CGC Cards Grades 24-karat Gold Pikachu from 20th Anniversary Campaign

Since launching in 2020, CGC Cards™ has seen some incredible Pokémon cards pass through the grading room. From the once-mythical Prerelease Raichu to unreleased promos, CGC Cards has had the honor of grading some of the rarest and most valuable Pokémon cards in the world.

Recently, the CGC Cards grading team had another opportunity to grade a rare Pokémon card: a Pikachu card made of solid gold. The Pikachu, Pokémon (2016) Japanese Unnumbered Promo Ginza Tanaka – 24k Gold – 20th Anniversary Promo earned a grade of CGC 8 and is currently the only example in the CGC Cards Population Report. The elusive card is currently being offered in a Goldin sale, which is set to end on April 14, 2024.

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When Pokémon celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2016, The Pokémon Company collaborated with several companies to produce special merchandise. One of these companies was Ginza Tanaka, — a Japanese jewelry company. Together, Ginza Tanaka and The Pokémon Company reproduced the original Japanese Pikachu card from Base Set in 11 grams of 24-karat gold, complete with Pikachu’s original moves — Gnaw and Thunder Jolt — etched into the metal.

The gold Pikachu card was made available for purchase through the Japanese Pokémon Center Online website for a limited time in late 2020. Unfortunately, purchasing the Pikachu wasn’t as easy as adding it to a cart. Japanese fans who wanted to get their hands on the precious rarity would first have to enter a lottery through the website. Only the winners of the lottery were given the opportunity to purchase the gold Pikachu card for a whopping ¥216,000 (about $2,081).

Because of its limited availability and circumstances for purchasing, this gold Pikachu card is considered by many to be one of the rarest and most expensive Pokémon cards of all time. Seeing one cross the auction block is a rare occurrence, and the card typically sells for tens of thousands of dollars.

“2024 has already brought us many rare and eye-popping cards, like this Gold Pikachu,” said Matt Quinn, Vice President of CGC Cards. “The fact that collectors are choosing CGC to grade some of the most valuable cards in their collections is a testament to the trust that they place in our services.”

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety 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.