Most Valuable Pikachu Cards: The Biggest Sales, From the $16.49 Million Illustrator to Raincoat Pikachu
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Most Valuable Pikachu Cards: The Biggest Sales, From the $16.49 Million Illustrator to Raincoat Pikachu

Written by:
Ilknur Gubel
Published
July 2, 2026
Updated
October 5, 2026
Three PSA 10 Pikachu cards: the Art Academy Raincoat Pikachu, the Legendary Collection reverse holo Pikachu and the Holon Phantoms Gold Star Pikachu
Three Pikachu cards from one September 2026 auction: $8.4 million, $780,000 and $480,000. Images: Fanatics Collect.

The most valuable Pikachu card ever sold is the Pikachu Illustrator graded PSA 10, which brought $16,492,000 at Goldin in February 2026, a sale Guinness World Records recognizes as the most expensive trading card sold at auction. In September, a PSA 10 Raincoat Pikachu sold for $8.4 million, the second highest Pikachu price we could confirm. Below are the biggest public Pikachu sales of 2026, each tied to a lot page or major outlet, plus what drives the gaps between them.

Current as of October 5, 2026. Prices include buyer's premium.

The Most Valuable Pikachu Cards: The Biggest Public Sales of 2026

Every result below is a 2026 public auction, with buyer's premium. Private deals, like Logan Paul's 2021 purchase of the PSA 10 Illustrator for $5,275,000, are left out.

1. Pikachu Illustrator (1998 CoroCoro Comic promo), PSA 10: $16,492,000

  • Sale: Goldin, closed February 16, 2026, per Guinness, and reported by CNN
  • Why it matters: the only PSA 10 Illustrator, per the lot page, owned and sold by Logan Paul. Guinness lists it as both the Pokémon and the overall trading card auction record

2. Raincoat Pikachu (2015 Japanese XY Promo, Art Academy, Fujishima), PSA 10: $8,400,000

  • Sale: Fanatics Collect Weekly, September 28, 2026, after 64 bids
  • Why it matters: Fujishima's winning Art Academy design was a prize card, and each winner received 100 copies, per Kotaku. A PSA 10 copy sold for $156,250 at Heritage in June 2026, the lot page showed a PSA 10 population of 56, and Kotaku called the jump hard to explain. Our Raincoat Pikachu report has the full story

3. Pikachu Illustrator, PSA 9 (MBA Gold Diamond): $5,000,000

4. Pikachu Illustrator, CGC 9: $2,806,271

  • Sale: Goldin, September 19, 2026, per Auction Report and SI
  • Why it matters: the same week as the $5 million PSA 9, which shows how much the grader and grade move an Illustrator's price

5. Bronze 3rd Place Tournament Trophy Pikachu (1998 Japanese promo), PSA 10 (MBA Gold Diamond): $1,769,000

  • Sale: Goldin, May 2026, per SI Collectibles
  • Why it matters: trophy cards were awarded at early Japanese tournaments, and the lot page describes this as the only copy graded above PSA 8

6. Pikachu Illustrator, PSA 9: $1,406,250

  • Sale: Heritage, March 2026, per Antique Trader and TheGamer
  • Why it matters: six months later, another PSA 9 brought $5 million at Heritage. Same grade, very different results

7. Pikachu Illustrator, PSA Authentic (MBA Gold Diamond 8): $1,079,700

  • Sale: Goldin, June 2026, after 30 bids. The lot page shows an $885,000 winning bid, which comes to $1,079,700 with Goldin's 22 percent buyer's premium
  • Why it matters: PSA authenticated it without a number grade, and it still cleared $1 million. The lot includes the original Creatures Inc. letter and envelope, per the lot page

8. Pikachu Illustrator, BGS 8.5: $1,006,500

  • Sale: Goldin, August 15, 2026, per SI Collectibles
  • Why it matters: one of five Illustrators in Beckett's census, per the lot page

9. Gold 1st Place Tournament Trophy Pikachu (1997 Japanese promo), PSA 8: $982,100

  • Sale: Goldin, March 2026, per SI Collectibles
  • Why it matters: a first-place prize from the first official Pokémon TCG tournament, held in Chiba, Japan, in June 1997, and one of eight copies in PSA's census, per the lot page

10. Legendary Collection Reverse Holo Pikachu #86 (2002), PSA 10: $780,000

  • Sale: Fanatics Collect Weekly, September 28, 2026, after 32 bids
  • Why it matters: the lot page showed a PSA 10 population of 35, and the previous high was $264,000 in June, per ComicBook. ComicBook's Chris Guest summed it up on October 3, 2026: "That is less a record break than a demolition."

