Most expensive Pokémon deal ever - Pikachu Illustrator sold for $900,000

On the sold card is a Pikachu clutching a brush and lying on the image of a Charmander. The layout of the card with holographic background is similar to a trainer card, but has the name "Illustrator". The Illustrator card is extremely rare, as only 39 copies of it were produced.

Unlike regular Pokémon cards, Illustrator cards were never sold. They were produced as a prize for an illustration contest held by CoroCoro Comic in 1998. But it's not just the small number of copies that makes this card so valuable: it was designed by Atsuko Nishida, the creator of Pikachu. This makes the card even more desirable for collectors.

It is not known who bought the card at auction for 900,000 US dollars. However, it is not the first Illustrator card that changed hands for a high amount. In 2019, an identical card went over the table for $195,000 at an auction in New York - and another went for $54,970 on eBay in 2016.

Judging by the sales, these cards are a profitable investment. If the enormous rise in prices continues over the next few years, the million mark is likely to be cracked soon.