First released in 2006, the Holon Phantom Gold Star Pikachu was the card. Gold Star Pokémon served as the prime Ultra Rare chases of the later EX-era sets and appeared on the checklist after Pokémon-ex, which had been the highest rarity up to that point.
These were Nintendo’s first attempt at a special rarity since acquiring the Pokémon card license from Wizards of the Coast, making them the spiritual successors to the “Shining” rarity of the later WOTC Neo expansions. Like Shining Pokémon, Gold Star cards pushed the boundaries of what could be done with card art. All Gold Star cards were illustrated by Masakazu Fukuda and had very tough pull rates.
Fast forward more than 20 years, and the art on these cards is still some of the most sought after and beloved in all of Pokémon. One unique aspect of these cards is the fact that the artwork expands outside of the portrait box, something that had never been seen before in Pokémon up to that point.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 06/10/2026.
