Pokémon Cards
My interest in Pokémon cards has always been in the art. I love how all the different illustrators use so many different styles and how their work reveals so much more about the Pokémon and their universe. Since I am no expert, I might accidentally have some inaccuracies below (please let me know!), and I certainly won't be providing you with information that would be at all helpful with winning tournaments (I've never actually played the game!). My goal with this gallery is to show you a chronological view of the card art of Mew and Mewtwo, so we can go oooo and aaah at all the sparkles and epic posing. I also have especially found it fascinating to learn which card art appeared only in Japan and which card art appeared only outside of Japan.
There are bigger versions of some of the card art below. You can click the images to see them at full size. If you want to see the whole card (hey, sometimes the art covers the whole card), you can also view it in Japanese or English with the respective links.
The packaging and promotional items relating to the Official Trading Card Game and other more-or-less official cards have their own gallery.
Official Trading Card Game
- Japan
- Expansion Pack
- October 20, 1996
- USA
- Base Set #10
- January 9, 1999
- Art
- Ken Sugimori
Currently not released in Japan
- USA
- Base Set 2 #10
- February 24, 2000
- Art
- Ken Sugimori
- Japan
- Pocket Monsters Fan Book
- April 1997
- USA
- Wizards Promo #3
- November 12, 1999
- Art
- Ken Sugimori
- Japan
- CoroCoro Promo
- May 1997
- USA
- Wizards Promo #14
- March 2000
- Art
- Benimaru Itoh
Currently not released in Japan
- USA
- Wizards Promo #8
- April 2000
- Art
- Ken Sugimori
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- World Hobby Fair
- December 1997
- Art
- Ken Sugimori
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- World Hobby Fair
- December 1997
- Art
- Ken Sugimori
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- Vending Machine Promo Series 1
- March 1998
- Art
- Atsuko Nishida
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- CoroCoro Promo
- May 1998
- Art
- Ken Sugimori (Jumbo)
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- Vending Machine Promo Series 3
- November 1998
- Art
- Kazuhiko Nishihara
Currently not released in Japan
- USA
- Best of Game Promo #8
- June 2003
- Art
- Shin-ichi Yoshida (Reverse Holo)
- Japan
- 2nd Movie Promo
- July 17, 1999
- USA
- 2nd Movie Promo
- July 21, 2000
- Art
- Uncredited
No. 1 & No. 2 & No. 3
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- Secret Super Battle Tournaments
- Summer 1999
- Art
- Hideki Kazama
Currently not released in Japan
- USA
- Wizards Promo #12
- April 2000
- Art
- Christopher Rush
(Hokushin’etsu Region)
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- World Challenge Summer
- July 26, 2000
- Art
- "Big Mama" Tagawa
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- Special Edition Celebi GBA
- March 2001
- Art
- Shin-ichi Yoshida
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- CoroCoro Promo
- May 2001
- Art
- Hironobu Yoshida
- Japan
- Base Expansion Pack #86
- December 1, 2001
- USA
- Expedition Base Set #56
- September 15, 2002
- Art
- Kimiya Masago
- Japan
- Base Expansion Pack #118
- December 1, 2001
- USA
- Expedition Base Set #20
- September 15, 2002
- Art
- Kimiya Masago (Holo)
- Japan
- Base Expansion Pack #87
- December 1, 2001
- USA
- Expedition Base Set #55
- September 15, 2002
- Art
- Hajime Kusajima
- Japan
- Base Expansion Pack #119
- December 1, 2001
- USA
- Expedition Base Set #19
- September 15, 2002
- Art
- Hajime Kusajima (Holo)
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- P Promo #33
- May 2002
- Art
- Hajime Kusajima
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- J Promo #2
- July 13, 2002
- Art
- Anime Screenshots (Jumbo)
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- P Promo #46
- August 2002
- Art
- Midori Harada
- Japan
- Expansion Pack #26
- January 31, 2003
- USA
- EX Ruby & Sapphire #101
- June 18, 2003
- Art
- Katsura Tabata
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- PLAY Promo #7
- 2003?
- Art
- Ryo Ueda
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- PLAY Promo #13
- 2004?
