What Is the Pikachu Illustrator?
The Pikachu Illustrator (ピカチュウイラストレーター) is a Japanese promo card distributed in 1998 as a prize in the CoroCoro Comic illustration contest. It was awarded to the top winners — making it the rarest Pokémon card ever officially distributed.
Unlike other promo cards, the Illustrator features a unique "Illustrator" stamp in place of the normal card type marker, and a special illustration by Atsuko Nishida — the original designer of Pikachu. Only approximately 39 copies are known to exist, though some estimates suggest up to 41.
Key fact
There is no "market price" for the Pikachu Illustrator. Because so few copies exist and sales are extremely rare, each sale is effectively a one-of-a-kind auction — the price is whatever two parties agree on.
Notable Sales History
| Year | Grade | Sale Price | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | PSA 10 | $5,275,000 | Goldin Auctions |
| 2021 | PSA 9 | $900,000 | PWCC |
| 2021 | PSA 7 | $375,000 | Heritage Auctions |
| 2020 | PSA 9 | $233,000 | PWCC |
| 2019 | PSA 9 | $195,000 | eBay |
| 2016 | Raw | $54,970 | eBay |
Pikachu Illustrator Value by PSA Grade
Grade dramatically affects value — more so than virtually any other card. The 2022 PSA 10 sale was roughly 5x the price of a PSA 9 sold the previous year. Here are current estimated ranges:
* All estimates are based on historical sales. Actual prices depend on buyer demand at time of sale.
Why Is It Worth So Much?
CardMarket
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PokeNerds
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Total Cards
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