CoroCoro Promo (1998)Trophy Promo1998Electric

Pikachu Illustrator

How much is Pikachu Illustrator worth? — live price & value guide

The rarest Pokémon card in the world — a promo awarded through 1990s illustration contests.

Buying options

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Price history

The lowest listing we've tracked for Pikachu Illustrator over time.

Price floor · lowest listing

$0.43

▼ 88.3% over 16d

Jul 8Jul 29

Recent sold comps

What buyers actually paid on eBay — anchors deal scores alongside live listings.

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Pokédex

Year: 1998
National Dex: #25
Type: Electric
Illustrator: Atsuko Nishida
Language: Japanese

One of the lowest populations of any Pokémon card — only a small number were ever awarded, and each public sale is a notable event with figures tracked individually.

Why Pikachu Illustrator holds value

Only a tiny number were ever produced as contest prizes, and few survive in high grade. As the undisputed rarest official Pokémon card, it trades in a league of its own whenever a copy surfaces.

+Awarded to winners of CoroCoro Comic illustration contests.
+Bears the 'Illustrator' title instead of 'Trainer'.
+Extremely low population — each public sale is a notable event.

Grades to watch

PSA 10PSA 9PSA 8PSA 7

PSA 10 vs PSA 9 vs raw for Pikachu Illustrator

There is no 'market price' in the usual sense — with a population this small, value is set copy-by-copy by grade and provenance. Use the live listings and past public sales as a reference band, not a rule, and weight authentication and the card's sale history far above any single asking number.

Graded vs raw guide · PSA 10 vs raw for Canadians · How much is my card worth?

How to spot the real Pikachu Illustrator

1The title reads 'Illustrator' where an ordinary card reads 'Trainer' — the single most important tell.
2A pen/paintbrush promo icon appears where a rarity symbol would normally sit.
3Because so few exist and stakes are enormous, treat any copy as authenticate-before-anything: cert number, provenance, and grader records all matter more than the asking price.

Frequently asked

How many Pikachu Illustrator cards exist?

Only a small handful were ever printed as contest prizes, and graded population figures are minuscule — which is exactly why it's considered the rarest and most valuable Pokémon card.