How Many Pikachu Illustrator Cards Are Confirmed by PSA?
The Pikachu Illustrator card stands out as one of the rarest Pokemon cards ever made. It comes from a special illustration contest in Japan back in the late 1990s. Winners got these cards as prizes, and they were never sold in stores. This makes them super hard to find and very valuable for collectors.
People often ask how many of these cards have been graded by PSA, the top grading service for trading cards. PSA keeps track of what they call population reports, or pop reports. These show exactly how many cards of a certain type they have graded and in what condition.
From what experts and collectors track, fewer than 40 Pikachu Illustrator cards are believed to exist in total.[5][6] Out of those, only a small number have shown up at PSA for grading. The most talked about one is the PSA 10 owned by Logan Paul. It is the only confirmed PSA 10 in existence, and it sold for a record $5.275 million, setting a Guinness World Record.[4]
Other Pikachu Illustrator cards have been graded by PSA too, but mostly in lower grades like PSA 9 or PSA 8. Reliable sources point to around 20 to 39 total cards made originally, with about 15 to 20 confirmed through grading services including PSA.[5][6] PSA does not always release exact pop numbers publicly for ultra-rare cards like this, but auction sites and collector databases confirm a handful have passed through their slabs over the years.
Why does this matter for prices? Low PSA confirmation means huge demand. A PSA 10 can fetch millions, while even ungraded or lower-grade versions go for hundreds of thousands. Collectors watch PSA pop reports closely because each new graded card can shift the market. For example, Logan Paul’s card being the sole PSA 10 keeps its value sky-high.[4]
If you own one or hunt for it, check PSA’s official population report tool or sites like PriceCharting for the latest counts. These cards pop up rarely at auctions, so stay tuned to Goldin or Heritage for news. Other Pikachu promos exist, like recent McDonald’s ones or contest versions, but none match the Illustrator’s fame or scarcity.[1][2]
