How Many Pikachu Illustrator Cards Exist That Drive Media Headlines?
If you follow Pokemon card news, you have heard about the Pikachu Illustrator card. This tiny card from 1998 causes huge excitement. It comes from a Japanese art contest where kids drew Pikachu. Winners got these special promo cards as prizes. Only a few were ever made, and that scarcity makes them worth millions.
Experts believe between 13 and 100 Pikachu Illustrator cards exist in total. Most sources point to the lower end of that range. Some say closer to 39 cards were printed originally. Not all survive today in good shape. Just a handful have perfect grades from PSA, the top grading service. A PSA 10 version is like finding a diamond.
This card grabs headlines because of its insane prices. YouTuber Logan Paul bought one PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator for over 5 million dollars in 2022. That sale put Pokemon collecting on every news site. It was called the most expensive card ever at the time. Even lower grade versions sell for hundreds of thousands. The rarity plus the story of kids winning it years ago fuels the hype.
Why so few? The Pokemon Company made them only for contest winners. No packs or stores sold them. Many got lost, damaged, or thrown away over time. Graded ones pop up rarely at auctions. When they do, prices explode because collectors know supply stays tiny.
For price chasers on PokemonPricing.com, track these closely. A near-perfect one could change your collection forever. Recent sales of other Pikachu promos, like the 2024 Illustration Contest version, go for just 15 to 20 dollars raw. That shows how the original Illustrator stands alone in value. Keep an eye on auction sites for any new finds.
