An ultra-rare Pikachu card awarded through a 2015 illustration contest has sold for $660,000 at auction, setting a remarkable benchmark for Pokémon TCG collectibles.
A $660,000 result for a scarce Pikachu card
A PSA 10 Lily-Chan Pikachu attracted 55 bids in Fanatics Collect’s October 18 Weekly auction. The final sale price, including the buyer’s premium, was $660,000.
The result follows an $8.4 million sale for another Art Academy Pikachu illustrated by Y. Fujishima. While the Lily-Chan card did not approach that extraordinary figure, its auction history shows how sharply demand has risen for limited Pokémon promotional cards.
For more collecting and gaming news, browse the RETROCADE Arcade Blog.
Why the Lily-Chan Pikachu is so rare
The card originated with the Nintendo 3DS game Pokémon Art Academy, which hosted a 2015 illustration competition. Entrants submitted artwork in two categories: Dress-Up Pikachu and Your Favorite Pokémon.
Winning designs were made into official Pokémon TCG cards. Each winning artist received 100 copies of their card, creating an extremely small supply from the outset.
Lily-Chan, an artist from Spain, was one of the winners in the European and Oceanian competition. Their artwork depicts Pikachu in an elaborate winter outfit, with decorative earmuffs, falling snowflakes and a vivid pastel background. The card was printed in Spanish, adding another unusual detail for collectors.
PSA’s population report lists only eight Gem Mint 10 copies of the Lily-Chan Pikachu, including the card sold in this auction.
Art Academy Pikachu prices surge
The card’s previous recorded sales help illustrate the scale of the increase. A Gem Mint 10 copy sold for $1,276 in May 2019, while another reached $2,826 in May 2020. In October 2026, the same grade achieved $660,000—more than $658,000 above the 2019 result.
Another international Art Academy Pikachu reached the same $660,000 price just one week earlier. That PSA 10 card featured artwork by British contest winner Meli and received 34 bids in a Fanatics Collect auction. The comparison suggests that collectors are placing substantial value on the competition’s scarce artist-created variants, not simply on one particular design.
The broader high-end Pokémon market has also produced striking results. Three rare Southern Islands promotional cards recently sold for more than $1.1 million combined, while a PSA 10 Aquapolis Crystal Lugia reached $360,000 in another auction.
From Nintendo 3DS contest to elite collectible
Art Academy Pikachu cards occupy an unusual place in Pokémon history. They began as prizes for a digital drawing competition on a Nintendo handheld, yet their tiny print runs and distinctive international artwork have turned them into some of the most valuable Pokémon cards available at auction.
Collectors interested in the wider world of dedicated gaming hardware can explore RETROCADE’s Arcade Machine Buying Guide, browse arcade machines, or follow the latest stories in the Arcade Videos collection.
Leave a Reply