Are Gold Pokémon Cards Worth Anything?

Not all Pokémon cards are the same. They can come in many different limited editions like holographics and promotional prints. Some rare cards may even shine with a golden radiance. Does this gilded coloring mean they are really valuable, or are they just fool’s gold?

Gold Pokémon cards can indeed be quite rare. But are they worth their weight in gold? Are they even made with real gold? Read on to discover if your Pokémon card collection is literally a gold mine! 

What are Golden Pokémon Cards Worth?

Like many card games, the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) prints special edition cards for promotional purposes or to attract collectors. The Pokémon TCG has been printing cards for decades, with the original base set first produced in 1996. Since that time, there have been several different kinds of what you might call “gold Pokémon cards.”

Before we can tell if Pokémon gold cards are worth anything, we need to know which cards we are talking about. Here are some of the prints that collectors would describe as Gold Pokémon Cards.

• Standard Gold Pokémon Cards: These come in packs and boosters. They look like your average Pokémon card but with gold foil decoration or gold stars. 
• 1999 Metal Cards: You might remember these from Burger King. They were sold as promotional material for the first Pokémon movie. 
• Real Gold Cards: Yes, REAL gold. The Pokémon company makes these out of 24k gold for special occasions and celebrations. 

Golden Rare Pokémon Cards 

As part of a normal printing run of cards, The Pokémon TCG creates golden special editions of certain cards. As of the most recent printings, more than 200 gold Pokémon cards are available to collect. These cards are rare, though not impossible to find. On average, you can find a single gold Pokémon card in every two boxes that you open.

Like any other collectible, rarity is not the only thing that determines the value of a card. The popularity of a card and its condition also factor into its worth. Most collectible cards sold at auction are graded on a scale from 1 to 10. If you stumble upon a perfect 10 mint condition gold Pikachu card, you could very well have struck real gold.

The Most Valuable Gold Pokémon Cards

As an example of what they can be worth, here’s a list of the most valuable Gold Pokémon Cards.

You may notice that most of these cards are all from the same print run. Currently the most valuable gold cards are the Gold Star series from this generation of Pokémon. Value can change from day to day, so be sure to check on your cards’ worth regularly. 

The most current run of the Pokémon TCG also has gold cards, though they haven’t grown much value yet. The rare gold cards in that print series are mainly just cards that don’t have many printings. So, for now, basic cards like energy cards and ultra balls can be worth a decent amount if they’re gold. 

Burger King Gold Pokémon Cards

In 1999, Burger King released promotional Pokémon toys sold with Kids Meals from November 8 to December 31. Used to promote Pokémon: The First Movie, the toys came with trading cards made specially for the promotion. At that time, you could also buy a set of six gold plated cards, which came in Poké Balls.

Unfortunately, for you treasure hunters out there, these cards are not real gold, nor are they particularly valuable. Millions of these cards were produced at the height of Pokémon’s popularity, so they are pretty common. 

24k Gold Plated Pokémon Cards

For celebrations and promotional events, the Pokémon Company has released real cards made with real gold. They are not common, and rather difficult to find. However, they still don’t sell for quite as much as some rare cards made from cardboard. This might be because they aren’t found in booster packs or boxes, so there is no random chance to find them. 

Looking to Purchase Pokémon Cards? 

On a treasure hunt for golden Pokémon cards? Check out our collection of Boosters Packs and Bundles to help you strike gold!