'Holy Grail of Pokemon' Sells For $54,000!
"The world's most valuable Pokemon Trading Card" got into an auction. It was sold around $54,970.
According to From Japan Blog, the Pokemon "Pikachu Illustrator" trading card is one of the top ten rare Pokemon trading cards in the world. The Pokemon "Pikachu Illustrator" is a prize card given to the winner in an art contest held by CoroCoro Comic Magazine between 1997 to 1999. There are thirty-nine copies in existence, pertaining to the thirty-nine winners of the art contest. There's a possibility that the number may be fewer due to age.
Heritage Auctions recently held an auction where this card sold for $54,970. Due to the success of the augmented-reality mobile game, Pokemon Go, the card made its way for auction. According to the company, the public's reception of the hit mobile game helped boost the price of Pokemon card values. Pokemon Go has over twenty million active users that helped boost the value of rare Pokemon cards.
It is unknown how many of Pikachu Illustration cards remain to the public. Many counterfeited copies of the said card are circulating to the public. Only ten copies of Pikachu Illustrator has been authenticated by the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). This card is also dubbed as the "Holy Grail of Pokemon" because of its rarity. This card can sell for a minimum of $50,000 while an ungraded original can sell at around $20,000. On eBay, a copy of Pikachu Illustrator got sold for $100,000 USD. Back in the year 2000, one card got sold for $23,000 USD.
Below is the translated flavor text found on the card:
"We certify that your illustration is an excellent entry in the Pokémon Card Game Illust Contest. Therefore, we state that you are an Officially Authorized Pokémon Card Illustrator and admire your skill. "
