1998 Pokemon Japanese CoroCoro Comics Holo Pokemon Illustrator AUTO CGC 9 MINT

With its iconic artwork and storied history, no Pokémon card matches the Illustrator Pikachu's combination of popularity, rarity, and iconic status. Featuring the elusive double star rarity symbol found on the most coveted Japanese printings, the Illustrator Pikachu rightfully sits atop the upper echelon of Pokémon collecting. It's maintained this lofty standing for decades and will continue to do so as long as collectors continue their quest to catch 'em all. Illustrated by artist Atsuko Nishida, the original character designer of Pikachu for the Game Boy video games, the Illustrator Pikachu was initially awarded to first- and second-place winners of a CoroCoro Comics drawing contest in January 1998. The publication initially gave out 23 copies of the card. Subsequent art contests, which required participants to design their own Pokémon cards and judged them either on their artwork or their attacks, awarded another 16 copies to bring the total of officially distributed examples to a still-paltry 39. The card's design, which depicts Pikachu gleefully illustrating Charmander and Mew, harkens back to the origins of this now-famous card. A stunning CGC 9 example of the Illustrator Pikachu is enough to send a charge throughout the collecting community. But this listing offers a truly unique piece of Pokémon history thanks to it being the only example signed by Takumi Akabane, one of the franchise's founding fathers. Akabane rarely signs cards, making this autographed CGC 9 Illustrator Pikachu all the more monumental. Considering its high grade and standing as the only known signed example of this legendary issue, this is one Illustrator that's sure to draw the interest of prominent Pokémon collectors. The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 12/4/2024.