy, 009/100, is from Bryant's second NBA season.
A 1997 Pokémon Japanese Gold 1st Place Trophy Pikachu graded PSA 8 sold for $3,080,500 when Goldin's Pokémon 30th Anniversary Auction closed Oct. 25, 2026, the freshest result on this list.
The card was a first-place prize at the first official Pokémon TCG tournament, held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, in June 1997. Another PSA 8 sold at Goldin in March 2026 for $982,100, so the price more than tripled only seven months later.
1993 Magic: The Gathering Alpha Black Lotus (CGC Pristine 10): $3,000,000
The 1993 Magic: The Gathering Alpha Black Lotus holds its record from a 2024 private sale, when Adam Cai of Pristine Collectibles sold the only CGC Pristine 10 copy for $3 million. Alpha was Magic's first print run, with roughly 1,100 Black Lotus copies made.
1997-98 Ultra Michael Jordan Masterpiece 1 of 1 (PSA 8): $2,100,000
The 1997-98 Fleer Ultra Michael Jordan Masterpiece was Jordan's first one-of-one card. That lone copy, graded PSA 8, sold for $2.1 million, including buyer's premium, in Heritage Auctions' Winter Platinum Night sale, which ran February 28 to March 1, 2026.
1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor Kobe Bryant Rookie (BGS 10 Black Label): $1,795,800
A 1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractor Kobe Bryant rookie graded BGS 10 Black Label sold for $1,795,800 at Goldin in March 2021, setting a former record for any Kobe card. Beckett gave it 10s on all four subgrades, and only two copies have that Black Label. In March 2016, this exact card sold on eBay for $58,100.
A 1998 Pokémon Japanese Bronze 3rd Place Trophy Pikachu graded PSA 10 sold for $1,769,000, on a $1.45 million hammer, when Goldin's Spring TCG & Manga Elite Auction closed May 17, 2026. Awarded at the 1998 Kamex Mega Battle events in Japan, it's the only Gem Mint 10 of five copies PSA has graded.
1996 Pokémon Japanese Base Set No Rarity Symbol Charizard (PSA 10): $1,700,000
A 1996 Pokémon Japanese Base Set No Rarity Symbol Charizard graded PSA 10 reportedly sold privately for $1.7 million in March 2026, the first Charizard to break $1 million. Japan's first Base Set print run from October 1996, shipped without the small rarity symbol in the corner, which is where the name comes from.
A 1997-98 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Red Michael Jordan, copy 052/100 and graded BGS 8, sold through Alt in August 2026 for $1,473,989, the most ever paid at auction for any Precious Metal Gems card. Red is the more common PMG color, too, and the consignor had already turned down a $900,000 private offer.
The 1990s Record Book Keeps Getting Rewritten
Nine of these 11 records were set in 2026, with only the Black Lotus and Kobe Refractor dating from earlier.
Just outside the list sits a PSA 10 1999 Base Set 1st Edition Charizard that sold through Alt for $1,385,274 on Oct. 8, 2026. Then there's also Jordan's PMG Green, last sold publicly for $915,000 in December 2020, and with only 10 printed, the next one to surface could crack the top 11.
That said, rare cards from the 90s could easily set new records relatively soon and climb the list. This is one of many reasons people are turning to
digital card ripping sites
to see if they can get lucky.
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