For the first time ever, a Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card is in a pack. You can now pull it from any Pokémon pack exclusively on PrizePicks Packs, with packs starting at just $1.
The 1998 Pikachu Illustrator is the rarest Pikachu card ever made. Fewer than 50 known copies exist, and none were ever sold in stores. A PSA 10 copy sold for $16.5 million in February 2026 — the most ever paid for a trading card.
Now a Pikachu Illustrator sits in PrizePicks Packs’ inventory. The only way to get it is to rip a pack.
PrizePicks Packs are digital rips: you open a pack in the app and reveal a real card, with the most valuable cards graded. Pull the Pikachu Illustrator from a Pokémon pack, and it’s yours to keep and ship to your door — or sell back instantly at fair market value.
Once someone pulls it, it could be gone for good. A shot to get a Pokémon grail like this may never come around again. Rip your first pack now for a shot at pulling the Pikachu Illustrator — the grail of Pokémon collecting!
Use promo code PLAYBOOK at sign-up, buy your first $5 pack, and get $25 in Bonus Packs to start ripping for the Pikachu Illustrator card now!
What Is the Pikachu Illustrator Card?
- Card: 1998 Pokémon Japanese CoroCoro Comic Promo Pikachu Illustrator
- Rarity: Fewer than 50 known copies
- Grade: CGC 9
- Artist: Atsuko Nishida, Pikachu's original designer
- Est. value: $2.8 million
In 1997-98, Japan's CoroCoro Comic ran a series of Pokémon illustration contests. The top entrants got a card you couldn't get any other way: the Pikachu Illustrator.
Now, the Pikachu Illustrator is considered the ultimate grail of Pokémon collecting.
Atsuko Nishida, Pikachu's original designer, created this one-of-a-kind design. It's also the only Pokémon card ever printed with "Illustrator" where "Trainer" normally goes, and the only one with a pen icon in the corner.
The card text names its owner an "Official Pokémon Card Game Illustrator." That's why the Pikachu Illustrator has never been sold in stores or found in a pack, until now.
Every Pikachu Illustrator in the hobby came from those contests. No other Pikachu card comes close to its rarity, making it the best Pikachu card to own.
Open your first PrizePicks Pack now for a shot to pull the Pikachu Illustrator — Packs starting at $1!
How You Could Pull the Pikachu Illustrator Card on PrizePicks Packs
You can't buy this Pikachu Illustrator card. It isn't listed anywhere, and it isn't headed to auction. The next owner of this Pikachu Illustrator will pull it from a digital rip on PrizePicks Packs.
Here's how you can get a shot at pulling the "chase card" on PrizePicks, in packs starting as low as $1 to rip.
- Sign up and tap Packs. Download the PrizePicks app, sign up with code PLAYBOOK, and tap Packs on the bottom bar.
- Pick a Pokémon pack. Packs are available from the $1 Basic to the $2,500 Diamond. Every pack shows its odds and possible Grails before you buy. Higher-priced packs come with better Grail odds, but every Pokémon pack, even at $1, has a shot at the Pikachu Illustrator.
- Rip and reveal. Open the pack and see which real card you pulled.
- Sell it or ship it. Sell it back instantly at 100% of fair market value, or ship it home. Sell-back cash lands in your PrizePicks balance for your next pack or lineup.
Rip your first Pokémon pack on PrizePicks Packs in the app now!
PrizePicks Packs Promo Code: PLAYBOOK – Get $25 in Packs!
New members who sign up with promo code PLAYBOOK and buy their first $5 pack get $25 in Bonus Packs. Bonus Packs rip like any other pack, with the same shot at a Grail.
Looking to make picks on PrizePicks, too? The same code unlocks $150 in Bonus Lineups after your first $5 lineup. With one code, you can get both bonuses!
Sign up on the PrizePicks app now and rip your first pack!
Logan Paul's Pikachu Illustrator: The Most Expensive Card in History
The most famous Pikachu Illustrator is the PSA 10 Logan Paul bought in 2021 for $5.275 million. Paul wore it into the ring at WrestleMania 38, and it's still the only copy ever graded PSA 10.
In February 2026, Paul sold it through Goldin for $16,492,000 to AJ Scaramucci. Guinness World Records certified the sale as the most expensive trading card and the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold at auction.
Buy your first $5+ pack and get $25 in Bonus Packs on PrizePicks now!
How Much Is the Pikachu Illustrator Card Worth?
It depends on the grade and the copy, but every Pikachu Illustrator is worth a fortune. A CGC 9 copy in PrizePicks Packs is estimated at $2.8 million.
- The PSA 10 holds the record at $16.49 million, the most expensive trading card ever sold.
- Logan Paul paid $5.275 million for that same PSA 10 in 2021, and its value more than tripled in under five years.
- Ungraded copies have sold for $585,600 and $1.079 million, according to PriceCharting.
- It's the most expensive Pikachu card and the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold.
