Champions of regional qualifying events for the 1998 Lizardon Mega Battle in Japan earned a special-edition Gold Trophy Pikachu card. Across the six regional qualifiers for the first official Japanese Pokémon National Championships, an estimated nine junior league winners and six senior league winners received an example of the Pikachu trophy card. Originally, winners received cards encased inside an acrylic plaque that denoted the specifics of their victory. Some 20,000 players attended the competition, with the overall junior and senior league champions earning actual trophies instead of a trophy card. As a result, the historic regional Gold Trophy Pikachu cards have become highly coveted by collectors. Legendary Base Set Charizard artist Mitsuhiro Arita paid close attention to detail in his illustration of this card. Featuring the original design of the “chubby” Pikachu, the fan-favorite character proudly hoists a gold trophy in the air against a sparkling holographic foil background unparalleled in beauty—and the illustrations from these Trophy Pikachu cards served as the inspiration for the modern Trophy Pikachu cards. As one of the most desirable and historically significant Pokémon cards ever created, this example ranks in the same class as the Pikachu Illustrator for its aesthetic and historical significance and will help establish any collection as a winner.
