Incredibly Rare CGC-certified Test Print Blastoise Offered in Heritage Auctions Sale

An ultra-rare Pokémon card certified by CGC Trading Cards® is among the highlights in an upcoming Heritage Auctions sale. Bidding is already underway for the Trading Card Games Signature Auction, with the live auction taking place September 23-24, 2022.

The auction features a Blastoise Pokémon (1998) Test Print (Gold Border) #009/165R with Magic: The Gathering Back, graded CGC 7.5, with sub-grades of 9 for Centering, 8.5 for Surface, 7.5 for Corners and 7 for Edges (lot 36070). The Test Print Blastoise was created when Wizards of the Coast — responsible for printing the international Pokémon Trading Card Game from 1998 to 2003 — was preparing to create the first English Pokémon trading cards in 1998.

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This unique card depicts the same Blastoise art used on the box art of Pokémon Blue, one of the three original games for the Nintendo Game Boy. Penned by original Game Freak illustrator Ken Sugimori, it is one of the most influential pieces of artwork in the series. The card also displays a beautiful gold border, a foil front and the unmistakable Magic: The Gathering backing.

As of August 2022, only five of these test print cards have been certified and authenticated by the experts at CGC Trading Cards. One of them realized $216,000 in a Heritage sale in November 2021. In addition, CGC Trading Cards has certified one (1998) Test Print Blastoise with a blank back, which realized $360,000 in a Heritage Auctions sale in January 2021.

Another notable trading card in the current Heritage sale is a Crash Card Virus #SJCS-EN004, 2007 Yu-Gi-Oh! Shonen Jump Championship Prize Card graded CGC 7, with sub-grades of 10 for Centering, 7 for Surface, 8.5 for Corners and 7 for Edges (lot 36024). This ultra-rare card was exclusively distributed to first-place winners of one of the 16 2007 Yu-Gi-Oh! Shonen Jump Championship Series events. Despite its rarity, Crash Card Virus ended up on the limited/ban list for its brutal gameplay effects. Its rarity, especially in this condition, cannot be overstated.

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Other CGC Trading Cards-certified rarities in the auction include:

• a Time Walk, Magic: The Gathering (1992) Gamma Playtest Edition graded CGC 7.5 (lot 36019)
• an Ancestral Memory, Magic: The Gathering (1992) Gamma Playtest Edition graded CGC 5.5 (lot 36018)
• a Forest (Eyes), Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition (Beta) Artist Proof graded CGC 9 (lot 37001)
• a Forest (Path), Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition (Beta) Artist Proof graded CGC 9 (lot 37002)
• a Forest (Mushrooms), Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition (Beta) Artist Proof graded CGC 9 (lot 37003)
• a Mox Emerald, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Unlimited Edition graded CGC 9 (lot 36009)
• a Library of Alexandria, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Arabian Nights graded CGC 8.5 (lot 37010)
• a Euroakus, Magic: The Gathering (2020) Heroes of the Realm #001/003 Special Studio X European Team graded CGC 9.5 (lot 36010)
• a Blastoise, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1^st Edition #2/102 Holo graded CGC 9 (lot 36072)

Related Articles:

• CGC Trading Cards Certifies Four Extremely Rare Pokémon Test Print Blastoise Cards
• After Certification by CGC Trading Cards, Pokémon Test Print Blastoise Blasts to $360,000 at Auction
• Extremely Rare CGC-certified Test Print Blastoise Realizes Over $200,000