The most valuable Gengar Pokemon cards fetch a high price among collectors thanks to its inclusion in some of the oldest TCG expansions and its place as one of the original 151 Pokemon introduced in the Red & Blue games.
Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar were the only Ghost-type Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Red & Blue, and while later games added more Ghost-types, their unique type made them an instant favorite among fans.
Gengar’s absence in the Base Set (the most valuable expansion) means variants have never reached the eye-wateringly high prices of the most valuable Charizard, Blastoise or Venusaur cards. However, the right cards, if graded and in perfect condition, can be worth hundreds, even thousands, of dollars.
We’ve gathered up the most valuable English-language Gengar cards available. Note that we’ve only included English language cards, omitted oversized cards and have used TCG Player to get the current, average sales price for each card.
So let’s take a look at the most valuable Gengar cards!
1. Gengar VMAX (Alternate Art) – Fusion Strike ($400)
Appearing as part of the Fusion Strike set in 2021, this Gengar VMAX card is a pretty spectacular, full art Secret Rare that’s really risen in value in recent months.
It was the case that PSA 10 graded copies of this card were selling for around $450, but the average selling price for this card in general, even ungraded, is now sitting at an impressive $400!
Though we don’t usually see more recent cards, particularly of less popular characters such as Gengar, reach such heady heights, there’s a number of reasons that make the situation clearer in terms of this card’s value.
First, as a VMAX card, it’s particularly powerful in-game. If your opponent’s Bench and Active Spot are swamped with Pokemon V and/or Pokemon GX, Gengar’s Fear and Panic attack is particularly potent.
It deals 60 damage, multiplied by the number of V and GX Pokemon your opponent has in play, for the cost of just two Dark energy.
Secondly, it has the G-Max Swallow Up move, which can deal a massive 250 HP damage, though it does stop Gengar VMAX from attacking entirely on the next turn.
Then, there’s the matter of its artwork; it’s a striking, spectacular full art card that is bold, colourful and dynamic in terms of how Gengar is portrayed in its VMAX form.
Finally, this being a Secret Rare (which means the card number exceeds the stated number of cards in the set; in this instance, it’s card 271 of 264), shows that it’s a tougher card to pull from packs, and so scarcity also raises its value.
Though eclipsed by some other full art VMAX cards in terms of value (ever heard of ‘Moonbreon’?), this one is definitely one of the best we’ve seen, and there’s potential for its price to continue steadily growing!
2. Sabrina’s Gengar – Gym Heroes ($350)
The later Gym Challenge expansion often overshadows cards from the Gym Heroes expansion, but the Sabrina’s Gengar card, from Gym Heroes, is extremely valuable.
Sabrina’s Gengar, which featured in both expansions, included the Gym Leader’s portrait in the bottom-right corner of the card.
While the name and portrait are identical in the Gym Challenge expansion, the moves and artwork were completely redesigned in comparison to the Gym Heroes cards.
The particular Gym Heroes version of Sabrina’s Gengar has the 1st Edition logo, along with Sabrina’s image and a holofoil treatment on the card too.
It’s currently worth around $350, but of course graded copies can (and do!) sell for much higher!
3. Gengar ex – Fire Red and Leaf Green ($300)
The first ex cards appeared way back in 2003; they were a big upgrade in aesthetics and power from previous cards; as such, they regularly appear in lists of valuable Pokemon cards.
So of course, Gengar ex is not a surprising card to see on this list!
It’s interesting to see how the game balanced the increase in power that these cards represented; when your ex card was Knocked Out, your opponent would take 2 Prize Cards instead of 1.
That type of risk and reward balancing has persisted even now; VMAX cards, for example, allow the player who knocks them out to take 3 Prize Cards instead of 1!
This Gengar ex is an excellent example of the then-new galaxy holo foil treatment, which is far less common these days, in the face of other, arguably more spectacular and textured card treatments.
However, the galaxy holofoil definitely has its own charm and appeal; given that you don’t see it on many cards these days, it has a particularly nostalgic feel too.
So it’s no wonder that this card currently has an average selling price of $300!
4. Gengar and Mimikyu GX (Alternate Full Art) – Team Up ($285)
Tag Team cards were introduced as part of the Team Up set back in 2019.
These cards featured pairings of Pokemon that shared a type; they have abilities and attacks that make use of the characteristics of both Pokemon they feature too.
This Gengar card sees this list’s leering Pokemon paired with the somewhat creepy Mimikyu.
Its Poltergeist attack turns an opponent’s hand against them, dealing 50 damage to their Active Pokemon for each Trainer card they currently hold.
Its GX attack, which can only be used once per game, prevents the opponent from playing any cards from their hand at all in their next turn. However, both players can draw until they have 7 cards in their hand if Genger and Mimikyu GX has more than one Psychic energy card attached to it.
There’s a few variants of this card, but this particular full art version sells for an average price of $285.
