Last Updated on June 30, 2023 by dashespoke
Every now and then, I see a gold Pokémon card, and I think to myself, “Is that real?” In most cases, the answer is no… However, metal Pokémon cards DO exist!
Metal Pokémon cards are real! Currently, there are four metal Pokémon Cards. A base set Pikachu replica, base set Charizard replica, a Arceus V and Arceus VStar. These can be found in the ultra premium collections.
Before discussing the real cards, let’s dive into custom or “fake” metal Pokémon cards.
Custom Pokemon Cards
Custom Pokémon cards are usually fan-made or third-party-created cards. These modified and unofficial Pokemon cards usually contain excellent detail and are beautiful drawings.
However, these cards are not officially recognized or endorsed by The Pokémon Company of Nintendo. These are made for your enjoyment!
For example, these beautiful custom Pokémon cards by Etsy user: Paperheartsinc allows them to create and sell birthday cards for those seeking a custom Pokémon card.
Although these are not metal cards, there are no shortages of custom metal Pokémon cards in the market.
Fake Gold Plated Pokemon Cards
TCPI has only created four metal Pokémon cards! As pictured above, this is a replica made by a fan or third party.
Details like weight, color, and feel are the biggest separators between real and fake cards.
If your cards don’t look like the ones below, you probably have a fake or custom Pokémon card.
Celebrations Metal Pokemon Cards
In 2021, The Pokémon company released a special set called Celebrations. It commemorates 25 years of Pokémon. The set features nostalgic and iconic elements of the classic Pokémon franchise.
The Celebrations UPC is a highly sought after collector’s item. Most people collecting the UPC will charge a premium to sell it!
The Pokémon company decided to print metal Pikachu and Charizard cards in the set.
Additionally, you can look for the special set symbol, resembling the classic Poké ball, to differentiate it from other sets.
During the release, the prices of the set were reasonable. Due to increasing popularity, the price of the ultra premium collection (UPC) has skyrocketed.
At the time of writing, the Celebration UPC could cost you around $400 USD. Yikes!
The Arceus Metal Pokémon Cards
More recently, In November of 2022, The Pokémon Company released the Arceus Ultra Premium Collection. Pokémon made the same metal cards in the set as they did with the Celebration’s UPC, except with Arceus.
This time, the Pokémon Company printed the metal cards in full color.
Moreover, the cards have the same weight and thickness as the previous metal Pokémon cards.
The issues with Metal Pokémon Cards
Metal Pokémon cards are fun to look at…until they’re not. Unfortunately, the cards are expensive to print. Thus leading to cutting corners like poor packaging.
As you can see in this photo, the cards are easily damaged. The cards are left free floating in the packaging, damaging the card itself.
When will you learn TPCI !?
Burger King Gold Plated Pokemon Cards
You may have seen these bulk odd looking gold plated pokemon cards inside of a Poke ball. Yes, these are real and recognized by TPCI. Unfortunately, they aren’t too valuable (at the time of writing).
Burger King decided to release this in 1999. The set features 6 Pokémon:
- Pikachu
- Charizard
- Jigglypuff
- Mewtwo
- Togepi
- Poliwhirl
Conclusion
Metal Pokemon cards are real. Currently, four exist: Base set Pikachu and Base set Charizard (Both found in the Celebrations UPC), Arceus V and Arceus Vstar (Both Found in the Arceus UPC).
As time passes, Ultra Premium Collector’s items tend to rise in price. At the time of writing, the Celebrations UPC is roughly $400. The Arceus UPC is $100.
Do you have any of the UPC’s? And do you think they will rise in value? Good luck to all holding and finding some!