PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator Tops $1 Million Ahead of Heritage Trading Card Games Auction

One of the most famous cards in Pokémon history is already drawing seven-figure bidding ahead of Heritage Auctions’ September Trading Card Games Signature Auction. A PSA Mint 9 Pikachu Illustrator with a Mike Baker Authenticated Gold Diamond designation leads the September 18-19 sale, which will also feature high-grade Pokémon cards, sealed product and original Magic: The Gathering artwork. Bidding on the Pikachu Illustrator had already moved beyond $1 million when Heritage announced the auction on September 3.

The card is one of just 15 Pikachu Illustrator examples certified PSA Mint 9, with only one graded higher. What separates this particular copy is its MBA Gold Diamond designation. According to Heritage, it is the only PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator to receive the Gold Diamond, an enhancement used to identify a card considered exceptional within its assigned grade. “The Gold Diamond sticker shows how nice of a 9 it is,” Heritage Auctions Trading Card Games Managing Director Jesus Garcia said. “The sticker has caught on in sports cards, but it’s relatively new in Trading Card Games.”

The seven-figure bidding comes just weeks after another Pikachu Illustrator reached the same territory. As CollectiblesNews.com reported in August, a BGS 8.5 example sold for $1,006,500 at Goldin on August 16. That card was one of just five examples recorded in Beckett’s census.

The two cards are not direct grade-for-grade comparisons, but the results provide another indication of the level of demand surrounding Pikachu Illustrator cards. The Goldin example actually completed its sale at seven figures, while Heritage’s PSA 9 Gold Diamond copy has entered that range with more than two weeks remaining before the auction closes.

The Pikachu Illustrator traces back to illustration contests held through Japan’s CoroCoro Comic during the early years of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Heritage says 39 cards were distributed through three competitions. The Goldin auction previously cited by CollectiblesNews.com noted that two additional examples later surfaced through sales by Pokémon TCG co-creator Yuichi Konno, bringing the estimated officially issued total to 41.

Heritage has firsthand experience with how dramatically the market for the card has changed. In November 2016, the auction house sold another PSA Mint 9 Pikachu Illustrator for $54,970. Ten years later, the Gold Diamond example has already attracted more than $1 million in bidding before the auction closes.

The sale includes several other significant pieces from early Pokémon history. A November 1996 issue of CoroCoro Comic retains its original insert containing glossy Pikachu and Jigglypuff cards, which Heritage describes as the first promotional cards produced for the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Another major Pokémon lot is a PSA Gem Mint 10 Gold Star Charizard #100 from the EX Dragon Frontiers expansion. “With these cards, you could only pull one out of 72 packs,” Garcia said. “They’re very rare and very hard to find in a PSA 10. This is one of the most sought-after cards in the hobby.”

Heritage is also offering a complete set of three PSA Gem Mint 10 Pokémon Tropical Mega Battle promotional phone cards with consecutive certification numbers. The cards feature the legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres and were associated with the 1999 Tropical Mega Battle event.

Outside Pokémon, one of the auction’s standout pieces is the original Ron Spencer painting used for Yawgmoth’s Will from the Magic: The Gathering Urza’s Saga expansion. “This is a very popular card a lot of players use,” Garcia said. “With Magic: The Gathering cards’ original artwork, the card’s popularity has a lot to do with its value.”

Other notable lots include a sealed Pokémon First Edition Base Set Booster Box, a PSA Gem Mint 10 Charizard #3 Legendary Collection reverse holo and a PSA Gem Mint 10 Gold Star Mewtwo #103 from EX Holon Phantoms.