The Only Real Metal Pokémon Cards: How to Avoid Fake Cards and Where to Buy

Despite what many sellers on eBay, Whatnot, TikTok, and elsewhere would like you to believe, there are actually only 5 (yes, 5!) real metal Pokémon cards that have ever been released as part of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG).

Three of these metal Pokémon cards are surprisingly not super expensive and they vary in their metal finish, ranging from bright gold to a darker-style foil treatment.

Of course, given their unique metal material, heavier weight, and limited edition status, these cards have emerged as popular collector’s items among Pokemon TCG fans and overall collectibles enthusiasts alike.

We strongly believe that The Pokémon Company will continue to print and issue these innovative metal cards with different finishes, along with other unique card types, which we discussed in our recent article on the Top 5 Collectibles Market Trends in 2025 and Beyond.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these 5 real metal Pokémon cards to see which set each one comes from, how much they cost (as of July, 2025, at a PSA 10 grade via recent eBay sold listings), and where you can buy them!

And even better, each of the card images you see below are from actual eBay sold listings in our eBay Store at Kendall Square Collectibles!

1. Charizard — Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection (UPC): $3,650.00 PSA 10

This Charizard came out as a promo card in the Pokémon Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection (UPC), which was released in 2021. This beautiful card uses the original art from the iconic base set and 1st edition Charizard.

We love the golden finish on this card and it shimmers in the sun beautifully. Counterfeiters and fraudsters have created similar looking Charizard metal cards, but unless it’s this specific card, you can be assured that these are all fake!

This amazing card is a fascinating example of different prices based on condition, because it has a massive price premium in PSA 10 condition, commanding several thousand dollars, while a PSA 9 is only a few hundred dollars.

Although it’s gotten much more expensive at around $800, the Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection is actually still available to purchase online, and you’ll be guaranteed both this Charizard card and the next Pikachu card!

2. Pikachu — Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection (UPC): $1,399.00 PSA 10

We absolutely love the original Pikachu card art from the base set, which came in two variants: 1) a red-cheeks version and 2) a yellow cheeks version, which you see here.

Just like the Charizard above, this Pikachu also came as a promo card in the Pokémon Celebrations Ultra-Premium Collection (UPC).

While the price for this card in PSA 10 condition isn’t quite as high as the Charizard UPC, it still sells for over $1,000, which is pretty impressive for a card that came in a box that originally retailed for about $250!

3. Arceus V — Arceus Ultra-Premium Collection: $79.98 PSA 10

After their success with metal cards in 2021, The Pokémon Company continued to innovate with additional metal finishes and cards in 2022 with the Arceus Ultra-Premium Collection.

This Arceus V card has a similar metal finish to the Charizard and Pikachu, but instead uses a colorized darker metal finish, which we think looks pretty awesome.

The card has some substantial weight to it and is double-sealed in the PSA holder with a soft plastic sleeve compressed into their hard plastic grading holder.

In terms of pricing, this card is much cheaper than the other two we’ve covered so far at under $100, so it might be a great idea to pick one up!

Believe it or not, you can actually still buy the Arceus Ultra-Premium Collection online, which includes this card, the next card, a playmat, and 15 booster packs, including 4 Lost Origin, 4 Brilliant Stars, 4 Astral Radiance, 2 Evolving Skies, and 1 Vivid Voltage pack.

4. Arceus VStar — Arceus Ultra-Premium Collection: $74.60 PSA 10

This Arceus VStar card has the same finish as the Arceus V card we covered just above, but with different art and abilities.

As you might expect, this card fetches a similar price to the metal Arceus V, making both of these cards available for less than $100 at the time of writing this article.

Given that these cards are not longer being produced and their supply is limited, now might be a great time get one yourself.

5. Mew ex — Scarlet & Violet 151 Ultra Premium Collection (UPC): $82.78 PSA 10

The last real and most recent metal Pokémon card is Mew ex from the Scarlet & Violet 151 Ultra-Premium Collection, which was released on October 6, 2023.

Just like the other four we reviewed above, this card was also a promo card that was included in this 151 UPC box set.

The finish on this metal card is more similar to the Charizard and Pikachu from 2021, but a bit darker and less shiny.

Mew has always been a fan-favorite Pokémon and is one of the original 151 (or more like the 151st Pokémon!), so this card could be an awesome one to add to your collection, especially at it’s current price (as of July, 2025) of around $80.

Although no longer sold at retail, you can still buy the 151 Ultra Premium Collection at some resellers (e.g., Amazon, TCG Player) but be ready to pay more than its original price, as it’s unfortunately risen to over $400 for one UPC box.

The Bottom Line & How to Avoid Fake Metal Pokémon Cards

As you can tell from our rundown of these 5 real metal Pokémon cards, we absolutely love these cards and think they’re super cool and innovative!

As we predicted in our other recent article on the top collectibles trends in 2025, 2026, and beyond (including for Pokémon TCG), we’ll hopefully start seeing more use of unique materials like metal, wood, glass, plastic, and crystals in Pokémon cards and other TCG cards like Yu Gi Oh, Magic: The Gathering, Lorcana, and One Piece in the future.

And there you have it, the only 5 real metal Pokémon cards, meaning that all other metal Pokémon cards you encounter are fake!

We appreciate you checking out this Knowledgebase article and we’re interested to hear your thoughts!

Do you also love metal Pokémon cards? Have you run into fake metal Pokémon cards?

Let us know in the comments on this article, on our Instagram, Facebook page, or via email or DM!