Snap! Pokémon Cards from Japanese Photo Contest Certified by CGC Cards Turn Heads in Heritage Sale

A Chansey Pokémon card from a Japanese-exclusive photo contest that has been certified by CGC Cards™ is making waves in an ongoing Heritage Auctions sale. The 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest promo is just one of the dozens of CGC-certified trading cards in Heritage’s Trading Card Games Signature Auction, which is set to end on February 16-17, 2024.

The Chansey, Pokémon (1999) Japanese 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Unnumbered Promo is graded CGC 9 (lot 36033). Bidding has already surpassed $25,000 several days before the sale. The 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest was a competition hosted to commemorate the release of Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64. Contestants who snapped photos of Pokémon in the game could submit their best pictures for a chance to have their photo printed on a Pokémon TCG card. This Chansey photo was taken by Kaori Someya. Only 15 copies of the winning cards were distributed to the winners, so they are extremely rare. CGC Cards has certified three of these Chansey cards according to the CGC Cards Population Report, with one other graded CGC 9 and one graded lower.

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In addition to Chansey, a Koffing, Pokémon (1999) Japanese 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Unnumbered Promo graded CGC 9 (lot 36034) is also being offered in the sale. Like Chansey, this Koffing was also submitted in the competition commemorating Pokémon Snap. Koffing’s in-game photo was taken by Natsu Sato. This is the only example certified by CGC Cards at this time, according to the CGC Cards Population Report.

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Meanwhile, a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10 (lot 36057) has already surpassed $20,000 several days before the sale. This CGC-certified Charizard is one of 21 certified copies graded CGC Gem Mint 10, according to the CGC Cards Population Report, with two graded higher.

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Other CGC-certified cards in the auction include:

• a Charizard, Pokémon Topsun (1997) Original Series – 006 No Number – 1st Print graded CGC Pristine 10 (lot 36065)
• a group of five CGC-certified Pokémon (2018) Japanese Sun & Moon Promos – Munch: A Retrospective Campaign cards, including Psyduck, Eevee, Pikachu, Mimikyu and Rowlet, each graded CGC 9.5 or CGC Gem Mint 10 (lot 36077)
• a Charizard, Pokémon (1996) Japanese Base Set Holo graded CGC Perfect 10 (lot 36066)
• a Victory Ring, Pokémon (2005) Japanese Unnumbered Promo - Battle Road Spring Finals Prize Holo graded CGC Pristine 10 (lot 36040)
• a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Yu-Gi-Oh! (2002) North American Dark Duel Stories – Wave 1 – DDS-001 Prismatic Secret Rare graded CGC Gem Mint 10 (lot 36016)
• a Lugia, Pokémon (2000) New Genesis 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10 (lot 36058)

Note: At the time some of these cards were graded, they were encapsulated with the original CGC Cards label. 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 more information, go 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 home media.