$480,000 USD 'Pokémon TCG' Illustrator Pikachu Auction Receives Zero Bids
According to reports, at the end of February a holographic Illustrator Pikachu went up for auction on eBay with a staggering starting bid of $480,000 USD. Despite being considered one of the rarest Pokémon Trading Card Game releases, the Japanese promo card from 1998 received zero bids.
It is interesting to note only a few of the holographic Illustrator Pikachu cards are known to exist with Logan Paul sharing that he spent over $5 million USD to get his hands on one to make the infamous diamond-encrusted necklace seen at WrestleMania 38. Other known sales include one sold by Weiss Auctions back in 2019 for $224,500 USD and a $375,000 USD sale on eBay in 2021.
The auction for the PSA 8 graded condition Illustrator Pikachu was placed on auction by "longtime eBay seller and passionate Pokémon fan" Tomoya Ohno and was set for the public auction limit of $480,000. Held from February 24 through March 6, the unique opportunity to purchase the card received no interest despite the major build-up from eBay. Reports are noting that eBay is working closely with Ohno and a re-listing could be seen in the near future.
In case you missed it, Ash and Pikachu's final Pokémon anime episode will see the return of rival Gary.
