Set Guide
Rarest & Most Expensive Cards in Pokemon Base Set
Charizard #4 is the most expensive Pokemon Base Set card at about £716.14. The rarest cards are the set's 32 Rares. Released 9 January 1999, the set has 102 cards, ranked below by market price and by printed rarity.
- Chase card
- Charizard #4
- £716.14
- Cards worth £10+
- 17 of 102
- priced cards
- Median card
- £1.97
- per priced card
- Top rarity tiers
- 32 Rare
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Top 10 most expensive Base Set cards
Prices as of 26 October 2026.
#1 Most Expensive
Charizard #4
Rare
Spits fire that is hot enough to melt boulders. Known to unintentionally cause forest fires.
£716.14
Source: $954.65 from tcgplayer market
Provider updated 15 October 2026
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#2 Most Expensive
Blastoise #2
Rare
A brutal Pokémon with pressurized water jets on its shell. They are used for high-speed tackles.
£169.97
Source: $226.58 from tcgplayer market
Provider updated 15 October 2026
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#3 Most Expensive
Venusaur #15
Rare
This plant blooms when it is absorbing solar energy. It stays on the move to seek sunlight.
£126.16
Source: $168.18 from tcgplayer market
Provider updated 15 October 2026
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#4 Most Expensive
Machamp #8
Rare
Using its amazing muscles, it throws powerful punches that can knock its victim clear over the horizon.
£94.57
Source: €112.85 from cardmarket trend
Provider updated 1 July 2026
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#5 Most Expensive
Mewtwo #10
Rare
A scientist created this Pokémon after years of horrific gene-splicing and DNA engineering experiments.
£64.63
Source: $86.16 from tcgplayer market
Provider updated 15 October 2026
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#6 Most Expensive
Alakazam #1
Rare
Its brain can outperform a supercomputer. Its intelligence quotient is said to be 5000.
£53.43
Source: $71.22 from tcgplayer market
Provider updated 15 October 2026
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#7 Most Expensive
Raichu #14
Rare
Its long tail serves as a ground to protect itself from its own high-voltage power.
£47.67
Source: $63.54 from tcgplayer market
Provider updated 15 October 2026
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#8 Most Expensive
Chansey #3
Rare
A rare and elusive Pokémon that is said to bring happiness to those who manage to catch it.
£42.37
Source: $56.48 from tcgplayer market
Provider updated 15 October 2026
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#9 Most Expensive
Gyarados #6
Rare
Rarely seen in the wild. Huge and vicious, it is capable of destroying entire cities in a rage.
£37.48
Source: $49.96 from tcgplayer market
Provider updated 15 October 2026
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#10 Most Expensive
Clefairy #5
Rare
Its magical and cute appeal has many admirers. It is rare and found only in certain areas.
£36.53
Source: $48.69 from tcgplayer market
Provider updated 15 October 2026
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Top 10 rarest Base Set cards
All 10 cards in this Base Set rarity shortlist share the highest listed tier, Rare. Printed rarity labels do not measure pull odds or how many copies exist.
Printed rarity labels were captured 24 October 2026.
- #1
Charizard #4Rare
£716.14
- #2
Blastoise #2Rare
£169.97
- #3
Venusaur #15Rare
£126.16
- #4
Machamp #8Rare
£94.57
- #5
Mewtwo #10Rare
£64.63
- #6
Alakazam #1Rare
£53.43
- #7
Raichu #14Rare
£47.67
- #8
Chansey #3Rare
£42.37
- #9
Gyarados #6Rare
£37.48
- #10
Clefairy #5Rare
£36.53
What Base Set cards are worth
Charizard is the chase card at about £716.14, roughly 41% of the combined value of the 102 priced cards in the set. 17 cards are worth £10 or more, and the median card is worth about £1.97, so most of a set's value sits in a handful of pulls.
Usable price data is available for 102 of 102 cards in the set checklist. Within the top 10, Charizard is about 19.6 times Clefairy, the lowest-priced card shown, when compared in GBP. These are market indicators for a watchlist, not guaranteed sale prices.
How we rank these cards
Price ranking: For each card, we use the first available value in this order: TCGplayer market, mid, then low; if none is available, Cardmarket trend, 7-day average, then 30-day average. We convert USD and EUR values to GBP using the latest daily reference exchange rates before comparing them. Price changes compare our own daily GBP snapshots over the last 30 days.
Rarity ranking: We order the checklist by printed rarity label: Special Illustration Rare, Mega Hyper Rare, Hyper Rare, Secret Rare, Illustration Rare, Ultra Rare, Double Rare, Holo Rare, Ace Spec Rare, Shiny Rare, Trainer Gallery, Gallery Rare, Promo, other Rare, Uncommon, then Common. Cards in the same tier are ordered by market price, highest first. Printed rarity does not measure pull odds, print runs or graded population.
Converted values are comparison estimates; check the marketplace listing for its current price, condition, shipping and availability.