1999 Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer
You've probably never heard of Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer, and even if you have, you've probably never seen one in person. There are few cards rarer than this one when it comes to Pokémon cards.
No. 1 Trainer is a holographic promotional card given to finalists in the 1999 Super Secret Battle competition in Tokyo, Japan. (Despite the identical name, this is a distinct card than the 2002 World Championships No. 1 Trainer described above.) Players had to first win a regional tournament to qualify for the competition's finals, which were held in a secret location. Their reward was the No. 1 Trainer card, which allowed them to compete in the finals.
Because there were only seven regional tournaments, it's thought that only seven copies of this card were produced, making it one of the rarest Pokémon cards in existence. Six of the ultra-rare cards have now been certified by PSA as being in perfect Gem Mint 10 condition, with a faultless copy selling at auction in July 2020 for $90,000.
This card is so rare and expensive that Indiana Jones had to use it to escape a crumbling temple at some time. Its 1999 companion cards, No. 2 Trainer and No. 3 Trainer, which were also presented to champions in Japanese Pokémon tournaments in the late 1990s, are almost as uncommon and precious.
Price: $90,000