- Art
- Atsuko Nishida
- Japan
- Rocket Dan Strikes Back #64
- October 5, 2004
- USA
- EX Team Rocket Returns #99
- November 8, 2004
- Art
- Mitsuhiro Arita
Currently not released in Japan
- USA
- EX Holo Phantoms #111
- May 3, 2006
- Art
- Ken Sugimori (Holo)
- Japan
- Mirage’s Mew #5
- June 30, 2005
- USA
- EX Legend Maker #10
- February 13, 2006
- Art
- Kouki Saitou
- Japan
- Mirage Forest? #80?
- June 30, 2005
- USA
- EX Legend Maker #73?
- February 13, 2006
- Art
- Ken Sugimori (Holo)
- Japan
- Mirage Forest #41
- June 30, 2005
- USA
- EX Legend Maker #88
- February 13, 2006
- Art
- Ryo Ueda
- Japan
- PCG-P Promo #69
- June 2005
- USA
- POP Series 4 #4
- August 2006
- Art
- Nakaoka
- Japan
- PCG-P Promo #91
- June 2005
- USA
- POP Series 4 #4
- August 2006
- Art
- Nakaoka (Holo)
- Japan
- PCG-P Promo #80
- June 2005
- USA
- Nintendo Black Star #40
- September 2006
- Art
- Masakazu Fukuda
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- Japanese P Promo #85
- July 2005
- Art
- Masakazu Fukuda
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- Movie 8 VS Pack
- July 2005
- Art
- Midori Harada
- Japan
- Holon Research Tower
- October 28, 2005
- USA
- EX Delta Species #12
- October 31, 2005
- Art
- Ryo Ueda
- Japan
- PCG-P Promo #107
- October 2005
- USA
- EX Holon Phantoms #24
- May 3, 2006
- Art
- Ryo Ueda
- Japan
- Mew Gift Box #3
- November 16, 2005
- USA
- EX Holon Phantoms #100
- May 3, 2006
- Art
- Ryo Ueda
- Japan
- Furthest Ends #101
- June 29, 2006
- USA
- EX Dragon Frontiers #101
- November 8, 2006
- Art
- Masakazu Fukuda
- Japan
- PCG-P Promo #148
- Summer 2006
- USA
- POP Series 5 #3
- March 2007
- Art
- Masakazu Fukuda
- Japan
- PCG-P Promo #148
- Summer 2006
- USA
- POP Series 5 #3
- March 2007
- Art
- Masakazu Fukuda (Holo)
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- 10th Movie Promo #9
- January 2007
- Art
- Kouki Saitou
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- 10th Movie Promo #9
- January 2007
- Art
- Kagemaru Himeno
- Japan
- Shining Darkness
- July 2007
- USA
- Secret Wonders #15
- November 2007
- Art
- Kagemaru Himeno (Reverse Holo)
- Japan
- Shining Darkness
- July 2007
- USA
- Secret Wonders #15
- November 2007
- Art
- Kagemaru Himeno (Holo)
- Japan
- Moonlit Pursuit #181
- October 26, 2007
- USA
- Majestic Dawn #9
- May 21, 2008
- Art
- Kent Kanetsuna
- Japan
- Moonlit Pursuit #181
- October 26, 2007
- USA
- Majestic Dawn #9
- May 21, 2008
- Art
- Kent Kanetsuna (Holo)
- Japan
- Regigigas Half Deck
- March 2008
- USA
- Legends Awakened #11
- August 2008
- Art
- Ken Sugimori
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- Battle Carnival Prize
- November 2011
- Art
- Hitoshi Ariga (Jumbo)
Currently Japanese exclusive
- Japan
- BEAMS BW Promo
- April 20, 2013
- Art
- Toyste Beach
Currently not released in Japan
- USA
- XY Black Star Promos #100
- November 18, 2015
- Art
- match
- Japan
- XY-P Promotional cards #202
- November 3, 2015
- USA
- XY Black Star Promos #101
- November 18, 2015
- Art
- match
Currently not released in Japan
- USA
- XY Black Star Promos #101
- November 18, 2015
- Art
- match