The Rarest and Coolest Pokemon Items in Our Collections

There is nary shortage of fantastic Pokemon merchandise to collect, including each the unthinkable fig of cards successful the Pokemon TCG. In continuing our solemnisation of Pokemon's 30th anniversary, we asked the IGN unit to stock the rarest and coolest Pokemon merch and favourite Pokemon cards successful their collections.

Miranda Sanchez - Executive Editor, Guides

My aged table astatine IGN's San Francisco bureau was known arsenic "Pikachu Mountain." While astir of my postulation is of Pikachu plush and figures, I besides bask peculiar brushed items of different Pokemon. My tiny postulation of Pokemon washi portion and my Pikachu Pilot fountain pens are immoderate of my concealed favorites. While I've slowed down connected collecting successful caller years owed to rising import costs and constricted storage, I've made immoderate exceptions for particularly neat Pokemon merch. It's besides been easier to get vacation and different plush from the authoritative Pokemon Center US website arsenic they've prioritized bringing much specialty plush lines. Aside from what's new, I've ammassed rather a fewer unusual items that, portion not wholly rare, stay arsenic prized items successful my collection.

Mike Mamon - Syndication & Digital Specialist

I realized I don't person overmuch abstraction for collecting anymore, truthful I've been precise selective successful what speaks to maine the most. For Pokemon, the Blue Version is what started my full fandom adventure. Blastoise is 1 of my favorites from the aboriginal days truthful I thin to gravitate towards them.

Amir Rakib - Technical Producer

I collected pokemon cards and figurines arsenic a kid pursuing my obsession with the TV amusement and Yellow Version for GBC. Chasing the elusive Mew and wanting Pikachu to travel maine astir defined my collecting interests. I would sojourn hobby and paper stores aft school, commercialized with friends, and marque my parents basal successful agelong lines with maine for promos. After a fewer large moves, I was heartbroken to recognize overmuch of what I've collected arsenic a kid up had been mislaid oregon sold. A fewer years ago, my ma was going done immoderate aged boxes and discovered immoderate of my collectors items, including my archetypal paper binder! It reignited my involvement successful collecting arsenic an adult. Despite each the figurines and miniatures littering my table astatine IGN and astatine home, my passionateness remains successful collecting chiefly Pikachu and Mew cards and chasing immoderate elusive White Whales (Lookin' astatine you Pikachu successful the Grey Felt Hat).

Kevin Cappiello - Sr. Producer, Branded Content

My table astatine the IGN bureau is covered with 90’s enactment figures, obscure trading cards, and retro video crippled memorabilia. Here are immoderate items you mightiness find connected there:

Mark Medina - Video Manager, Guides

Collecting Pokémon cards was my implicit jam erstwhile I was younger. I started a insubstantial way astatine property twelve, and looking back, I can't retrieve spending my net connected thing else.

As soon arsenic we got paid, a person and I would caput consecutive to 7-Eleven to bargain each battalion we could afford—the purple packs were ever my favorite. This was 1999–2000, truthful the cards were casual to find; the modern-day frenzy didn't beryllium yet.

Today, the hobby seems to beryllium each astir hunting uncommon pulls for resale oregon unboxing them for YouTube views. Back then, we collected purely for the emotion of the game. I really inactive person my archetypal binder with each of the archetypal 151!

Nick Maillet - Producer

I've been a instrumentality of Pokemon ever since I archetypal discovered it mode backmost successful Gen 1. Outside of those archetypal sets from the TCG, I mostly effort to cod immoderate of the much obscure but chill worldly from those aboriginal days of Pokemon.

Max Scoville - Senior Writer, Host & Producer

I was brainsick astir Pokémon during Gen 1, and had my stock of merch and collectibles. My fandom lapsed into a much casual appreciation since past (though I did get obsessed with Pokémon Black & White, due to the fact that Garbodor is awesome.) Around 5 years ago, I had a kid, truthful chaotic Pokémon collectibles person been appearing successful my location a batch much often these days.

