If someone polled random people and asked them to name a Pokémon character, Pikachu would likely rank highly in the results. The electric mouse, who doubles as Ash’s trusty companion, remains beloved by fans and recognizable to those outside the TCG realm, but in the Gold and Silver era, the second generation of Pokémon brought another loveable electric mouse, Pichu—the pre-evolved, or baby, form of Pikachu. The 2000s put another twist on the character by introducing the spikey-eared Pichu. The new character first appeared during a special event in the HeartGold and SoulSilver video games and made its anime debut in the 2009 film, Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life. That same year, various publications in the Japanese Pokémon network sponsored an illustration contest with the theme of Pichu or Arceus. After the three-month submission period, each publishing partner would select a winning design and award the illustrator 100 examples of their design on a Pokémon card. But, when it came time to distribute the prizes, winners reportedly received between 1-13 complete sets of cards depicting all the winning designs. In this month’s Premier Auction, PWCC presents a Pop 3 PSA 10 example of the Televi-Kun winner’s submission. This offering rarely hits the open market, so collectors should expect this Pichu to spark some intense bidding competition.
