Bidders Compete for No. 2 Trainer and Other CGC-graded Cards in Heritage Sale

There is fierce competition for a No. 2 Trainer Pokémon card certified by CGC Cards™, which saw bidding reach $80,000 in a Heritage Auctions sale, just 48 hours after bidding opened. The 2000 Secret Super Battle tournament prize card is among dozens of trading cards certified by CGC Cards in the Trading Card Games Signature Auction, which is set to end on July 8, 2023.

The No. 2 Trainer, Pokémon (2000) Japanese Super Secret Battle – Best in Japan 2nd Place Prize Holo is graded CGC 8 (lot 36070). The card has been personalized for Toshiyuki Yamaguchi, the 2nd place winner of the Secret Super Battle Best in Japan tournament held in August 2000.

The top three contestants in the Secret Super Battle Best in Japan tournament received a trainer trophy card as their prize. The card features the cosmos holofoil pattern and a photograph of the winner in the card's art box, surrounded by Pokémon. Since each trophy card was customized for the winner — in this case, the No. 2 Trainer card was customized for Toshiyuki Yamaguchi — it is believed that only one copy of each No. 1-3 Trainer promo exists.

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Also featured in the sale is a Gyarados, Pokémon (1999) 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Unnumbered Promo graded CGC 9.5 (lot 36067). 64 Mario Stadium, a Nintendo-sponsored variety TV show, hosted a promotional contest in 1999 for the newly released Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 in Japan. Viewers could take pictures of Pokémon in the game, then send in their best photos for a chance to win prizes. The top five winners of this contest had their winning photo printed as an official Pokémon TCG card and received somewhere between 15 and 20 copies each, making them extremely rare.

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In addition, an Ishihara GX, Pokémon (2017) Black Star Promos – TPCi01 60th Birthday Party Giveaway graded CGC 8.5 (lot 36079) is available in the sale. Tsunekazu Ishihara has served as a driving force in the development and evolution of the Pokémon franchise. This promotional card was given to Ishihara’s family, friends and co-workers during a private party celebrating his 60th birthday. To learn more about this card and Ishihara, click here.

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Other CGC-certified highlights in the auction include:

• a Charizard, Pokémon (1996) Japanese Base Set Holo – No Rarity Symbol graded CGC 9.5 (lot 36110)
• a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC 9.5 (lot 36082)
• a Volcanic Island, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Beta graded CGC 9 (lot 36010)
• a Savannah, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Alpha graded CGC 9 (lot 36003)
• a The Seal of Orichalcos, Yu-Gi-Oh! (2005) Upper Deck – Duel the Master Side Event – SEAL EN001 Unauthorized Print graded CGC 6.5 (lot 36039)

Note: At the time these cards were graded, they were encapsulated with the original CGC Cards label, which is shown here. In mid-July CGC Cards will begin encapsulating cards with the new CGC Cards label. In addition to the new label, collectors will enjoy many other benefits with CGC Cards, such as the ability to submit without purchasing a membership and an industry-standard Gem Mint 10 grading Scale. For collectors and dealers who would like to reholder cards, CGC Cards has lowered its reholder fee to just $5 until September 30, 2023, for cards valued under $10,000, and any cards with a grade of Gem Mint 9.5 automatically convert to the CGC Cards Gem Mint 10 grade! For more information, go here.