20 Rarest Items In Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Highlights

• Always aim for a five-star island to get the coveted Lily of the Valley flowers to bloom in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
• The Grand Piano and Throne are rare items that add a touch of luxury to any home in the game.
• Collecting the Gold Armor set requires obtaining DIY recipes and relying on luck to find gold nuggets for crafting.

As a game franchise, Animal Crossing has always been about exploring, farming, and collecting. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is no different, with countless rare fish, bugs, fossils, and items to catch and collect. There are a number of different furniture sets available in the game, as well as items that spawn in the Nook’s Cranny and Able Sisters’ shops.

But what items are the hardest to find? The world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons follows the tenet of supply and demand, so the rarest items are also the most expensive. With some items available only via Amiibo cards and others available only on holidays, players may be surprised by what has the highest selling points.

Updated on April 17, 2024, by Ashely Claudino: Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been around for four years now, and some items are still hard to obtain, as they require a lot of effort and grinding. This article has been updated with a few helpful tips to make it easier for players to get their hands on these items.

20 Lily Of The Valley

Marks an Exquisite Island

• How to get Lilies of the Valley in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Get a five-star rating on your island

The Lily of the Valley is one of the coveted flowers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as these beautiful blooms have some slight prerequisites to fulfill before they can spawn. They only naturally spawn on islands that Isabelle deems a dreamy five-star-worthy vacation island, with one appearing every week while the illustrious five-star status is maintained.

Players can improve their island with an ample amount of staircases and bridges, a variety of outdoor furniture, and plenty of natural flora to decorate, but they mustn’t forget to clear up weeds and clutter. Once gamers have done their spring cleaning and decorating, they can chat with Isabelle to check their rating. Once they’ve hit five stars, all that’s left to do is sit back and relax, and wait for these unique flowers to begin blooming and eventually spreading.

19 The Crown

Look Like a Million Bucks

• How to get the Crown in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Purchase it for one million bells at the Able Sisters’ apparel shop

Bejeweled with the finest crystals, this dainty golden crown can be equipped by the player or gifted to their villagers as a lavish gift to show off their extravagant wealth. However, beauty and luxury do come at a price.

The Crown can sometimes be available in the Able Sisters’ apparel shop for a whopping one million bells. If players have paid off their seemingly endless debts to the business-savvy tycoon Tom Nook, they can set their sights on this treasure as their next financial stepping stone before the Royal Crown.

18 Arcade Machines

Create Your Own Arcade

• How to get arcade machines in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Purchase arcades from the upgraded Nook’s Cranny for 64,000 bells each

Unleash the inner child by decking out an island in Arcade Machines galore! Purchasable from the upgraded Nook’s Cranny for 64,000 a piece, these are a great addition to any home, adding some colorful ambiance and some retro-arcade-style music.

These Arcade Machines come in several variations, including the games-arcade-vs-console/”>Arcade Fighting Game which seems to closely resemble Street Fighter, with a similar title, logo, and characters on the small screen — perfect for a gaming room!

17 Gulliver’s Items

Accompany Gulliver’s Travels

• How to get Gulliver’s souvenirs: Help Gulliver when he randomly washes up on shore by finding five communicator parts

When will that Gulliver learn to hold on to the railings of his boat? Hopefully not soon, as players are still desperate for his exotic and rare statues. This clumsy sailor has the potential to offer players a variety of world wonders he has discovered on his travels, from the Geisha Wigs to the literal Statue of Liberty.

Almost everything Gulliver has to offer is rare to some degree, though the monuments, such as the Statue of Liberty, Tower of Pisa, Stonehenge, are the most coveted and scarce of all. They are valued at millions of bells.

However, these can be hard to come by, as players need to go through the tedium of digging up Gulliver’s missing Communicator Parts, giving them to him, and then waiting a day or so to see what exciting treasure Gulliver bestows the player with. It may take players a while to collect all of Gulliver’s unique wares, but it is well worth the wait!

16 Blue Roses

Rarest of Them All

• How to get blue roses in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Breed two red hybrid roses

The Lilly of the Valley requires players to work on their islands, and it can be difficult to get more of them, as it’s related to the island’s rating. However, the blue rose is even harder to obtain, as it requires players to follow strict breeding patterns and procedures.

According to the easiest method to get a blue rose in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players must crossbreed purple and orange roses to get hybrid red roses, which can then breed with each other, and this will result in blue roses.

15 Bug Models

Trying to Get the Tarantula and Scorpion Models

• How to get bug models in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Acquire three specimens of each bug and hand them to Flick

Players absolutely love Flick, the bright red, bug-obsessed Chameleon that was introduced with New Horizons and his fishing-fanatic counterpart, CJ. One of his quirks is that he will create models of any bugs the player gives him — provided they have three of them.

