A Pokémon Illustrator signed by Takumi Akabane and graded by CGC Cards™ realized six figures in a recent Sotheby’s & Fanatics Collect sale. The Illustrator was just one of several CGC-certified Pokémon cards offered in the inaugural Holy Grails auction, which ended on September 24, 2024.
The Pokémon Illustrator, Pokémon (1998) Japanese CoroCoro Comics Illustration Contest Promo graded CGC 9 and certified by CGC Signature Series as signed by Takumi Akabane (lot 27) realized $360,000. By itself, Pokémon Illustrator is one of the rarest and most expensive Pokémon cards; there were just 39 examples distributed during the original two CoroCoro Comic Illustration contests hosted during 1999, and only a few more have been discovered since. In addition, as of October 2024, this is the only CGC-certified Pokémon Illustrator signed by Akabane, who helped develop the Pokémon trading card game, making it particularly significant to collectors.
The other CGC-certified cards offered in the sale included:
a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition graded CGC Pristine 10 (lot 29) that realized $180,000
a group of 15 Pokémon (1999) Disco Holo Test Prints, each graded CGC Gem Mint 10 or CGC Pristine 10 (lot 33) that realized $156,000
About CGC
Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media types of home media, including Betamax tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.