Bo Moore - Senior Manager, Tech

Way backmost successful the twelvemonth 1999, I was heavy into everything Pokemon, including the TCG. I was much of a subordinate than a collector – I played competitively successful some play events astatine my section paper shop, arsenic good arsenic successful larger determination tournaments. I was good, too, astatine 1 constituent ranking successful the apical 10 successful my state. (Admittedly, the country was truthful tiny and caller that it wasn't hard to fertile if you played regularly and really knew what you were doing.) All that said, I wasn't immune to the collecting broadside of the hobby, and enactment unneurotic a astir implicit postulation of the archetypal Base Set, which thankfully surivived the years successful a binder astatine my mom's house. Most importantly, for Christmas that twelvemonth I asked for a First Edition Charizard. It was the "Holy Grail" of Pokemon cards, adjacent backmost then, and I someway convinced my parents to bargain 1 disconnected of eBay for astir $100. I grew up proceeding stories astir uncommon shot cards being worthy thousands of dollars, and figured the aforesaid could hap for Pokemon. It lived successful a drawer for galore years, during which I'd occasionally cheque successful and spot that yes, it had gone up successful value, but was lone ever worthy a fewer 100 bucks. Well, the Covid-era roar surely changed that, and my 12-year-old aforesaid was yet proven right.

Jacob Kienlen - Senior Audience Dev Strategist

I've been into Pokémon since I archetypal started playing it connected my Game Boy. It was 1 of the archetypal things I was really a instrumentality of, and I watched each occurrence and collected arsenic galore trading cards arsenic I could spend arsenic a kid. Now arsenic an big I've played astir each Pokémon video game, but I person precise small to amusement disconnected aft each these years and person fixed distant astir each of my trading cards and crippled cartridges. The lone existent merch I ain is the caller LEGO Eevee acceptable that was conscionable released successful 2026. It has go 1 of my favourite things since I archetypal built it and I felt the request to stock it arsenic a reminder that it's ne'er excessively precocious to commencement collecting thing you love.

LEGO Eevee - One of the archetypal LEGO Pokemon sets, released for the franchise's 30th anniversary.

Alan Knight - Supervising Producer & Host, Branded Content

I started playing Pokémon connected my Game Boy Advance, truthful people Rayquaza is my favourite legendary of each time.

Marhyan Franzen - Supervising Technical Producer

This is my 1 and lone Pokemon Card, its a promotional paper from the Burger King promotion for the movie successful 1999. It was talented to maine (in 4thgrade) due to the fact that I reminded them of Jigglypuff. I person since grown up to beryllium Psyduck, truthful I person a small waddling Psyduck that sits connected my table astatine work.

Samuel Claiborn - Senior Manager, Content

I cod one-off oregon unsocial items that weren't user goods oregon were truthful constricted that they whitethorn arsenic good not person been user goods. I marque an objection for information — sealed copies of games from decades agone are arsenic uncommon arsenic the property kits, autographs, and different one-of-a-kind things I question out.

Casey DeFreitas - Deputy Editor, Guides

I’ve been casually collecting Pokemon anything, really, since worldly archetypal became available. Though my parents insisted I springiness distant the bulk my Burger King Pokemon artifact collection, I inactive person a batch from my childhood, including Pokemon cards each the mode backmost from the basal set. I ne'er stopped collecting the cards, and person picked up packs arsenic a “little treat” passim my life, truthful I person a beauteous chill collection. I’ve visited Pokemon Centers each clip I’ve been to Japan, person brought location mode excessively overmuch worldly from the Pokemon World Championships since 2016, person a fewer pieces from BlackMilk’s Pokemon collab—I could spell on. I could populate a Pokemon-exclusive seller’s booth astatine a con. Honestly I request to halt buying Pokemon worldly due to the fact that of FOMO—good Pokemon merch isn’t truthful uncommon to find anymore!

Looking for much amusive features celebrating Pokemon's anniversary? Check retired our database of The 30 Best Pokemon of All Time and our showcase of the 18 Pokemon You Probably Forgot Exist. If you've got a cherished Pokemon paper oregon merch, beryllium definite to archer america beneath successful the comments!

Miranda Sanchez is the enforcement exertion of guides astatine IGN and a subordinate of Unlocked. She's a large instrumentality of stationery reading, and bouncing betwixt everlastingly games similar Pokopia and Dota 2. You tin sometimes find her connected Bluesky.