Have you ever wondered about the rarest Pikachu cards out there, the ones so special they might never hit the market? One of the holy grails is the Pikachu Illustrator card, a promo from a 1998 Japanese illustration contest. Only about 39 of these were ever produced as prizes for the top winners, making each one a true unicorn in the Pokemon TCG world.[2]
But not all of them are up for grabs. Some owners treat their Pikachu Illustrators like family heirlooms, locked away due to personal history. These cards often stay out of circulation because they are tied to the original contest winners or their direct descendants. For instance, Logan Paul bought a pristine PSA 10 version for over 5 million dollars in 2022, but even that one has a story of private ownership before it surfaced.[2][3][4] Experts estimate that out of those 39 total cards, only around 13 to maybe 20 have ever been publicly confirmed or graded by services like PSA.[2]
The rest? Roughly 19 or so are believed to be “locked by personal history.” This means the owners have deep emotional or historical ties, like being the kid who won the contest back in the day or inheriting it from a parent. These folks rarely sell, keeping their cards safe in personal collections rather than chasing auction prices that can top 5 million bucks.[2][4] No one knows the exact count for sure since private owners do not always share details, but the low number of graded copies points to most being tucked away forever.
This scarcity drives the hype. When one does pop up, like the one Logan Paul flipped into the spotlight, prices explode because buyers know supply is tiny.[3][4] For collectors eyeing Pikachu Illustrator prices on sites like ours, this personal lock means you might wait a lifetime for a shot at one. Recent sales of other Pikachu promos, like the 2024 Illustration Contest #214, go for just 15 to 20 dollars in near mint, showing how history amps up value on the originals.[1] If you spot a listing claiming to be one of the locked ones, double-check its story, as fakes love to mimic legends.
