McDonald’s Pokémon Cards Guide

Being a kid in the early 2000’s was the best when McDonald’s started to do Pokémon promotions. Nothing was better than getting your Happy Meal and ripping open that red and yellow box to find out what cool Pokémon card you were going to find at the bottom of the box.

These cards used to not be worth much, but due to the 2021 Pokémon 25th Anniversary craze, it really kicked these cards back into the spotlight and prices have been soaring. The prices for these cards are very inflated and vary so much depending on the cards condition and whether or not the card is PSA graded.

Here are the current top 10 most valuable McDonald’s Pokémon cards on the market. 

2021 Pokémon Pikachu- Holo McDonald’s Collection

This Pikachu card was included in McDonald’s happy meals at participating locations for the celebration of the Pokémon Franchise’s 25th Anniversary. This promotion began on February 9, 2001 in the United States and ran until supplies lasted. This card celebrates 25 years of Pokémon, and features a red cheek Pikachu in the artwork.

This card had an extremely high demand and sold out pretty quickly. McDonald’s released a statement telling stores to set a limit on the number of Happy Meals sold per customer so as many kids as possible can enjoy this experience.  The bottom right corner of this card’s artwork box contains the 25th Anniversary logo. This card has a cool Confetti Holo that makes Pikachu seem to jump off the card with the background shinning in the light. This is the card that really reignited the McDonald’s Pokémon craze.

PSA Population Report:

A total of 1,573 of these 25th anniversary Pikachu cards have been graded by the PSA. The lowest grade given was a GOOD 2. As of today, 700 of these Pikachu cards have been graded a perfect Gem Mint 10 condition by the PSA. Because of all the craze for this card, this card is currently going for a lot more than $5,000; but $5,000 seems to be an average price for this card. 

2012 Pokémon Dewott- Holo McDonald’s Collection

This Dewott card was released as an exclusive Confetti Holofoil in June 2012 at McDonald’s for the Pokémon Black & White promotion. This Dewott McDonalds card is a Rare rarity and is extremely hard to come by in graded Mint condition. Only one of these cards have been graded a perfect PSA 10, making the price of this graded card $5,000. You can find a couple of these cards ungraded, but they are in poor condition. 

PSA Population Report:

This Dewott McDonald’s card has a very low population of only 2 cards being graded by the PSA. There is one NM 7 graded card and only 1 Gem Mint 10 condition card graded by the PSA. This card can vary in price because of its age and low population.

2005 P.M. Japanese Promo Totodile McDonald’s

Totodile is a very popular card in the McDonald’s promotion for Pokémon EX Hidden Legends in January of 2005. This card features Totodile wading in the water with a white sandy beach in the background. This card is very rare with only 2 of these cards being graded a PSA 10. This card in a PSA 10 can fetch up to $3,500, but for lower gradings this card can significantly go lower. This is a very vintage card and is pretty in demand for a PSA 10. 

PSA Population Report:

This card has only been graded by the PSA 24 times. The lowest grade, with 1 card, is a NM 7 grade. The most common grade, with 17 cards, is a Mint 9 condition. Only 2 of these Totodile McDonald’s cards have received a perfect Mint 10 condition. 

2005 P.M. Japanese Promo Cyndaquil McDonald’s

This cute fire porcupine Pokémon is quite a hot commodity in the McDonald’s promotion card world. This card was part of the EX Hidden Legends promotion that was sold during January of 2005. This card is pretty rare due to its low population being graded by the PSA. There are only 5 cards graded a PSA 10, making this card pretty rare for a perfect condition Cyndaquil. 

PSA Population Report:

This Japanese McDonald’s Cyndaquil card has a very low population, with only 14 of these cards being graded by the PSA. The lowest grade given, with 1 card, is a NM-MT 8 condition. The most common grade, with 8 cards, is a Mint 9 grading. This card has been graded a perfect Gem Mint 10 condition 5 times by the PSA.

2002 Pokémon Japanese Pikachu-Holo McDonald’s

This card was included in Japanese happy meals in a booster pack containing 6 cards, From January 26 to February 24 of 2002. This card was compatible with Nintendo’s e-Reader tool and shows cool Holofoil lightning bolts coming from Pikachu. This card is rare due to it’s e-Reader and the artwork, as well as how old this card is. This card has a pretty decent PSA 10 population, but due to its high demand this cards price keeps going up. Plus, these Japanese cards were only released in Japan, making them quite valuable for English Pokémon collectors. 

PSA Population Account:

This Japanese McDonald’s Pikachu card has been graded by the PSA 519 times. The lowest grade, with 1 card, is a VG- EX 4 condition. The most common grade, with 384 cards, is a Gem Mint 10 grading. 

