Pokémon Illustrator and Other Heavy Hitters Certified by CGC Offered by Heritage Auctions

A Pokémon Illustrator graded CGC 9 is turning heads in an upcoming Heritage Auctions sale. It is just one of the dozens of CGC-certified Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering cards being offered in Heritage’s Trading Card Games Signature Auction, which is set to open in late November and end on December 12-13, 2025.

The Pokémon Illustrator, Pokémon (1998) Japanese CoroCoro Comics Illustration Contest Promo graded CGC 9 is expected to sell for six figures. Pokémon Illustrator is one of the rarest Pokémon cards in the entire TCG, with this card being one of only 41 known examples in circulation. Initially, 39 Pokémon Illustrator cards were given to the winners of a Pokémon-themed art contest hosted by CoroCoro Comic in Japan during 1997 and 1998. Two more examples of Pokémon Illustrator were then confirmed to exist, bringing the total to 41. Previous CGC-certified examples of Pokémon Illustrator have realized incredible prices at auction, including “The Swirllustrator” graded CGC 9.5 that realized $672,000 in 2022 and a Pokémon Illustrator graded CGC Gem Mint 10 that realized $495,000 in 2023.

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Additionally, two Black Lotus cards are especially worth watching in the auction. A Black Lotus, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Alpha graded CGC 8 and a Black Lotus, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Beta graded CGC 9 highlight the CGC-certified Magic cards in the sale. Part of the Power Nine, Black Lotus is considered one of the rarest and most expensive cards in the game because no playable version of it was reprinted after MTG’s first three sets — Alpha, Beta and Unlimited — were released in 1993.

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Meanwhile, a Growlithe, Pokémon (1999) German Base Set Unlimited with a unique error is being offered in the sale. When Wizards of the Coast began test printing the Pokémon Trading Card Game, they used the same printing facility as Magic: The Gathering. As a result, test sheets with MTG backs and Pokémon fronts were printed to test how the artwork would be displayed. These sheets were mostly destroyed, but some cards escaped into circulation, including some Nidoran cards, two Tangela cards, two Weedle cards and one Arcanine card, according to Heritage Auctions. This Growlithe is graded CGC 8.

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Other notable CGC-certified cards being offered in the Heritage Auctions sale include:

• a Charizard, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10
• a Mewtwo, Pokémon (1999) Base Set 1st Edition Holo graded CGC Gem Mint 10
• a Pikachu, Pokémon (2018) Japanese Sun & Moon Promos – 288/SM-P Munch: A Retrospective Campaign graded CGC 9.5
• a Pikachu Gold Star, Pokémon (2006) EX Holon Phantoms Holo graded CGC 9
• a Mox Sapphire, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Beta graded CGC Gem Mint 10
• a Time Walk, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Beta Artist Proof certified by CGC as authentic and signed by Amy Weber
• a Time Walk, Magic: The Gathering (1993) Limited Edition Alpha graded CGC 8.5