Written by Bernice
Modified & Updated: 11 Oct 2024
Reviewed by Sherman Smith
This is a long list of the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards around. If you grew up in the 90s to the early 2000s, you would know about Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Many kids began playing Yu-Gi-Oh! during this time. It even has its own Japanese anime. The direct English translation for Yu-Gi-Oh! is “King of Games” and has also become a staple card game similar to Pokemon. But how many Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are out there? At the latest, there are over 10,950 US version Yu-Gi-Oh! cards to date. Meanwhile, the Japanese version has over 12,667 cards available. In fact, the estimated amount of cards sold leads up to billions. People even hold competitions to have battles.
Many people will always compare Yu-Gi-Oh cards for sale. It’s natural if you want to take the game seriously. Some cards have better stats than the other or have a trick up their sleeve. Still, just like with the Pokemon cards you see, there are rare Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Some of the most valuable Yu-Gi-Oh cards are really pricey, and somewhat synonymous with expensive. Here’s a list of the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards available if you have the pocket money for them.
While you may hope to find that the card you randomly have is expensive, take note that most of these cards listed are some of the rarest Yu-Gi-Oh! cards you can ever come across.
Tournament Black Luster Soldier 1999 — 2,000,000 USD
The Tournament Black Luster Soldier is one of the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards around. As the rarest Yu-Gi-Oh card in the world, it has been reportedly sold for 2,000,000 USD. That’s a lot of zeroes and for good reason! This card is the only one of its kind in the world. It was created out of stainless steel and it was the prize for the 1999 Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament. In terms of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards worth money, the 1999 Tournament’s Black Luster Soldier is the most sought after.
Signed Japanese Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon — 421,000 USD
Put aside Yu-Gi-Oh! card prices, the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is still a sight to behold. It was the prize for the winner of the 2001 Asian Championships Tournament. Not only that, it has the autograph of Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!, on the card. For a while, this card was on sale in Akihabara for 400,000 USD at a discounted price, however, there were no reports of anyone buying the card.
Tyler The Great Warrior — 150,000 USD
In terms of Yu-Gi-Oh! rarity, Tyler the Great Warrior could be one of the rarest Yu-Gi-Oh! cards to exist. The card was created at the request of the Make-A-Wish Foundation for Tyler Gressle. He was diagnosed with an abnormal form of liver cancer called Undifferentiated Embryonal Sarcoma.
There are rumors floating around that Tyler was given two to three copies of the card, although no one has confirmed this. Not even Tyler, who became a cancer survivor. So not only does it belong to the list of the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards around, it’s also a very sentimental card with priceless depth.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon 1st Edition PSA 10 — 85,000 USD
This is the first edition of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. It’s also one of the most famous Yu-Gi-Oh! cards ever to be released. As time goes by, the first edition of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon becomes more expensive. A man once sold this card to pay for his daughter’s education.
We’re talking about the first batch of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card to hit Japan in 1999. You can also include the first editions that were released in the United States soon after.
Dark Magician Girl – Japanese Lottery — 50,000 USD
There are over ten thousand pieces of this particular Dark Magician Girl card. If you aren’t aware, the Dark Magician Girl is one of the most famous cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! existence and plays an important role in the first anime.
It was raffled in konamistyle.jp and because of its popularity, the card is often traded and sold with speed. Every piece is placed in a steel case to protect it from any damages.
Shonen Jump Championship Cyber-Stein PSA 10 — 22,025 USD
In its initial release, the Shonen Jump Championship’s version of Cyber-Stein in 2004 amounted to eighteen copies. While many versions of Cyber-Stein have various prices, the Shonen Jump Championship’s version is the most sought after.
The following year of its release, the card was mass-produced. However, the original eighteen pieces are still highly valuable and have become even more pricey as the years followed.
Blood Mefist Pu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series Prize Card — 15,600 USD
Blood Mefist is actually inspired by the real-life serial killer, Jack the Ripper, and German folklore character, Mephisto. Thus, it is an extremely rare card given its situation. While most cards are mass-produced after a year of their release, Blood Mefist has not been reprinted for nearly a decade. In fact, many false copies of the Blood Mefist card circulate the Internet and other physical stores, but none have the original copy.
2002 Morphing Jar Tournament Pack 2 PSA 10 — 15,000 USD
If you’re not an avid Yu-Gi-Oh! fan then the Morphing Jar card might not look much to you. It was first released in 2002 as part of the Tournament Pack 2. People consider it as a classic card, and Konami reprints this regularly. However, the first edition of the Morphing Jar packs a punch on the prices. This makes it a worthy addition to the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards around.
2002 Tournament Pack 1 MECHANICALCHASER PSA 10 — 14,999 USD
There are only twenty-five PSA 10s of the MECHANICALCHASER in existence. Konami released this version in 2002. Their prices also increase over time just like the Morphing Jar. Only seventy-one graded MECHANICALCHASER cards exist officially, thus making the graded cards even more expensive than the other ones.
2002 Red-Eyes B. Dragon 1st Edition LOB PSA 10 — 13,600 USD
PSA versions of the Red-Eyes B. Dragon amount only to sixty-nine cards. What makes this card so special is that its first appearance is on the English deck that was initially released in the United States. After all, it’s not just Yu-Gi-Oh! card collectors that can see its value. Belonging to one of the first decks to release in America is already a high-selling value on its own.
