‘Ultra rare’ Pokemon card collection expected to sell for over $100,000: ‘A holy grail’

A “holy grail” of ultra-rare Pokémon cards is expected to sell for a mind-boggling $110,000 in an upcoming auction.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that every millennial with a decades-old stash of Pikachus under their bed is about to get rich.

Most of the beloved trading cards, which were first introduced in Japan in 1996, are worthless. But this set, for sale by Heritage Auctions, has collectors clamoring for one specific reason.

That reason? The “Pokémon Super Secret Battle No. 1 Trainer” card. That might sound like a series of random words to most people — even many Pokémon fans — but for the right buyer, there’s hardly anything rarer.

Apparently, there are only seven of the cards in existence, with each being given as a prize during a “secret” Pokémon tournament in 1999. The tournament, hosted in Tokyo, was held at an undisclosed location that players could only find after obtaining one of the seven Trainer cards.

“This particular card was given to one of the seven first-place winners!” the collection’s description reads. “Due to the fact that there were only seven regional tournaments, it’s estimated that there’s also only seven of these cards in the world.”

According to Heritage Auctions, the card, printed in Japanese, reads: “The Pokémon Card Game Official Tournament’s champion is recognized here, and this honor is praised. By presenting this card, you may gain preferential entry into the Secret Super Battle.”

The auction starts on July 9, with the bids expected to reach up £88,000 (around $110,000). Potential buyers also have the option to pre-bid on the cards — currently, the price has already gone up to $18,600.

Surprisingly, this “holy grail” isn’t even the highest valuation for a set of Pokémon cards. Last year, a single “Pikachu Illustrator” card sold for $195,000 at an auction, according to the Independent.

The trading cards aren’t the only things to fetch luxurious prices, either. Early in 2020, a tin of Altoids Sours — the now-discontinued, fruit-flavored breath mints — sold for nearly $1,000 on eBay.

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