However, this can be hard to do unless the player is after a Yellow Butterfly. Coupled with anxiously awaiting his random visits, and trying to actually locate him on their island, players have been having a hard time collecting some of these bug models. The rarer the bug, the rarer the model item!

14 Snowman Recipes

Only Available Once a Year

• How to get winter recipes in Animal Crosisng: New Horizons: Build perfect snowboys during the wintertime

Trying to build a games/”>perfect snowman in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is easily the most tedious part of the entire game, especially because the snowboys are never happy – their proportions are always off somehow. This means that the snow and ice-themed winter DIY cards are very rare to get, as they can only be obtained if the player perfectly completes this task.

These holiday-themed items are specifically hard to get as they can only be collected from December 15 until January 6, regardless of the island’s hemisphere. The spawn rates for the DIY recipes are low and can be shot down from balloons using a slingshot. On top of the snowmen being frustrating to build, collecting all these recipes will take a long time!

13 Desktop Computer

Complete Your Office With This Item

• How to get a desktop computer in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Purchase a desktop computer from the upgraded Nook’s Cranny for 100,000 bells

The Desktop Computer is a rare item that spawns for sale in the Nook’s Cranny shop. It can appear in black, silver, white, or pink. The screen can be customized to display a view of the desktop, a search engine, calculations, web browsing, or programming. It costs 100,000 bells and appears to be running on a Windows-like operating system.

Unfortunately, the only thing players can do with the computer is turn its monitor on and off, but it still adds a very nice touch to any home office.

12 Computer Server

Create a Server Room

• How to get a server in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Purchase a server from the upgraded Nook’s Cranny for 100,000 bells

The Server is a computer server that spawns for sale in the Nook’s Cranny shop very occasionally. It costs 100,000 bells. With it, players can pretend they’re mining cryptocurrency or launching a more stable server for Apex Legends.

Some players have purchased servers to create an urban city feel for their island’s outdoors. Others have turned their basements into server-filled rooms. Somewhat annoyingly, this item is not customizable and only comes in one color variation. It adds a nice ambient light to add an extra flair to a home office.

11 Coelacanth Statue

Requires Three Rare Specimens

• How to get a Coelacanth Statue in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Acquire three Coelacanth and hand them to CJ

Fish can be fairly easy to come by in New Horizons, but that only applies to certain varieties of fish. The rare, elusive Coelacanth, for instance, is far trickier to secure. Not only is the fish of the highest value in Animal Crossing: New Horizons at 15,000 bells (along with just a handful of other fish), but it’s particularly tough to catch – to use as a comparative point of reference, the Sea Bass is worth just 400 bells. The Coelacanth only makes its appearance when it’s raining, but it’s very rare.

Despite being available at all times of the year and at any time of day, it can be quite the task to try and land this fish given the relative rarity and sporadic, unpredictable nature of rain in New Horizons. Furthermore, players can score a Coelacanth Statue, which is extremely highly valued and sought after among AC fans online looking to trade. Players can obtain this statue after collecting three Coelacanth and handing them to CJ.

10 Great White Shark

A Rare Appearance

• How to get a Great White Shark in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Fish in the ocean between 4 PM and 9 AM during the summer

Almost undeniably, the rarest fish in the game outside of the rain-loving Coelacanth is the ominous Great White Shark. For one, it can only be caught in the ocean during June, July, August, and September between 4 PM to 9 AM. In the Southern Hemisphere, it appears from December to March. Thankfully, sharks always display their fin above the water, making them easier to identify.

It’s the second-longest fish in the game (clocking in at roughly 17 feet long), and it’s among the most valuable at 15,000 bells. Not only does this shark make a particularly cool display in the museum, but it’s one of the ultimate prizes when it comes to fishing in the game.

9 Grand Piano

Play a Tune With This Beautiful Items

• How to get a Grand Piano in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Purchase a Grand Piano from the upgraded Nook’s Cranny for 260,000 bells

The Grand Piano is a rare item that costs 260,000 bells at Nook’s Cranny. Its color cannot be changed, but it does spawn in white, black, cherry, and walnut color variations to help match it to the player’s surroundings.

This piano is one of the most interactive items on this list, as players can play the piano and it makes realistic sounds. It takes up a fair amount of space, so be sure to make room and put things in storage if a Grand Piano appears in the shop.

8 Elaborate Kimono Stand

Gotta Collect ‘Em All

• How to get an Elaborate Kimono stand in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Purchase an Elaborate Kimono stand from the upgraded Nook’s Cranny for 260,000 bells

The Elaborate Kimono stand is a rare item that costs 220,000 bells. It comes in five variations, each with a different color scheme and design to match the theme of one’s house. From left to right, the Cranes variation depicts two cranes flying over a red and orange sunset sky. The Balls variation shows a festive pink Sakura design. This pink screen would be a perfect gift for Marina, the pink octopus.

