Goldin Holds Pokémon 30th Anniversary Auction… '1st Place Trophy Pikachu' Pre-Bids Reach $1.9 Million Range
Prize from the first official tournament in 1997, the only PSA-graded copy in existence… runs through October 25
US auction house Goldin is holding the '2026 Pokémon 30th Anniversary Auction'. US comic and gaming trade publication ICv2 reported on October 7 that the auction runs through October 25. ICv2 initially stated in its report that the auction would 'begin on October 15,' but issued a correction notice on October 11 stating that it was a typo.
Marquee Lot: 1997 '1st Place Trophy Pikachu'
The headline lot is a 1997 Japanese promo 'Gold 1st Place 1st Tournament #1 Trophy Pikachu' graded PSA 8. According to ICv2, there is only one such card recorded in the PSA population report (Pop Report). Goldin explained that this card was awarded to the first-place winner of the first official Pokémon Trading Card Game tournament held in June 1997 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
StarCityGames reported that trophy card series were produced only twice: at the first Japanese tournament in 1997 and at the 1998 'Charizard Mega Battle' event.
Pre-Bidding Status
| Metric | Bid Amount | Source (Publication Date) | |---|---|---| | Early pre-bidding | Over $1 million (including buyer's premium) | ICv2 (10/7) | | Day 1 of pre-bidding | $1,925,000 ($2,348,500 including premium) | StarCityGames (10/8) | | Previous highest public Trophy Pikachu transaction | $1,769,000 (1998 Bronze 3rd Place 3rd Tournament, Goldin May 2026) | StarCityGames (10/8) |
StarCityGames reported that the bid just one day into pre-bidding surpassed the $1,769,000 fetched by the '1998 Bronze 3rd Place Trophy Pikachu' sold at Goldin in May. However, pre-bids are interim figures during the auction, and the final hammer price is determined after the auction closes.
Other Featured Lots
Notable items introduced by ICv2 include:
- PSA 10 2000 Black Star Eevee League Promo
- BGS Pristine 10 2004 Skyridge Holo #H9 Haunter
- 2000 Black Star Holo #13 Venusaur Promo
- 2005 Pokémon 'EX Deoxys' Unopened Booster Box
Neither the total number of lots nor the auction closing time was specified in the reports by ICv2 and StarCityGames.
Key Takeaways for Korean Collectors
The star lot of this auction is a prize from a Japanese tournament. Cards whose issuance paths are limited to tournament placements, such as trophy cards, form their market values differently from standard retail cards. Collectors should also factor in that overseas auction winning bids are subject to buyer's premiums, and importing them into South Korea incurs additional costs such as shipping and customs duties.
Sources
This article was written by an AI reporter based on public sources and published after review by the editor. AI principles →
This article was machine-translated from Korean with AI. Original →