2002 Pokémon Japanese Charmander- Holo McDonald’s

This Japanese Charmander card was released in Japan in early 2002 as part of the McDonald’s Pokémon-e Minimum Pack. This cards artwork is perfect for Charmander, featuring a very cartoonish Charmander jumping down, with its fire-tipped tail swinging behind it. The Holofoil background really puts this whole card together. This card does have a pretty high population. however, because this McDonald’s set was released exclusively in Japan and Charmander is a very popular starter Pokémon, this card is pretty valuable. 

PSA Population Account:

This card has a pretty decent population of 509 cards being graded by the PSA. The lowest grade, with 1 card, is a VG-EX 4 grading. The most common grade, with 376 cards, is a perfect Gem Mint 10 grading. 

2005 Pokémon Japanese Mudkip McDonald’s Promo

This Mudkip Pokémon card was released in Japan as part of a McDonald’s campaign in July 2005. This card has been reprinted for the English version in the Ex-Value Set, as well as in the POP Series 4. In the early 2000’s Mudkip was a pretty popular Pokémon and this card was also exclusively in Japan, giving it a high demand for the English market. This card does have a low population of only 8 cards being graded a perfect PSA 10 condition. This artwork is pretty cool and gives a very tropical feel with the palm trees in the background. 

PSA Population Account:

This Japanese Mudkip McDonald’s Promo card has a decently low population of only 20 cards being graded by the PSA. The lowest grade given, with 2 cards, is an EX-MT6 grade. The most common grade, with 8 cards, is a perfect Mint 10 condition.

2002 Pokémon Japanese Squirtle- Holo McDonald’s

This bubble gum-blowing Squirtle card was released in Japan as part of the Pokémon-e Minimum pack in early 2002. Since Squirtle is a long-standing favorite starter Pokémon, it is no wonder this card is in pretty high demand in good condition. For a card with almost 500 cards being PSA graded, this card still holds a high value at auction. Mainly due to the fact it was Japanese released and just how cute this Squirtle card looks. 

PSA Population Account:

This Japanese McDonald’s Squirtle has a decent population of 482 cards that have been graded by the PSA. The lowest grade given, with 2 cards, is a VG-EX4 grading. The most common grade, with 288 cards, is a perfect Gem Mint 10 condition.

2002 Pokémon Japanese Pikachu McDonald’s Promo

Not only is this card popular for being released as part of the P Promotional series, it also has a black “PROMO” star symbol right next to the McDonald’s symbol. This card was released in Japanese McDonald’s between January and February, 2002. The edges of this card contain e-Reader data for Pikachu information as well as the sound data for the Construction: Melody Box application. This card has a decently low population for such an old card and also features Pikachu with red cheeks, that were later changed to yellow. This card can still go for quite a decent price for a PSA 10 condition. 

PSA Population Account:

This Japanese McDonald’s Pikachu card has been graded 164 times by the PSA, considering this cards age, that is quite a low population. The lowest grade given, with 1 card receiving this grade, is a VG 3 grading. The most common grade, with 96 cards, is a Mint 10 condition. 

2002 Pokémon Japanese Togepi McDonald’s Promo

This card was a reprint from The Town on No Map expansion that was released in Japanese McDonald’s between May and June, 2002. This card features a black “PROMO” symbol right next to the McDonald’s symbol. The e-Reader data contains information on Togepi as well as sound data for the Construction” Melody Box application. The artwork on this card features a super cute Togepi that is laying down under a cartoonish tree. Under 50 of these cards have been PSA graded, with a majority of them being a perfect PSA 10. This card is still quite valuable, as most of the Japanese McDonald’s cards tend to be. 

PSA Population Account:

This vintage Japanese McDonald’s Togepi card has a low population of only 48 cards being graded by the PSA. The lowest grade, with 3 cards receiving this grade, is an EX 5 grading. The most common grade, with 32 cards, is a perfect Gem Mint 10 grading. 

Are McDonalds Pokémon cards sold separately?

The TCG packs were inside Happy Meals that you had to purchase, or as a separate purchase from participating locations. 

How many 2021 McDonalds Pokémon cards are there?

There are 50 cards in total, with 25 normal and 25 Holographic cards.

What are McDonald Pokémon cards worth?

Ungraded cards can be worth anywhere from $10 to $300.

Are McDonalds Pokémon cards valuable?

Graded Mint 10 condition cards can be worth quite a bit of money due to the current high demand for these cards. 

How long does McDonald’s usually sell Pokémon cards for?

The promotions McDonald’s would run usually lasted a month or until their supplies lasted. 

How much are the 25th anniversary McDonalds Pokémon cards worth?

The Pikachu card is worth the most at around $5,000 while the other cards can vary from $100 to $800.

Will McDonalds Pokémon cards be valuable in the future?

Most people think they will because they were sold as a limited time promotion, especially Japanese McDonald’s cards, since they are harder to come by in America. 

Are Pokémon cards coming back to McDonalds?

Possibly. Pokémon is releasing a Pokémon Go set in June of 2022, so it is possible that McDonald’s may run a promotion for that.