CGC-certified Pokémon Illustrator Realizes $1.7 Million in Private Sale

It’s another record! A Pokémon Illustrator certified by CGC® recently traded hands in a private sale for a total of $1,703,100, the second-highest result for any Pokémon card certified by CGC. The (1998) Japanese CoroCoro Comics Illustration Contest Promo graded CGC 9.5 was sold in June 2026.

This result is a record for any card graded CGC 9.5 or lower, and it ranks third on the list of highest prices ever paid for a CGC-certified card. The other two are:

• an Alpha Black Lotus graded CGC Pristine 10 that sold for $3 million in April 2024
• a Pokémon Illustrator graded CGC Gem Mint 10 that realized more than $2 million in a PokeColor auction in February 2026

“This Pokémon Illustrator is yet another example of how collectors and dealers are turning to CGC to get the most value out of their trading cards,” said Matt Quinn, Vice President of CGC Cards. “Major sales such as this one emphasize the trust that every submitter places in us to make sure their cards are authentic and properly graded, so that they can make the most of their collections when buying, selling, and trading.”

In 1997 and 1998, CoroCoro Comics partnered with Pokémon to hold a series of art contests for Japanese fans. Thirty-nine examples of Pokémon Illustrator were given away to winners of these contests. Eventually, another 20 unawarded examples of this promo made their way into the secondary market, bringing the total known examples of Pokémon Illustrator to 59. CGC has certified 23 of them, according to the CGC Cards Population Report, and this is the only example graded CGC 9.5, with six graded higher.

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 sports cards, TCGs, 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. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray, and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.

CGC is part of the Certified Collectibles Group, a global provider of expert and impartial authentication, and grading services for collectibles. Since 1987, the Certified Collectibles Group companies have certified more than 110 million collectibles, including coins, banknotes, comic books, cards, autographs, and stamps.