Pokémon Illustrator Captures Attention Once More in Recent Fanatics Collect Auctions

A Pokémon Illustrator graded by CGC® once again realized six figures in Fanatics Collect’s February Premier Auction, making it the fourth highest-selling CGC-certified card to sell on the auction platform. The rare card was just one of the thousands of CGC-certified TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards that were sold through the Fanatics Collect marketplace in February 2025.

The Pokémon Illustrator, Pokémon (1998) Japanese CoroCoro Comics Illustration Contest graded CGC 8 realized $156,000 in Fanatics Collect’s February Premier Auction on February 20. Only 41 copies of Pokémon Illustrator are known to be in circulation, making this card one of the rarest Pokémon cards of all time. The iconic Pikachu featured on the card was illustrated by Atsuko Nishida, Pikachu’s original illustrator for the Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Green Version video games.

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Meanwhile, a Rayquaza Gold Star, Pokémon (2005) EX Deoxys Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10 realized $19,200 in the same Premier Auction on February 20. Gold Star cards were introduced in 2004 as a special chase card for the Pokémon TCG. Besides featuring Pokémon in their shiny colors, Gold Star Pokémon cards are also extremely rare, having a pull rate of one in every two booster boxes.

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Meanwhile, hundreds of CGC-certified sports cards were sold through Fanatics Collect in February as well, with the top highlight being a one-of-one rookie card of a young NFL quarterback. A 2024 Panini Prizm #400 J.J. McCarthy - Black Shimmer certified CGC Authentic realized $31,800 on February 2. McCarthy led the Michigan Wolverines to an undefeated season and a national championship before being selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, the young QB suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during preseason and was sidelined for his entire rookie year. Expectations are still high for McCarthy heading into the 2025 regular season, as he's expected to recover and take over under center as the starter and lead Minnesota for the foreseeable future.

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Another sports highlight from February's Fanatics Collect sales was a rare commemorative autographed card of arguably the greatest player in NBA history: Michael Jordan. A 1996-97 UD3 Court Commemorative Autos #C1 Michael Jordan certified CGC Authentic realized $21,900 on February 21. This special wood-grained autographed card was created by Upper Deck to commemorate Jordan passing 25,000 points scored in the NBA. He'd go on to end his iconic pro career with 32,292 points, which places him at fifth on the all-time points list.

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Other recent TCG and non-sports card sales highlights included:

• a Chansey, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10 that realized $15,000 on February 19
• a Gengar, Pokémon (1999) Fossil 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Pristine 10 that realized $9,300 on February 23
• a Lillie, Pokémon (2017) Japanese GX Battle Boost graded CGC Pristine 10 that realized $8,100 on February 23
• a Marnie, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History 25th Anniversary – 2020 graded CGC Gem Mint 10 that realized $7,500 on February 24
• a Marnie, Pokémon (2021) Japanese Creatures Deck: Corporate History 25th Anniversary – 2020 graded CGC Gem Mint 10 that realized $5,880 on February 2

Other recent sports card sales highlights included:

• a 2019-20 Upper Deck Buybacks Autographs #201 Connor McDavid - '15-'16 Young Guns certified CGC Authentic that realized $9,600 on February 23
• a 2024 Topps Definitive Collection Protectors at the Plate Auto Relics #PPAR-SO Shohei Ohtani - Red certified CGC Authentic that realized $6,300 on February 16
• a 2023-24 Topps Finest Flashback Autographs #FLA-VW Victor Wembanyama - Red Refractor certified CGC Authentic that realized $6,000 on February 9
• a 2024 Topps Five Star Autographed Jumbo Prime Relics #FSJP-AJ Aaron Judge MLB Logo Patch certified CGC Authentic that realized $5,400 on February 16
• a 1997-98 Upper Deck Game Jerseys #GJ5 Grant Hill certified CGC Authentic that realized $5,280 on February 23

Notable Upcoming Fanatics Collect Sales

Fanatics Collect continues to offer CGC-certified cards in their weekly, fixed and premium auction formats. One of the highlights available in March is a Pikachu, Pokémon (2015) Japanese XY & BREAK Promo – 175/XY-P Battle Festa 2015 Event Organizer graded CGC Gem Mint 10. In 2015, the Festa convention began hiring Event Organizers to help run the Festa and Battle Festa events. The staff who joined the program received copies of this special Pikachu promo, which has a notable “Event Organizer” stamp on the bottom-right corner of the card — a feature not present on normal promos given out to Battle Festa attendees. This card is one of only two examples graded CGC Gem Mint 10 in the CGC Cards Population Report, with none graded higher.

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Other TCG and non-sports cards in the upcoming March auctions include:

• a Giratina V, Pokémon (2022) Lost Origin – 186/196 graded CGC Pristine 10
• a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set Holo graded CGC Pristine 10
• a Charizard ex, Pokémon (2024) Paldean Fates – 234/091 Special Illustration Rare graded CGC Pristine 10
• a Greninja, Pokémon (2021) Black Star Promos – SWSH144 Celebrations Elite Trainer Box graded CGC Gem Mint 10
• a Blastoise, Pokémon (2006) EX Crystal Guardians Reverse Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10

Other sports cards in the upcoming March auctions include:

• a 1992-93 Upper Deck MVP Holograms #4 Michael Jordan graded CGC 9
• a 2015-16 Upper Deck Trilogy Rookie Premieres Relics #101 Connor McDavid - Green Rainbow Foil certified CGC Authentic
• a 2023-24 Upper Deck Dazzlers #DZ-79 Connor Bedard - Pink certified CGC Authentic
• a 2023-24 Panini Select #87 Victor Wembanyama - Orange Tectonic graded CGC Gem Mint 10
• a 2024 Topps Cosmic Chrome #44 Elly De La Cruz - Nucleus Refractor certified CGC Authentic

Sell Your CGC-certified Cards on Fanatics Collect!

The Fanatics Collect marketplace connects dealers and collectors through fixed-price listings, auctions and a myriad of tools and features, all in one app. Fanatics Collect has partnered with CGC to provide a streamlined pathway to grading and selling, which is accessed via an online submission process through Fanatics Collect's website and managed through the Fanatics Collect vault. For more information about Fanatics Collect, click here.

Cards sent to CGC receive priority grading and encapsulation through its third-party grading service for sports cards. Graded cards are returned to Fanatics Collect and immediately added to their Auction Builder Curation Algorithm process, which optimizes cards for sale in upcoming Fanatics Collect Weekly Sunday Auctions.

For more information about this program, click here.

Prices realized include 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.