CGC Cards Grades Pandemonium-causing Pokémon x Van Gogh Pikachu Promos

CGC Cards™ recently certified two popular promo Pikachu cards from a recent collaboration with the Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum. The two Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat, Pokémon (2023) Black Star Promos – 085 Pokémon x Van Gogh promo cards earned grades of CGC 9.5 and CGC Pristine 10.

Click images to enlarge.

Every so often, The Pokémon Company partners with other organizations to promote the Pokémon franchise in unique ways. Past collaborations have included pop-up cafes, live shows and exhibits, concerts and much more. Fans who attend these events often walk away with complimentary souvenirs, including limited-edition trading cards, in-game rewards and other merchandise.

Recently, The Pokémon Company collaborated with the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to help introduce its younger audiences to the 19th century artist’s work in a fun, refreshing way. To incentivize participation in the event, The Pokémon Company offered a special promo card to anyone who bought tickets to see the exhibit and completed a short scavenger hunt — a special Pikachu Van Gogh promo card with artwork inspired by Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat (1887).

Unfortunately, children and well-meaning fans weren’t the only ones interested in the exhibit. Visitors overwhelmed the Van Gogh Museum, quickly snapping up the Pikachu promo and other related merchandise. Because of this, the museum discontinued its distribution of the Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat promo, citing the resulting chaos. The Pokémon Company attempted to re-distribute the promo by offering it as a bonus if customers ordered over $30 worth of product on its website, but that promotional offer was quickly shut down as well. Now, the only way to obtain the Pikachu promo is through third-party sellers, such as auction sites.

CGC Cards has now graded a total of 83 examples of Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat, according to the CGC Cards Population Report. Eleven of these examples are graded CGC Pristine 10. Submit yours to CGC Cards today! Learn how by clicking here.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for many other types of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes.