In August, CGC Cards™ received several submissions containing valuable Trainer cards from the Pokémon TCG, including exclusive cards handed out as prizes for winning tournaments and contests. The cards were a sight to behold in the grading room! Here are some of our favorites:
No. 2 Trainer from the First Official Tournament
The first official Pokémon TCG tournament was held during the 6th Next Generation World Hobby Fair in June 1997, at the Makuhari Messe Event Hall in Chiba, Japan. Although it wasn’t hosted as a standalone tournament in its own venue, this first competition set the precedent for regional, national and international organized play for the Pokémon TCG. The first, second, third and fourth-place winners of each of the four tournament sessions each received a No. 1-3 Trainer card as their prize (3rd and 4th place both received a No. 3 Trainer card). That means that there are only four known No. 2 Trainers like this CGC-certified example known to exist! This No. 2 Trainer, Pokémon (1997) Japanese First Official Tournament 2nd Place Holo is graded CGC 9.
2013 No. 1-4 Trainer Trophy Cards
The 2013 Pokémon World Championships were notable for being the first PWC event to be held outside of the United States. Like every prior championship, the first- through fourth-place winners of each division received a No. 1-4 Trainer card as a trophy for beating the competition (by this point, The Pokémon Company had also created a No. 4 Trainer trophy card). Interestingly, all four semifinalists from the TCG Masters Division in 2013 were from the United States.
2014 No. 1-4 Trainer Trophy Cards
The Pokémon World Championships returned to the United States for the 2014 event, this time being hosted in Washington, D.C. The TCG tournament used cards from Next Destinies onward and, like past tournaments, it was invitation only. In contrast to the previous year, all eight quarterfinalists for the Master’s Division were not from the United States, marking the earliest exit by the United States in tournament history. Once more, each division’s first- through fourth-place winner received a No. 1-4 Trainer trophy card. By 2014, The Pokémon Company had modified the No. 1-4 Trainer cards to be full art cards featuring Pikachu with a trophy in its paws.
2015 Primal Kyogre EX Art Academy Contest Winner
In 2014, Nintendo released Pokémon Art Academy for the Nintendo 3DS. The game teaches players how to draw various Pokémon characters in an educational format, including lessons on several art concepts, mediums and techniques. To celebrate the launch of the game, The Pokémon Company International hosted its first true international art competition. Participants were asked to create an illustration of a Pokémon within the game and submit it for judging. Winners chosen by a panel of judges received a special Pokémon TCG promo card with their art printed on it. Each winner received 100 copies of their card, making them exceedingly rare. This Primal Kyogre EX was illustrated by Mireil and received a grade of CGC 9.
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 sports cards, TCGs 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. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray and more.