Have you ever wondered just how many Pikachu Illustrator cards are really out there, especially those not showing up in PSA population reports? This ultra-rare card from the 1998 Pokemon Illustrator contest prize is the holy grail for collectors, with only 39 officially printed in total.[2][4] But the real question is how many exist today outside of what PSA tracks.
PSA population reports are a go-to tool for collectors. They list graded cards by condition, like PSA 10 for perfect gems. For Pikachu Illustrator, these reports show a tiny number of submissions, often just a handful in top grades. One famous PSA 10 sold for over $5 million when Logan Paul bought it in 2022, putting the card in headlines.[2][3][4] Yet those reports only count cards sent in for grading. Many owners keep theirs raw, ungraded, tucked away in safe collections to avoid risks like damage during shipping or just to stay private.
Experts estimate anywhere from 13 to around 100 Pikachu Illustrators might still exist in some form, but that’s a wide guess based on rumors and old contest records.[2] The 39 printed breaks down like this: 20 first-place winners got one each, plus extras for judges and staff. Not all survived 25-plus years. Fires, losses, or wear took some out. Of the survivors, only a fraction hit PSA slabs. Think private vaults in Japan or collector hands who never grade because the card’s value skyrockets without needing a label.
Why hide from PSA? Graded cards draw attention and auctions, but raw ones let owners enjoy quietly or wait for the perfect sale. Auction sites like Goldin or Heritage sometimes pop with ungraded finds, hinting at more floating around.[2] Recent sales of other Pikachu promos, like the 2024 Illustration Contest #214, show steady demand but nothing near Illustrator rarity.[1] For Illustrator specifically, cross-check with Japanese promo trackers or collector forums, where whispers of 20-30 total survivors circulate, graded or not.
Spotting one outside PSA means digging into private sales or estate finds. Prices for confirmed ones dwarf everything else, even compared to Trophy Pikachu or Spikey-Eared Pichu.[2][3] If you’re hunting, focus on verified contest history over pop reports alone. That gap between graded counts and total prints keeps the chase exciting for PokemonPricing.com fans.
