The Pikachu Illustrator card is one of the rarest Pokemon cards ever made, with only about 39 known to exist in total, but the number with no visible flaws, meaning perfect PSA 10 graded copies, is extremely low at just 1 or possibly 2.[2][3] This card comes from a 1998 Japanese illustration contest where kids drew their dream Pokemon artwork, and the top 3 winners got these special prizes printed as promo cards.[2] Out of the 39 total copies tracked by collectors and grading services like PSA, most have some wear from age or handling, dropping their grades to PSA 9 or lower.[3]
A PSA 10 means the card shows no flaws at all under close inspection, like perfect centering, sharp corners, clean edges, and a flawless surface with no print defects or scratches.[1] Logan Paul bought one of these ultra-rare PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrators for over $5 million in 2022, proving how valuable perfection is in this market.[2] Another PSA 9 version sold for around $4 million recently, but that one had tiny imperfections that kept it from the top grade.[3]
Experts believe only 1 confirmed PSA 10 exists in private hands right now, with rumors of a second one ungraded or hidden in a collection.[2] The rest of the 39 are spread across grades like PSA 8 or 9, and some are raw, ungraded copies that might have flaws.[3] Prices for lower grades still hit tens or hundreds of thousands, but no-flaw versions are collector holy grails because they never come up for sale.[1][2]
For PokemonPricing.com fans, tracking these means watching auction sites and grading updates closely, as any new PSA 10 pop could shake up values big time.[1] Recent sales of similar rare promos, like the 2024 Pikachu Illustrator Contest card, go for $10 to $140 in lower grades, showing how the original sets the bar sky high.[1]
