How Many Pikachu Illustrator Cards Exist With Environmental Damage
The Pikachu Illustrator card stands out as one of the rarest Pokemon cards ever made. It comes from a 1997 Japanese promotion where only winners of an illustration contest received copies as prizes. Experts believe fewer than 40 of these cards exist in total today.[5]
Out of that small number, only a few dozen have surfaced in the collector market worldwide.[1][3] Most people who own them send the cards to grading services like PSA to check their condition. These services look at things like centering, edges, corners, and surface quality to give a score from 1 to 10.
A perfect PSA 10 grade means the card shows no flaws at all. Right now, just one Pikachu Illustrator holds that top score. Logan Paul bought it in 2022 for over 5 million dollars, and it remains the only known perfect copy.[1][2][3][7]
That leaves the other known cards with some kind of issue. Environmental damage counts as one common problem. This includes things like stains, discoloration, water spots, or marks from dirt and humidity over time. Cards stored in attics, basements, or regular albums often pick up these flaws after decades.
No exact count tracks how many Pikachu Illustrators have environmental damage specifically. Population reports from PSA and other graders list totals by grade, but they do not break down damage types in public data. From what collectors share, most surviving copies fall into PSA 7 to 9 range. These mid-to-high grades often hide minor environmental wear that keeps them from a 10.[5]
Think about it this way. With under 40 total cards and just one at PSA 10, at least 39 show some wear. Environmental damage likely affects a good portion, since these cards sat unused for years in homes across Japan. Collectors report seeing surface haze or spotting on several auctioned examples.
If you own a Pikachu Illustrator, check its surface closely under good light. Faint clouding or yellowing points to environmental exposure. Getting it graded helps confirm the issue and sets a real market value. Lower grades with damage still sell for hundreds of thousands, but they trade far below that perfect copy.
Prices shift based on condition. A damaged card might fetch 100,000 to 500,000 dollars at auction, depending on how bad the wear is. Track recent sales on sites like eBay or PWCC to see trends. Always store your cards in sleeves and top loaders away from moisture to avoid more damage.
