Pokémon

What is Pikachu Illustrator, the Pokémon card that set the auction record?

Published · By the Cards from Japan editors

Summary

It is a Pikachu card that was never sold in stores. Guinness World Records says it was released only as a prize in a 1998 illustration contest and was designed by Atsuko Nishida, credited as Pikachu's original creator. A copy graded PSA GEM MT 10 sold through Goldin Auctions in February 2026 and is listed by Guinness as the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at auction.

How PSA records the card

The record copy is PSA cert 23000982. PSA lists it with the year 1998, the Brand/Title POKEMON JAPANESE PROMO, the Subject PIKACHU - HOLO, and the Variety/Pedigree ILLUSTRATOR, with no card number field. Guinness calls it the only known copy graded at PSA's top grade, GEM MT 10, and the cert page shows a PSA Pop Higher count of 0.

Two Guinness records

Guinness lists the sale under two records: the most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at auction, and the most expensive trading card of any kind sold at auction, sports cards included, as of February 2026. The online auction ran for over a month, and the record total includes the buyer's premium.

Sources

  1. Guinness World Records, Most expensive Pokémon trading card sold at auction
  2. Guinness World Records, Most expensive trading card sold at auction (overall)
  3. PSA cert 23000982

Details are as published on these pages on the date above and can change. Check the official page before you buy or submit.

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