Pokemon Illustrator Card How Many
The resulting card, Pikachu Illustrator, was printed and distributed to high scoring contestants in these competitions as a prize - but reportedly only 39 copies were ever made. In the decades since those contests were held, many of those copies have been either lost or damaged, leaving precious few surviving cards, and even fewer in mint. The Pikachu Illustrator card stands as one of the rarest Pokemon cards ever made, with only 39 originally printed back in 1998 as prizes for a Japanese illustration contest.
Over the decades, factors like damage, loss, and destruction have likely reduced the number still in existence to around 13 to 20 copies today [2] [4]. Often considered to be the rarest Pokémon card of all, the so-called Pikachu Illustrator (it's proper name is "Pokémon Illustrator" but no one calls it that) was a print of around 41 cards. The card is a 1998 "Pikachu Illustrator" card featuring art drawn by legendary Pokémon artist Atsuko Nishida, given away to winners of an illustration contest hosted by CoroCoro Comic magazine.
Pokemon + Paul + Goldin = $$$ With this now card heading to auction at Goldin, the Pokémon market will witness a sale of a caliber rarely seen live in public, one that provides clear value for an. The Backstory of the legendary Pikachu Illustrator A rare PSA 8 Pikachu Illustrator one of just 39 officially awarded copies, regarded as the crown jewel of Pokémon collecting. When it comes to Pokémon cards, nothing compares to the legendary Pikachu Illustrator widely regarded as the rarest and most valuable Pokémon card in existence.
Its story blends creativity, history, and sheer rarity. In August, a PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator sold for $195,000, the highest price the card had ever attained. During the Poké-boom of the early 2020s, Pikachu Illustrator broke that record over and over again, repeatedly claiming the title of the most expensive Pokémon ever sold and cementing its status as the holy grail for Pokémon collectors.
Pikachu Illustrator Card: History, Rarity, and Value The Pikachu Illustrator card is widely considered the most iconic Pokémon card ever made. It is not a booster-pack pull. It is a prize card from Japan, with a tiny known supply and a long history of headline-grabbing sales.
This guide explains what it is, why it is so rare, what drives value, and how to authenticate one safely as of 2025. Celebrity and entrepreneur Logan Paul is selling his record-setting Pokémon card and told cllct he plans to settle issues surrounding the card's joint ownership with defunct platform Liquid. To some, it's known as the "Pikachu Illustrator," the "Pikachu Holo Illustrator," the "Pokémon Illustrator," or, if we're being technical, "ポケモンイラストレーター." No matter what you call it, it's the most sought-after Pokémon card of all time and the Holy Grail of the Pokémon TCG.
And for good reason, too! Fewer than four dozen Illustrators were likely.