CGC-certified Tropical Mega Battle Deck Realizes Mega $175,000 in Heritage Sale

A complete CGC-certified Tropical Mega Battle deck from the 2001 Pokémon International Championships realized $175,000 in a recent Heritage Auctions sale. The English deck was just one of many examples of rarities certified by CGC Trading Cards® that were offered in Heritage’s Trading Card Games Signature® Auction, which ended April 22, 2023.

The English 2001 VS Tropical Mega Battle deck was given to participants of the 2001 Tropical Mega Battle Tournament, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, in the summer of 2001. Only eight English copies of the deck were ever distributed, making them incredibly rare. CGC Trading Cards graded all 30 cards in the deck, with each card receiving a grade of CGC 8.5 to CGC 9.5. The entire deck was sold as one lot and realized an incredible $175,000 (lot 36061), or more than $5,800 per card.

The deck includes elusive cards such as Tropical Breeze, Pokémon (2001) Pokémon VS 2001/2002 Tropical Mega Battle graded CGC 9 with sub-grades of 9.5 for Centering and Surface, 9 for Corners and 8.5 for Edges, and Clair’s Mantine, Pokémon (2001) Pokémon VS 2001 Tropical Mega Battle – Error Resistance graded CGC 8.5 with sub-grades of 9.5 for Centering, 9 for Surface and 8.5 for Corners and Edges. Both cards were only included in the English release of the deck, which means there are only eight examples in circulation. CGC Trading Cards has graded four examples of Tropical Breeze and two examples of Clair’s Mantine (with the Error Resistance).

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Meanwhile, a Phoenix Heart certified by CGC Trading Cards (lot 36012) became the highest-selling example of the Magic: The Gathering promo card by Heritage Auctions when it sold for $27,500 on April 21. The special promo received a grade of CGC 8 with sub-grades of 9.5 for Centering, 8 for Surface, 9 for Corners and 8 for Edges. Phoenix Heart was printed to celebrate the marriage between Richard Garfield and Koni Kim and was included in their wedding invitations.

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Other CGC-certified highlights in the auction included:

• a Black Lotus, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Beta graded CGC 5.5 with sub-grades of 9.5 for Centering, 4.5 for Surface, 8.5 for Corners and 9 for Edges (lot 36009) that realized $27,500
• a Fraternal Exaltation, Magic: The Gathering (1999) Richard Garfield Event Promo graded CGC 6 Qualified with sub-grades of 10 for Centering, 5 for Surface, 6.5 for Corners and 7 for Edges (lot 36011) that realized $23,750
• a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC 9 with sub-grades of 9 for Centering and Surface, and 9.5 for Corners and Edges (lot 36072) that realized $18,750
• a Blastoise, Pokémon (1999) Base Set Shadowless “Disco” Holo Test Print graded CGC 4.5 with sub-grades of 8.5 for Centering, 4 for Surface, 4.5 for Corners and 5.5 for Edges (lot 36065) that realized $15,625
• an Ancestral Recall, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Beta graded CGC 8 with sub-grades of 9.5 for Centering, 8.5 for Surface, 7.5 for Corners and 8 for Edges (lot 36008) that realized $15,000
• a Mothman, MetaZoo (2020) Cryptid Nation – 1st Edition Sample Card Holo graded CGC Perfect 10 with perfect sub-grades (lot 36058) that realized $15,000
• a Pilgrim’s Eye, Magic: The Gathering (2015) Test Print (Inventions) Factory Foil – Incorrect Art graded CGC Perfect 10 with perfect sub-grades (lot 36021) that realized $12,187
• a Chansey, Pokémon (1999) Base Set Shadowless “Disco” Holo Test Print graded CGC 4.5 with sub-grades of 8.5 for Centering, 3.5 for Surface, 4.5 for Corners and 5 for Edges (lot 36066) that realized $10,000

Prices realized include a buyer’s premium.