It is no secret there are insane prices in the world of trading card games – from Yu-Gi-Oh to Magic the Gathering, to Pokémon. The Pokémon craze experienced a resurgence throughout 2022, and while things have somewhat calmed down in 2023, the franchise’s rarest cards are selling for massive amounts of money. On April 21, 2023, a very specific Pokémon card’s price tag sent ripples through the collector’s market, making a statement that Pokémania is still running wild.
The Pokémon card in question, officially known as the Trophy Pikachu No. 3 Trainer Bronze Professional Sports Authenticator Trading Card Game NM-MT 8 (Media Factory, 1997) First Tournament Holo, was sold for $300,000 – an amount that most people won’t see in their lifetime. The auction for the extremely rare card was held by Heritage Auctions, the famous American multinational auction house. In addition to its rarity, the PSA gave the card a very good grade – NM-MT 8 (Near Mint-Mint) to be precise, two grades below the PSA’s highest rating – GEM-MT 10 (Gem Mint 10).
Exceeding All Expectations
Illustrated by the iconic Pokémon artist Mitsuhiro Arita, the card features the franchise’s most recognizable and iconic character – the electric squirrel Pikachu – holding a trophy cup on a green star-lit background that features a bronze Pokéball. Any Pokémon superfan would absolutely love to have the card in his collection if one can afford the price tag.
In a press release after the sale, even Heritage Auctions’ director Jesus Garcia admitted that despite knowing the card was expected to do extremely well, the price it actually sold for exceeded all expectations. He further added that “This card was not in the booster boxes that were offered at the time. It only was available to trainers who finished third at the First Official Pocket Monsters Tournament in Chiba, Japan, in 1997. It is an extraordinarily rare card that now stands as a centerpiece in the winning bidder’s collection.”
While not as expensive as Logan Paul’s Pikachu Illustrator PSA 10 card, which he bought for the jaw-dropping $5,275,000, the $300,000 price tag still puts Bronze Pikachu No. 3 Trainer Trophy into the list of the most expensive Pokémon cards ever sold at a public auction. Given the increasing media attention the auction is receiving, the card’s value will only increase over time. Who knows, we may eventually see it change hands for an even wilder price.