Though its not as detailed or as in-your-face as the full art card at the top of this list, there’s an almost minimalist quality to its simple, creepy illustration that clearly gives it a great deal of appeal; couple that with its in-game usefulness, along with the unusual pairing with Mimikyu, and it’s clear to see why it’s so highly valued!
5. Dark Gengar (1st Edition) – Neo Destiny ($210)
Despite the name, Dark Gengar is not directly related to the ‘Dark’ Pokemon released in the Team Rocket Expansion.
The Neo Destiny expansion featured Dark and Light Pokemon; Dark Pokemon had relatively lower HP and stronger attacks, while Light Pokemon had higher HP and weaker attacks.
Despite the lack of Team Rocket logos, it is heavily implied that Dark Gengar is somehow connected to the organization.
Dark Gengar was the last Gengar Pokemon card to feature the 1st Edition logo, which is a massive factor in why it is so highly valued today, with a current average price of $210.
It’s a nostalgic and unique version of Gengar, with another example of the Psychic Pokemon mischievously leering in the artwork!
6. Gengar (1st Edition) – Fossil ($190)
This Holo Rare Gengar, from the 1999 Fossil expansion, is the first Gengar card ever printed.
The Fossil expansion arrived just a few months after Base Set launched, filling out the TCG with cards missing from the original set.
As it’s the first Gengar card ever printed, its current value is around $190.
Also included in the Fossil expansion was a non-Holo Gengar card with different artwork.
While the titular Pokemon was identical, the non-Holo card featured Gengar standing on a desert floor, whereas this Holo card features the Pokemon on a starry background.
This Gengar also features the 1st Edition logo, which we’ve already seen a few times on this list!
7. Gengar EX – XY Phantom Forces ($170)
Believe it or not, this incredible Gengar EX card, from XY set Phantom Forces, is a decade old!
We’ve talked a bit about in-your-face artwork on this list’s Pokemon cards, but you can hardly get more in-your-face than this one, with a Gengar that looks like it’s practically bursting out of the card!
It’s truly impressive, and the vibrant artwork, along with its spectacular foil treatment, has seen this card’s value skyrocket to a massive $170 on average over the past few years.
It’s got some sneaky attacks too, with one that doesn’t do direct damage as such, instead adding three damage counters to 1 of your opponent’s Pokemon; this handily dodges certain abilities that prevent attack damage!
It also has an attack that deals 60 HP of damage and Poisons your opponent’s Pokemon, then the Gengar basically runs away; after attacking, you switch it with one of your Benched Pokemon.
It’s a great card both from a gameplay and artwork point of view!
8. Gengar – Expedition ($129)
2002’s Expedition set kicked off a series of expansions featuring cards which could be scanned using Nintendo’s ill-fated e-Reader GBA accessory.
With the e-Reader plugged into the Game Boy Advance, players could swipe the codes found on cards to unlock new content or even play classic NES games; cards weren’t restricted just to those in the Pokemon TCG.
The e-Reader cards in the TCG featured animated Pokedex entries, details of new attacks and music, with what you unlocked depending on the card or cards you swiped.
Gengar featured on one of these cards; on the non-holo version of this card, there is a short code to scan on the bottom of the card, which displays the Gengar’s Pokedex details and a short summary of the card.
Though the e-Reader is more difficult to obtain and use these days (after all, even if you do get your hands on one, you’ll also need a working Game Boy Advance), these cards are still highly sought after.
Oddly, this Holo version of the card isn’t able to be scanned anyway, so it’s cheaper to get hold of the non-Holo variant, which you could then scan using the e-Reader.
The Holo Gengar from the Expedition set currently sells for an average of $129; if you find a graded copy, just like any other card on this list you can expect to pay an awful lot more, however!
9. Gengar – Skyridge ($109)
Another e-Reader card, this Gengar from the 2003 Skyridge set is, unusually for a most valuable list, not the Holo variant.
Pokedex information, card details and more can be found by scanning both code strips on this card with the e-Reader.
Perhaps it’s the e-Reader functionality which has pushed this card’s value up; at $109, it’s a pretty costly investment for a ‘standard’, non-Holo treatment card after all!
10. Gengar and Mimikyu GX (Rainbow Secret Rare) – Team Up ($106)
Another Secret Rare card, as well as being a second version of the Gengar and Mimikyu Tag Team card, this variant features a spectacular Rainbow Rare treatment.
Rainbow Rare cards were introduced in the Sun and Moon expansion, and there have been a huge number of them since then.
Thanks to their amazing, colourful treatment and minimalist art that strongly focuses on the Pokemon without any background, they tend to be very highly sought after.
Of course, this Gengar and Mimikyu Tag Team card is no different in that regard, fetching an average price of $106.
It’s definitely the case that you could find graded copies of many of the cards on this list for an awful lot more than we’ve listed them for, but as they tend to be either one-off sales or an unrealistic way to calculate the normal price you’d pay for a Pokemon card, we’ve focused on what you’re likely to see these cards selling for in the wild.
If you’re after Gengar cards, these are definitely the ones to get. Have fun trying to catch ’em all!
