What's the FIRST POKEMON CARD Ever Made? If you know Pokmon, you know this card 1998 Illustrator Pikachu, awarded through a CoroCoro contest and limited to an estimated 41 copies. A true prize card from the earliest days See the First Cards from the Pokmon TCG: Pokmon GO Expansion Pokemon.com October marks 29 years since the Pokmon Trading Card Game was first released in Japan back in 1996! It's grown into a global phenomenon, from 102 card base sets to billions of cards