One of Pokemon's Rarest Cards Heads to Auction For Nearly $500,000

Pokemon Day is here, and it seems the franchise is throwing everything it can at fans. From television updates to video game reveals, we have been given a lot to look forward to in the last 24 hours. That also includes a bonkers auction that's now underway featuring Pokemon's rarest trading card on the market.

Yes, that is right. The 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card is back on the market. The much-coveted Pikachu collectible is now up for auction on eBay, and the starting bid proves how much money collectors will spend on a card this rare.

According to eBay, the verified sale is happening thanks to Tomoya Ohno (Shangri-la Inc) as they are parting with pieces from their vast collection. The 1998 Pikachu Illustrator card is now up for auction, and the bid will close on March 6th. The collectible, which carries a PSA 8 grade, began bidding at $480,000 USD. And by the time of this article's release, the item has yet to be bid upon.

Of course, there are other PSA-graded cards up for auction on eBay in celebration of Pokemon Day. You can find a number of first-edition holographic cards including Charizard, and there are plenty more to browse if you have a few hundred to spend. As for Ohno's ultra-rare trading card, fans will have to spend a lot more if they want to take it home.

After all, the Pikachu Illustrator card is often called a 'holy grail' item for collectors. Only 41 winners were gifted these cards in Japan between 1997 and 1998. To date, 24 of these cards have been PSA graded, and the fate of the unaccounted ones is far from clear. As such, this card demands a lot of cash at any auction, and PSA 7 version of the card was sold on eBay for $375,000 previously.

Would you care to bid on this rare Pokemon collectible if you had the cash...? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.