The Wisteria variation is primarily purple and shows a winding path with lots of flowers. The Tree Peonies variation has plenty of peonies on a bright teal background and would be a great gift for Lolly, the blue cat villager. Last but not least, the Hawk variation shows a hawk flying over a wooded landscape and a river.

7 Gold Rose Wreath

A Craftable Accessory

• How to get a Gold Rose Wreath in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Craft it using 10 gold roses

The Gold Rose Wreath is a rare item in Animal Crossing: New Horizons because it must be crafted and requires 10 gold roses and its DIY recipe. The recipe can be obtained from any villager, but it’s quite rare to get. Once crafted and displayed, the Gold Rose Wreath has the lucky trait, so its presence adds 777 points to the Happy Home Academy score when placed inside.

This wreath can be displayed inside the home or outside on a player’s front door. If a player wants to sell their Gold Rose Wreath, it can fetch 20,000 bells from the Nook’s Cranny shop.

6 Zodiac Items

Celeste’s Favorites

• How to get Zodiac items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Get monthly Zodiac Star Fragments and recipes to craft them

The Zodiac items are very rare because they must be crafted, however, the recipes can only be obtained during the time of year that matches the corresponding Zodiac sign. For example, the Aries Rocking Chair DIY recipe can only be acquired from March 21 until April 19. And among its other ingredients, it requires the Aries fragment, which can only wash up on beaches during the Aries season after a night of falling stars.

The entire Zodiac set is quite time-sensitive. It requires players to wish upon stars at night, which happens when the skies are mostly clear. On top of this, they must speak to Celeste, who pops by randomly at night, in order to get the recipes. Because these items require gold nuggets and special star fragments, crafted Zodiac furniture pieces have a high retail price at Nook’s Cranny.

5 Space Items

Race to the Stars

• How to get Space items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Get Star Fragments and recipes to craft them

The Space items must be crafted and can only be obtained via Celeste, one per visit. All of these items require Star Fragments and lots of them, so if one wants to craft any Space set items, it’s time to start stargazing. A number of these items require iron nuggets as well, so be sure to farm those off rocks with a shovel once a day, and collect all the resources on Nook Miles Ticket Mystery Islands.

Out of all the Space set items, the Crewed Spaceship is the most sought-after. It requires 10 star fragments and 20 iron nuggets and sells for 20,000 bells at Nook’s Cranny.

4 Wedding Pipe Organ

Grab it During Wedding Season

• How to get a Wedding Pipe Organ in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Participate in the Wedding event and buy it from Cyrus

The Wedding Pipe Organ is only available during the Wedding Season event, which takes place between June 1 and June 30. It comes in three different color variations: white, dark brown, and natural. It costs 40 Heart Crystals and can be purchased from Cyrus, the teal alpaca. It resells for 25,000 bells each at the Nook’s Cranny shop.

A good thing to note is that Cyrus, once available on Harv’s Island, will now customize the color scheme for a few Bells.

3 Throne

A Mighty Seat

• How to get a throne in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Purchase the throne the upgraded Nook’s Cranny for 800,000 bells or 720,000 Poki with the Happy Home Paradise DLC

This coveted, luxurious chair is easily in the top tier of rare goodies by default, simply by being the most expensive furniture item currently in the game by a vast amount. Specifically, players will need to shell out a whopping 800,000 bells at Nook’s Cranny, or 720,000 via Poki at the Paradise Planning office.

The item is so rare that players will notice not a single villager will ever have this in their home. Players can customize the color scheme (gold, silver, white, black, copper), as well as the pattern (red, blue, green, purple, white, black, gold) to better match it with the decor of their home.

2 Gold Armor Set

Dressed in Gold

• How to get the Gold Armor set in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: After collecting the three requires recipes, craft each piece of the Gold Armor set using gold nuggets

The Gold Armor clothing set is very rare. All three of the items in this set require a DIY recipe that can be obtained from an island resident with the “Smug” personality type, like Julian. The recipe can also spawn in the once-daily message in a bottle that washes up on island shores. The Gold Helmet requires the recipe and five gold nuggets. The Gold Armor bodysuit requires the recipe and eight gold nuggets.

Arguably the rarest shoes in the game, the Gold Armor shoes require the DIY recipe and four gold nuggets. While these shoes really do just look like overpriced yellow rain boots, they are indeed special. All the items in this set have a high resale value at Nook’s Cranny because they are made of pure gold.

1 Royal Crown

Fit for a King

• How to get the Crown in Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Purchase it for 1.2 million bells at the Able Sisters’ apparel shop

The rarest and most expensive item in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the Royal Crown. Purchasable from the Able Sisters shop, the Royal Crown costs 1,200,000 bells. Not to be confused with the smaller Crown which costs a million bells, the Royal Crown is the ultimate bourgeois flex in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons world.

If players want to complete their royal look, the Royal Shirt can be purchased for 6,720 bells as well as the Noble Pants, which cost 4,300 bells.