Rare Pokemon Card Sells for $300,000 at Auction

An incredibly rare Pokemon card from 1997 has sold for $300,000 at auction. The card in question is a Trophy Pikachu No. 3 Trainer Bronze card that was only awarded to select participants in a Japanese tournament. Auctioned by Heritage Auctions, the card was one of just four PSA-certified copies. In total, there were 50 bids on the item before it reached its final sale amount. Not only is this one of rarest Pokemon cards in the world, it also happens to be one of the earliest promo cards in the series. In a press release, Heritage's trading card games consignment director Jesus Garcia talked up the card's importance.

"The historical importance of this card had us confident it would do well, but the result exceeded everyone's expectations," said Garcia. "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, now stands as a centerpiece in the winning bidder's collection."

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(Photo: Heritage Auctions)

The card was sold during a Heritage Trading Card Games Auction, which brought in more than $2.4 million in total. Pokemon cards made up the top seven slots in the auction, as well as eight of the top nine. In addition to the Trophy Pikachu card, there were several other rare Pokemon items available, including a sealed 1st Edition Base Set Booster Box, which sold for $237,500. A Base Set Test Print Uncut Sheet also sold for $250,000, which Heritage notes was "more than eight times its pre-auction estimate."

Clearly, the auction had some really great options on hand! Given the rarity of these items, it's not surprising that there was significant demand from Pokemon fans. However, the sheer amount of money these items brought in says a lot about how valuable early Pokemon cards have become!

Are you surprised by how much money these auctions brought in? Do you have any rare Pokemon cards in your collection? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter and on Hive at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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