CGC Cards-certified Pokémon Promo Realizes $47,500 in Heritage Sale

A photo-contest Chansey promo certified by CGC Cards™ was the highest-selling single card in a recent Heritage Auctions sale. Seven other CGC Cards-certified rarities realized prices of at least $15,000 in Heritage’s Trading Card Games Signature Auction, which ended on February 16-17, 2024.

The Chansey, Pokémon (1999) Japanese 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Unnumbered Promo graded CGC 9 (lot 36033) took the top spot for any individual card in the sale, realizing $47,500. This is a rare example of one of the cards presented to the winners of the Japanese-exclusive 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest, a competition hosted to commemorate the release of Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64. Only 15 copies of each winner’s card were released, making Chansey and other promos of its kind very rare.

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Meanwhile, a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10 (lot 36057) realized $37,500, the second highest-selling CGC Cards-certified card in the sale. Charizard is, without a doubt, one of the most recognizable and valuable Pokémon TCG cards out there. Its fierce stance in Mitsuhiro Arita’s portfolio made the card an instant hit among children in the 1990s, and its collectible value has continued to rise with time. CGC Cards has certified 21 copies of Base Set 1st Edition (English) Charizard in CGC Gem Mint 10 according to the CGC Cards Population Report, with only two graded higher.

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Other CGC Cards-certified highlights in the auction included:

• a Koffing, Pokémon (1999) Japanese 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest Unnumbered Promo graded CGC 9 (lot 36034) that realized $27,500
• a Charizard, Pokémon Topsun (1997) Original Series – 006 No Number – 1st Print graded CGC Pristine 10 (lot 36065) that realized $23,750
• a Champion’s League, Pokémon (2005) Japanese Unnumbered Promo – Champion’s League Winner Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10 (lot 36044) that realized $20,000
• a No. 2 Trainer, Pokémon (2002) Japanese Spring Battle Road 2nd Place Prize graded CGC Gem Mint 10 (lot 36037) that realized $17,500
• a Victory Ring, Pokémon (2005) Japanese Battle Road Spring Finals Prize Unnumbered Promo Holo graded CGC Pristine 10 (lot 36040) that realized $16,250
• a No. 3 Trainer, Pokémon (2002) Japanese Spring Battle Road 3rd Place Prize graded CGC 9.5 (lot 36038) that realized $15,000

All prices realized include a buyer’s premium.

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.