Entertainment

The 3 most iconic and valuable Pokémon cards from 2003 Aquapolis

Collectibles On SI · Jul 22, 2026 17:10 · 3 min read

The 3 Most Iconic and Valuable Pokémon Cards From 2003 Aquapolis — Pokemon TCG Aquapolis | Beckett

These are the cards that defined the legendary Aquapolis set from the Pokemon TCG.

Aquapolis is a legendary Pokémon TCG set released by Wizards of the Coast in the early 2000s that contains some of the most valuable trading cards ever released. One of its main factors that makes it so recognizable to collectors is its e-reader design, which is one of the most iconic Pokémon TCG card designs of all time.

The natural scarcity of the Aquapolis set, combined with its age, has made it a very desirable set in the modern age of Pokémon TCG collecting, and just like most releases from that decade, it's considered one of the holy grails in the collectibles space at the moment.

Like all popular card sets, a few cards stand out in terms of price, design, and recognizability. Here are the cards that defined the iconic 2003 Aquapolis set.

Psyduck Reverse Holo

Psyduck's popularity has skyrocketed in the last two years alongside the meteoric rise of Pokémon cards and TCGs in general. Apart from the yellow duck being a generally lovable and adorable character, newly released Illustration Rares and other top Psyduck chases have been well received by the community, which further increased the Pokémon's popularity.

The demand for this particular card wasn't always like this; prices for a PSA 9 copy were as low as $51 back in December 2023, since it was always overshadowed by others in the Aquapolis set.

Nowadays, the Reverse Holo Psyduck is the most expensive non-Holo in the entire set, with a PSA 9 copy recently selling for $7,350.

Crystal Nidoking

One of the two Crystal cards in Aquapolis, the Nidoking Secret Rare from Aquapolis, gets its iconic status from its unmistakable design derived from its Poke-BODY "Crystal Type". Despite never being a mainstay in competitive TCG decks, the Crystal Nidoking has always been popular, even back in the day when the set first released.

A raw, Near Mint copy is worth around $1,000; however, prices tend to fluctuate since the availability of true NM-worthy Nidoking cards from 2003 Aquapolis is incredibly hard to come by these days. Most raw sales in various conditions stay around the $600 range, which makes the premium for graded copies in the 8s, 9s, and 10s even higher.

A PSA 9 Crystal Nidoking sells for $3,000 on average, while the Gem MT 10 version is valued at a whopping $17,000.

Crystal Lugia

Not only is the Crystal Lugia the definitive card of Aquapolis and one of the biggest Lugia grails ever, but it's also one of the most legendary Pokémon cards ever released. The top chase of the 2003 set, Lugia's popularity has never faltered, and this particular card has consistently ranked at the top of the Aquapolis checklist.

The most recent public sale for a PSA 10 Crystal Lugia is also the highest price ever paid for the card at $96,500. That value makes it the most valuable English sale of any Aquapolis card, but an even rarer version takes the cake.

A POP 1 BGS 10 Italian version of the very same card went for $117,250 and became the most valuable Aquapolis Lugia of all time. It also set a record as the most expensive Lugia card sold that did not come from the 2000 1st Edition Neo Genesis release.