Pikachu TCG Card Sells for $444K: Rare Silver Trophy from Second-Ever Pokémon Tournament!

A very special Pikachu Trainer card that was given to players in the second-ever Pokémon Trading Card Game tournament in 1998 has recently been sold for a whopping $444,000 at an auction.

This particular card, called the Pikachu No.2 Silver Trophy card, was awarded to the players who came in second place in the tournament. The tournament took place from November 1997 to February 1998 in different locations all across Japan.

The top three players received a Pikachu Trainer card made of Gold, Silver, or Bronze, depending on their final ranking. However, the fourth-place finishers did not receive a card but were invited to participate in future tournaments. It is believed that there are only 14 of these special cards in existence. They were also given out at the first-ever tournament held in 1997.

The specific card that was sold on September 7th had received a grade of GEM MINT 10 from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), which is the highest possible quality grade for a card. This means it is almost perfect! PSA has only graded three other Trophy Pikachu No.2 Trainer cards throughout its history, and this one is considered to be the best.

The artwork on this card was created by an artist named Mitsuhiro Arita. He also made the artwork for the Gold and Bronze versions of this Pikachu Trainer card. Arita has been creating art for Pokémon cards since the very beginning of the Pokémon Trading Card Game and still continues to do so today. His design of Pikachu with a big smile might look different from what we see now, but it reminds us of how Pokémon became so popular before it became an animated series and video game phenomenon.

According to a representative from Goldin Auctions, they believe there are only 14 examples of this particular card in existence because there were only a limited number of events where they were given out during two age groups participating in the tournament. The representative also mentioned that this specific card is in excellent condition with vibrant colors and smooth surfaces.

The bidding for this special card started at $50,000 and received almost 30 bids during the ten-day auction. In the end, it was sold for an incredible $444,000! This makes it one of the most expensive Pokémon Trading Card Game cards ever sold. However, it’s still far from breaking the record set by a Pikachu Illustrator card that was sold for $5.275 million in 2021.

This just goes to show how valuable and collectible these Pokémon cards can be, especially when they have such a unique history and rarity like this Trophy Pikachu No.2 Trainer card.

What Children will Enjoy

• Children who are fans of Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) will enjoy reading about a rare Pikachu card that was recently sold at an auction for a lot of money.
• They will find it exciting to learn that the card was given as a prize to second-place winners in a tournament held in 1998.
• Children who collect Pokémon cards might be interested in knowing that this particular Pikachu card is very rare, with only 14 believed to exist.
• They may also appreciate seeing the artwork on the card created by illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita, who has been designing Pokémon cards for a long time.

Key Facts

• A special Pikachu Trainer card from the second-ever Pokémon TCG tournament in 1998 was sold at an auction for $444,000.
• The card was awarded to second-place contestants in the tournament and is called Pikachu No.2 Silver Trophy card.
• Only 14 of these cards are believed to exist, making it very rare.
• The sold card was graded GEM MINT 10, which means it is in near-perfect condition.
• The artwork on the card was created by illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita.
• This sale makes the Trophy Pikachu No.2 Trainer one of the most expensive Pokémon TCG cards ever sold.