11. Pikachu Illustrator, PSA 8.5 (MBA Gold Diamond 9): $727,120

  • Sale: Goldin, March 2026, after 27 bids. The lot page shows a $596,000 winning bid, which comes to $727,120 with Goldin's 22 percent buyer's premium
  • Why it matters: the same month a PSA 9 brought $1,406,250 at Heritage, half a grade lower sold for about half as much

12. Gold Star Pikachu #104, EX Holon Phantoms (2006), PSA 10: $480,000

  • Sale: Fanatics Collect Weekly, September 28, 2026, after 24 bids
  • Why it matters: the lot page showed a PSA 10 population of 119, and the previous tracked high was $174,999.99 in June, per ComicBook. More Gold Star records are in our Gold Star sales roundup
Bar chart of the most valuable Pikachu card sales, led by the $16,492,000 PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator
The biggest public Pikachu sales of 2026. Checked October 5, 2026.

Pikachu Illustrator Prices by Grade

The Illustrator appears seven times in the list above, and its price follows the grade and the auction:

  • PSA 10: $16,492,000, Goldin, February 2026
  • PSA 9: $5,000,000, Heritage, September 2026, and $1,406,250, Heritage, March 2026
  • CGC 9: $2,806,271, Goldin, September 2026
  • PSA Authentic (MBA Gold Diamond 8): $1,079,700, Goldin, June 2026
  • BGS 8.5: $1,006,500, Goldin, August 2026
  • PSA 8.5 (MBA Gold Diamond 9): $727,120, Goldin, March 2026

How many exist is less settled than the prices. Guinness says 39 were given to illustration contest winners, while Goldin's CGC 9 listing describes 41 officially awarded copies. Goldin's PSA 10 listing counted 53 Illustrators in PSA's census in February, and its March trophy listing said 56. Census counts record submissions, not unique cards.

Why Pikachu Cards Sell for So Much

  • Prize cards, not pack pulls. The Illustrator, the trophy cards and the Raincoat Pikachu were contest or tournament awards, which is why they top the list. Print runs still differ: Goldin counts 41 awarded Illustrators, while each Art Academy winner received 100 copies of their card, per Kotaku
  • Grade at the very top. The Illustrator shows it best: in 2026 the PSA 10 brought $16,492,000, PSA 9 copies brought $1,406,250 and $5,000,000, and a PSA 8.5 brought $727,120
  • The 30th anniversary. Pokémon turned 30 in 2026, and the 30th Celebration set has 30 Pikachu rare cards to collect. ComicBook linked the Legendary Collection and Gold Star records to that hype, while cautioning that one set can't explain a year of rising prices. Our 30th Celebration Pikachu guide covers the cards

For the rest of the Pokémon market, see our most valuable Pokémon cards guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most valuable Pikachu card?

The Pikachu Illustrator in PSA 10, which sold for $16,492,000 at Goldin in February 2026, a Guinness World Records auction record.

How much did Raincoat Pikachu sell for?

A PSA 10 Raincoat Pikachu, the 2015 Japanese Art Academy promo, sold for $8,400,000 at Fanatics Collect on September 28, 2026.

How many Pikachu Illustrator cards exist?

Guinness says 39 were awarded to illustration contest winners, while Goldin describes 41 officially awarded copies.

What is the record price for a Gold Star Pikachu?

A PSA 10 Gold Star Pikachu from EX Holon Phantoms sold for $480,000 at Fanatics Collect on September 28, 2026.

Where to Go From Here

Pikachu runs from pack-fresh cards to the most expensive card ever sold, and the rarest copies were prizes, not pulls. If you want to start with real cards at a friendlier price, the Polkastarter marketplace gives you a free mystery pack when you sign up, and every Lootbox lists its contents, values, and chances before you open.

Details checked October 5, 2026. Prices are past sale results and change over time. Nothing here is financial advice. Polkastarter is not affiliated with The Pokémon Company, Goldin, Fanatics Collect, Heritage Auctions, PSA, CGC or the other companies named.

Sources

Ilknur Gubel
Social Media Manager
BA, Sociology

Ilknur Gubel is a social media manager at Polkastarter. Ilknur has spent the past four years working as a project manager, marketing manager, and social media strategist across Web3. She has held marketing and project management positions at several crypto companies, including Polygen, Nitro League, Kaizen.Finance, and ChainPort.

At Polkastarter she has covered trading card releases, collectible market pricing, and how token holders can spend crypto on real cards and videogames.

Based in Istanbul, Ilknur earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Istanbul Aydın University.

You can connect with her on LinkedIn for more information.

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