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Pikachu Illustrator’s $16.5 million sale is drawing new investors to Pokémon cards, while eBay calls Pokémon its most-searched collectibles term and Heritage values a first-edition Charizard at $500,000.
The 1999 first-edition holographic Charizard PSA 10 reportedly sold for $1,385,274; only 123 PSA 10 copies are known.
The PSA 8 1997 first-place Trophy Pikachu reached $1.925 million in pre-bidding—$2,348,500 with premium—with bidding continuing through at least October 25.
PSA 10 Southern Islands holos of Mew, Togepi and Marill sold for $840,000, $168,000 and $168,000, respectively; only 20 PSA 10 Mew copies exist worldwide.
A PSA 10 Aquapolis Crystal Lugia (149/147) sold for $360,000, surpassing its previous $148,511 record by 142%.
The PSA 10 promo was one of 100 copies awarded to Y. Fujishima through the 2015 Pokémon Art Academy competition; its previous reported high was about $156,000.
The PSA 10 Raincoat Pikachu drew 64 bids on Fanatics Collect, jumping 5,340% from a $156,250 Heritage sale three months earlier despite 57 Gem Mint copies.
The PSA 10 Pokémon Art Academy promo sold through Fanatics Collect on September 28; only 100 copies were printed for the 2015 contest winner, versus a $19,200 sale in 2025.
A PSA 10 Art Academy Pikachu illustrated by Y. Fujishima fetched $8.4 million at Fanatics Collect on September 27 after 64 bids; only 100 copies were awarded to the artist.
Y. Fujishima’s PSA 10 Art Academy Pikachu drew 64 bids on Sept. 28, soaring from a $135,000 June comp to $8.4 million despite a PSA 10 population of 57.
Five Pokémon cards sold for a combined $6.696 million from Sept. 20–27, led by a PSA 10 Art Academy Mudkip at $3.72 million and a Mudkip Gold Star at $1.02 million.
Coinbase teased phone-based pack opening on September 28, with every digital pull backed by a physical card that users can vault or ship; launch timing and authentication details remain undisclosed.
A PSA 10 Mudkip Gold Star sold for $1.02 million through Fanatics Collect on Sept. 21, drawing 48 bids and soaring 4,900% from a December 2024 sale.
A PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator sold for $5 million at Heritage, up from the $840,000 paid for a PSA 9 in 2022; only 15 copies have received that grade.
Heritage Auctions sold the PSA 9 Pikachu Illustrator in Texas; only 39 copies were awarded through CoroCoro illustration contests in 1998.
A Dublin vendor says sealed boxes bought for €100–€120 now fetch €700–€2,500, while local shops report Pokémon already generates 40% of revenue and PSA graded 11 million Pokémon cards last year.
An Irish couple’s five-year-old collection was valued at €15,000, while Ireland Card Show expects 4,500 visitors on November 8 and says Pokémon accounts for 72% of its business.
Alt’s Sept. 10 auction set a $2.7 million record for a PSA 10 Torchic Gold Star; five additional record-setting cards brought the six-card total to $4,114,591.
A PSA 10 2004 Gold Star Torchic sold privately for $2.7 million, more than doubling the English-language Pokémon card record; a PSA 9 copy fetched $156,336.
Collector Peter Levin owns more than 500,000 trading cards and claims they have beaten the S&P 500 by 3,000%, crediting grading and authentication for their rise as financial assets.