How Many Pikachu Illustrator Cards Exist That Accidentally Became Legendary
If you collect Pokemon cards, you have probably heard of the Pikachu Illustrator. This card started as a simple prize in a 1998 Japanese art contest run by CoroCoro magazine. Kids drew their favorite Pokemon, and the top winners got this special Pikachu promo card as a reward. It featured cute illustrator artwork and was never meant for wide sale. Only the best young artists received one, making it super rare from day one.
Experts believe just 39 of these cards were ever printed and handed out. That number comes from contest records and tracking by collectors over the years. Not all are accounted for today. Some think around 13 to 20 still exist in known collections, with only a few graded by services like PSA. The rest might be lost, damaged, or tucked away in private stashes.[2][4]
What makes it legendary is how it blew up by accident. Back then, no one saw it as a big deal. It was just a fun giveaway. Fast forward to now, and it tops the list of the world’s most valuable Pokemon cards. A perfect PSA 10 version sold for over 5 million dollars in 2022, bought by YouTuber Logan Paul. He even plans to auction his copy, which could fetch even more.[3][4] Lower grade ones still go for hundreds of thousands because of the tiny supply.
Prices stay sky high due to demand from big collectors and celebs. Unlike common Pikachus, this one has no reprints or mass prints. Its story as an overlooked contest prize turned it into a holy grail item. Spotting one for sale is like winning the lottery, and fakes pop up often, so always check grading and provenance.
For price chasers on PokemonPricing.com, keep an eye on auction sites. Recent sales of other Pikachu promos, like the 2024 Illustration Contest version numbered 214, hover around 15 to 140 dollars depending on condition. But nothing touches the original Illustrator’s status or value.[1] True scarcity plus that surprise fame keep it ruling the market.
