“The English Pikachu Trophy cards need no introduction”, is probably the thought you are having upon reading the title. However, these cards are underrated for their rarity and actual availability. I wanted to take the time to write this article to elaborate on the true availability of the cards.
For anyone who is not familiar with the cards I am referring to, here they are:
The cards illustrations are based off of the original pikachu trophy cards from 1997-1999. These cards are awarded each year at the Pokemon World Championships to the winners of each age division (3 divisions). The 1st place winner receives the No. 1 trainer, 2nd the No. 2 and 3rd place receives the No. 3. Only 3 copies are given out each year.
This is typically where the misconception of available copies begins. The first tournament was held in 2004. Each year following, the same illustration has been used but the stamp on the card has changed. Here is an example of the 2004 stamp from the first tournament. Here is the stamp from the 2011 copy. This was also used on the 2012 version as well, which as far as I know is the first year the stamp was carried over. The new logo might be something more permanent since pokemon has grown in popularity over the past few years.
Back on point, 3 copies distributed each year, 9 years so far, thus there must be 27 copies?! True, there were 27 copies given out in total from 2004 until 2012, but that does not mean 27 copies are available. Calculating the exact amount of copies available is similar to filling taxes; deducting costs from payments received (27 copies).
The first deduction is the “David Persin deduction”. David Persin owns the largest english collection in the world. Each year he purchases a No. 1, 2 and 3 trainer at the tournament. He has purchased every copy from every year except the No. 2 trainer from 2007. This leaves the total copies available at: 19. The best time to purchase one of these cards is right after the Pokemon World championship ends. However, considering that David Persin is buying a copy of each on site, you are looking at 2 copies remaining per year rather than 3.
The next aspect to consider is the winners who do not want to sell their cards after they win the tournament. This could sarcastically be phrased as the, “japanese deduction”. By and large, any japanese winner at the tournament is not selling their card. In my years of experience, when a card is won by a japanese player, it is off the market. In fact, when I was at the 2011 World Championships, I did not want all japanese winners because the cards would not be available for sale.
The best example of this is Yamato. Yamato is probably the most well known Japanese player/ambassador to the game. He won 1st place during the original tournament back in 2004. David Persin needed this card to complete his 2004 set. Each year he would increase the price. In 2012, David finally got a hold of a No. 1 Trainer from 2004 for a substantial sum. The winner who he purchased it from was not known. Keep in mind that this was the result of years of more than reasonable offers on the card.
Since Pokemon has become more popular in the past couple of years, the players are more inclined to hold onto their cards. In 2011, only one of the three 2nd place winners was considering selling their card. This made the demand/price increase of the card while also making the transaction fragile. Since the game has grown, the prestige/pride/enjoyment/value of the card has increased. In 2005-2006 the game was not as popular as it is today. The incentive was not as strong, and it made it a bit easier to negotiate a price with a winner.
Now, the last deduction to consider is not as finite but still has merit; the “collector deduction”. The cards that are in other collectors hands are majority of the time off the market. For example, the cards that I own and a couple other copies I am aware of that belong to collectors have a very low probability of changing hands. Also, when they do, it is mostly done in private. This adds yet another layer of difficulty if you are in the market to purchase one of these cards.
If you are in the market for one of these cards, chances are you will remain in the market for a long time. These cards are very underrated because the same illustration has existed over the past 9 years and their availability is typically falsely assumed. Considering the actual probability of these cards hitting the open market, you might have a better chance of obtaining one by winning the Pokemon World Championships.
I wanted to suggest everybody here on E4 to find alternatives for Photobucket.