A card this valuable draws a lot of fakes, so grading matters. The Pikachu Illustrator in Packs is authenticated and graded by CGC.
What Are Grails on PrizePicks Packs? Only The Most Expensive Cards
The Grails on PrizePicks Packs are the most valuable cards in the hobby across basketball, football, and Pokémon, including multiple multimillion-dollar cards.
A Grail is any card with a fair market value of $50,000 or more. Grails sit above the six standard pull tiers (Starter, Clutch, Elite, MVP, Legendary and GOAT), and every pack has a shot at one, from the $1 Basic to the $2,500 Diamond. Higher-priced packs come with better Grail odds.
Four headline Grails top the pool at launch, with the Pikachu Illustrator leading Pokémon and each worth millions:
- 1998 Pikachu Illustrator (est. value $2.8M). One of fewer than 50 known copies, designed by Pikachu's original creator, Atsuko Nishida, and never sold in stores. This card is graded CGC 9. Logan Paul's PSA 10 copy sold for $16.5 million in February 2026, the most expensive trading card ever sold.
- Cooper Flagg 2025-26 Topps Debut Patch Auto 1/1 (est. value $8.04M). It's the most ever paid for a single-player basketball card and the 6th most expensive trading card ever sold. Graded PSA 10, auto 10, with a jersey patch from the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year's NBA debut on Oct. 22, 2025.
- Dylan Harper 2025-26 Topps Debut Patch Auto 1/1 (est. value $2.88M). It sold for 9x the previous high for a Dylan Harper rookie card ($320K). Graded PSA 9, auto 10.
- Kon Knueppel 2025-26 Topps Debut Patch Auto 1/1 (est. value $2.34M). Knueppel set the NBA rookie record with an NBA-leading 273 3-pointers and made the 2025-26 All-Rookie First Team. Graded PSA 10, auto 10.
You can pull them only in PrizePicks Packs, from packs as low as $1. Pokémon Grails come from Pokémon packs, and Hoops Grails come from Hoops packs.
Rip your first pack now, starting at $1 on PrizePicks!
Pikachu Illustrator Card FAQ for Pokémon Packs on PrizePicks
How can I pull the Pikachu Illustrator card?
Your only shot to pull this Pikachu Illustrator is on PrizePicks Packs. It isn't for sale anywhere, so the only way to get it is to pull it from a Pokémon pack in the PrizePicks app.
Rip your first pack now, or get $25 in Packs with promo code PLAYBOOK after you rip your first $5+ pack.
How many Pikachu Illustrator cards are there?
Fewer than 50 known copies exist, possibly far less. They were given only to top entrants of CoroCoro Comic's 1997-98 illustration contests in Japan. Only one has ever graded PSA 10.
Who bought Logan Paul's Pikachu Illustrator card?
AJ Scaramucci bought Logan Paul's PSA 10 at Goldin in February 2026 for $16,492,000, a Guinness World Record for a trading card sold at auction.
Why is the Pikachu Illustrator card so expensive?
It was never sold in stores, fewer than 50 copies exist, and Pikachu's original designer created its one-of-a-kind art. The record PSA 10 sale cemented it as the most valuable Pokémon card in the hobby.
Can a $1 pack pull the Pikachu Illustrator card?
Yes. Every PrizePicks Pokémon pack, from the $1 Basic to the $2,500 Diamond, has a shot at the Pikachu Illustrator. Higher-priced packs offer better Grail odds, and the app lists each pack's odds before you buy.
Rip Responsibly. Set deposit limits, take a break with self-exclusion, and check every pack's odds before you buy.
Rip your first $1 Pokémon pack on PrizePicks Packs now — or go big with packs up to $2,500!
{{packs_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
What is PrizePicks Packs, and how does it work?
PrizePicks Packs lets you rip digital card packs in the PrizePicks app and pull real cards.
Pick a Hoops, Football, or Pokémon pack, priced from $1 to $2,500. Every pack shows its odds and possible Grails before you buy. Then rip it to reveal your card. Finally, decide to sell it back instantly at fair market value or ship it to your door.
Sell-back funds land in your PrizePicks balance instantly, so you can use them on your next pack or picks. PrizePicks Packs is available in all 50 states.
Rip your first pack now, or use promo code PLAYBOOK to get $25 in Bonus Packs after you buy your first $5 pack.
Team Picks and Culture Picks are event contracts offered by Performance Predictions II, LLC d/b/a PrizePicks Predict, a CFTC-registered FCM and NFA Member. All event contract customers must be U.S. residents and 18+. Some event contracts may not be available in every state.Event contract trading carries significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. No guarantee against loss is offered. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results.Void where prohibited by law. Restrictions apply. For full terms of service see prizepicks.com/predict-regulatory. Team and Culture Pick Early Payouts subject to market liquidity. The content provided is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, or a recommendation to trade any commodity interest.
