CGC Cards Grades No. 1, 2 and 3 Trainer Cards From the 2010 Pokémon World Championships

Beginning in 1997, The Pokémon Company began distributing special trainer cards as prizes during official competitions and tournaments. These trainer cards were typically given to first-, second- and third-place winners of a certain tournament bracket. Because the No. 1-3 Trainer promo cards were only given out to winners or participants of a tournament, very few were printed, and most are extremely rare and valuable to collectors.

Recently, CGC Cards™ received a shocking submission for grading: an entire No. 1-3 Trainer set from the 2010 Pokémon World Championships. The No. 1-3 Trainer cards each feature an illustration of Pikachu holding a trophy (gold, silver and bronze, respectively). The cards are graded CGC 7.5 or higher.

“CGC Cards is thrilled to have graded these influential pieces of Pokémon TCG history,” commented Matt Quinn, Vice President of CGC Cards. “It’s not every day that we get to see an entire set of Trophy Pikachu cards.”

The 2010 Pokémon World Championships took place in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii from August 13-15. The tournament featured seven rounds of Swiss Pairings for the Junior Division, and eight rounds for the Senior Division. The top 16 players of the Juniors and Seniors (and the top 32 players of the Masters) were then bracketed into several single-elimination tournaments to determine each division’s World Champion.

Click images to enlarge.

Since there were three brackets — and three winners in each bracket — it is assumed that only nine 2010 No. 1-3 Trainer promo cards were distributed at the Pokémon World Championships. According to the CGC Cards Population Report, CGC Cards has graded three of these examples — the ones shown here.