2003 1st Magician’s Force 1st Edition Dark Paladin Alternate Art PSA 10 — 12,000 USD
The Dark Paladin is arguably one of the most useful spell cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe. Dark Paladin allows the player to destroy a card by negating its activation. Just like most other spell cards, to activate it, you must turn it upwards.
It’s got even fewer graded cards than the Red-Eyes B. Dragon. Over 44 cards are graded and only 12 are graded as PSA 10s. Judging by its usefulness and rarity, the price is reasonable to many fans and players of the game.
2017 Dark Magician Girl Card Ghost World Championship Promo — 11,000 USD
Dark Magician Girl’s appearance in the anime was important for Yugi, the main character of Yu-Gi-Oh!, who often used her and her partner, Dark Magician, to aid him in his battles. That’s why it’s no surprise that the Dark Magician Girl would appear more than once on this list.
This particular card was distributed to attendants and participants during the Yu-Gi-Oh! 2017 World Championship. Just like the more expensive Dark Magician Girl, it was a limited edition. Konami only made a thousand copies to be handed out during this time.
Exodia the Forbidden One 1st Edition — 10,000 USD
There are many Exodia cards out there in the world since its release in 2002. Just like the other three famous cards we have mentioned, this one is also a staple in Yu-Gi-Oh! Exodia the Forbidden One, which refers to the card showing his head. Truth be told, Exodia is actually one of the banned Yu-Gi-Oh! cards out there. In fact, it’s still on the Yu-Gi-Oh! banned list to this day. Exodia the Forbidden One is also known as the sealed one because of it is split into different parts, since the card itself is incredibly powerful.
2002 Dark Magician Duel Stories Promo PSA 10 — 9,999 USD
There were a lot of famous cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Two of the main characters in the original anime series favored the Blue-Eyes white dragon, Dark Magician Girl, and Dark Magician. There are many factors as to why it’s expensive. Of course, having the famous Dark Magician card is one thing, but the rarity of the 2002 version jacks up its price. It’s a rare card that only has eighty-eight PSA 10s in the world.
Shrink Ultra Rare Limited Edition — 9,586 USD
Shrink Ultra Rare Limited Edition appeared in Shonen Jump’s Yu-Gi-Oh! championship tournament around 2006. Shrink cards of this edition can round up to an estimated ten thousand dollars if graded properly. It has three displayed grade values: PSA, PSA 10, and PSA 9.
2009 Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon Retro Pack 2 PSA 10 — 9,000 USD
This is the third time for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Price may vary, but Seto Kaiba’s most treasured card does not go down quietly. Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon on a PSA 10 grade can cost up to 9,000 USD. The retro pack series is filled with powerful cards that are difficult to find or are no longer distributed regularly. There’s no accurate estimate on the number of Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon cards on the Retro Pack. Still, there are over twenty-seven PSA 10s accounted for. Meanwhile, there are eighty-eight graded cards in total.
2009 Stardust Overdrive 1st Majestic Star Dragon Ghost Rare PSA 10 — 8,999 USD
Professionals know that this card is the ultimate power move which can be activated regardless of who’s turn it is. The Stardust Overdrive allows you to destroy all of your opponent’s cards if played correctly. A total of sixty-five graded cards, and a total of twenty-two PSA 10s currently exist. Players and collectors of the card game find the Ghost Rare version beautiful, as well.
2020 United We Stand Blue Secret Rare Promo PSA 10 — 7,000 USD
It goes without saying that even during the present time there’s still a lot of cards left for Yu-Gi-Oh! There are still many active collectors and players even up to the year 2020. The proof lies in the 2020 promo that was done during the COVID-19 pandemic. This card was awarded in the 2020 Remote Duel at Home, which was held in accordance with the pandemic. The rarity of this card comes to a total of three PSA 10s and five graded cards in total.
Amatsu-Okami of the Divine Peaks Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2019 Japanese National Qualifiers Prize Card — 2,805 USD
The Amatsu-Okami of the Divine Peaks was the award during the 2019 Japanese National Qualifiers for the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship. This card’s value reaches over 3000 USD. The player can only use the card by summon-linking it to another activated card. This also allows the player special moves that can win the match. This card is defined as ultra-rare and even more so with its four-link rating. Players of the game know that the Amatsu-Okami of the Divine Peaks is not only a beautiful card, but can easily turn the tables for any match. Competition organizers consider this card as a banned card.
Sword Revealing Light – Retro Pack — 1,599 USD
The Sword Revealing Light found in the Retro Pack can fetch up to an estimated 2000 USD. An added fact regarding Retro Packs is that it’s unavailable in some regions, such as the United States or Europe. Players and collectors alike favor the Sword Revealing Light and value the retro pack version. Because of this, the price doesn’t even catch them off guard.
Conclusion
While there are a lot more you can find that qualify as the most expensive Yu-Gi-Oh! cards out there, such as the Ghost Rare Dark Magician card, none of them are as expensive as the ones listed above. If you look at the Yu-Gi-Oh! card list, all twenty of them are bound to show up in the top spots. Still, it’s not truly about the fact that you can sell Yu-Gi-Oh! cards if you’re in a bind, and it’s also not whether you have the best Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. What truly matters is your love for the game and how well you play even with just your regular Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.
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