How Many Pikachu Illustrator Cards Exist Based on Contest Winners
The Pikachu Illustrator card comes from a special 1998 art contest in Japan run by CoroCoro magazine. Kids entered drawings of Pikachu, and the top winners got these promo cards as prizes. This makes it one of the rarest Pokemon cards ever.
The contest had clear winner levels. First place went to one artist named Atsuko Nishida, who designed the iconic Pikachu we know today. She received just one card. Second place had two winners, so two more cards. Third place awarded five cards to those artists. That adds up to a total of eight Pikachu Illustrator cards handed out based on the contest results.[2][4]
No extra cards were printed beyond these prizes. Experts track them through sales and grading records from places like PSA. Only a handful have surfaced publicly, like the PSA 10 version Logan Paul bought for over 5 million dollars in 2022. Estimates sometimes say 13 to 100 exist, but that includes unconfirmed rumors. Sticking to contest winners, the number stays at eight.[2][3][4]
These cards pop up rarely at auctions because owners hold them tight. Prices soar into millions for top grades due to the tiny supply. For collectors chasing history, knowing the exact contest origin helps spot fakes or hype.
Recent promo Pikachu cards, like the 2024 Illustration Contest version numbered 214, are way more common. They sell for 15 to 20 dollars near mint, with steady sales every week. But they lack the ultra-rare story of the original Illustrator prizes.[1]
