No. 2 Trainer Certified by CGC Cards Realizes Incredible $137,500 in Heritage Sale

A CGC-certified No. 2 Trainer Pokémon card from the 2000 Secret Super Battle tournament realized a whopping $137,500 in a recent Heritage Auctions sale. The Trainer card was just one of dozens of cards certified by CGC Cards™ in the Trading Card Games Signature Auction, which ended on July 8, 2023.

The No. 2 Trainer, Pokémon (2000) Japanese Super Secret Battle – Best in Japan 2nd Place Prize Holo received a grade of CGC 8 (lot 36070) and was the second highest-selling card in the sale. Toshiyuki Yamaguchi, the 2nd Place winner of the Secret Super Battle Best in Japan tournament held in August 2000, is featured on the front of the card along with several Pokémon. It is believed that only one copy of this card exists, since it was personalized specifically for Yamaguchi when he won his tournament division.

See note regarding images below. Click images to enlarge.

Meanwhile, a Charizard, Pokémon (1996) Japanese Base Set Holo – No Rarity Symbol graded CGC 9.5 (lot 36110) realized $93,750, shattering the record for the highest price realized for a Charizard card graded by CGC Cards. This particular Charizard lacks the rarity symbol in the bottom right-hand corner of the card — a clear indication that this Charizard Holo is one of the first cards printed for the Pokémon TCG in Japan, since Media Factory began printing rarity symbols after the first release of Base Set. For this reason, these No Rarity Symbol cards are extremely rare.

See note regarding images below. Click images to enlarge.

Additionally, a Gyarados, Pokémon (1999) 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Unnumbered Promo graded CGC 9.5 (lot 36067) realized an incredible $87,500. This rare promo card was printed as a result of the 64 Mario Stadium contest, a promotional competition held in 1999 to promote the then newly released Pokémon Snap video game for the Nintendo 64. The winners of the competition had their in-game photos printed onto official Pokémon cards. Around 15-20 copies of this Gyarados promo are known to exist.

See note regarding images below. Click images to enlarge.

Finally, a Charizard, Pokemon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC 9.5 (lot 36082) also realized a staggering $87,500. This is the highest price realized for a CGC-certified English Base Set 1st Edition Holo Charizard card on Heritage Auctions' platform, destroying the previous record of $19,200, which was realized on November 6, 2021.

See note regarding images below. Click images to enlarge.

Other CGC-certified highlights in the auction included:

• an Ishihara GX, Pokémon (2017) Black Star Promos – TPCi01 60th Birthday Party Giveaway graded CGC 8.5 (lot 36079) that realized $45,000
• a Phoenix Heart, Magic: The Gathering (2014) Richard Garfield Event Special Promo graded CGC 8.5 (lot 36020) that realized $22,500
• 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) that realized $15,625
• a Volcanic Island, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Beta graded CGC 9 (lot 36010) that realized $13,750

Note: At the time these cards were graded, they were encapsulated with the original CGC Cards label, which is shown here. Starting July 11, 2023, CGC Cards began encapsulating cards with the new CGC Cards label. In addition to the new label, collectors 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.

Prices realized includes a buyer’s premium.