What makes the Illustrator Pikachu so Appealing and Desirable?

General
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1

Let’s discuss why illustrator is considered the Holy Grail of the Hobby :slight_smile:

2

The card ticks off all the boxes:

  • Unique art that ties into its release. Golden era, hand drawn, nostalgic design.
  • That release (art contest) was the first of its kind and echoed multiple times throughout the years.
  • The only card to have “illustrator” as the title.
  • Unique pen symbol
  • Very rare
  • Singularity
  • Pikachu
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3

Totally agree with you sir!! :smiling_face::pray:

4

aaaaaand /thread. lol

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5

caught on early and stuck before anything else could. has a lot going for it

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6

Adding to SMP’s boxes, hype and exposure. People want a card that a lot of people, especially serious collectors in the hobby, immediately recognize and know info about - but that not everyone can just source/afford. If everyone can have something, then it’s not quite as special.

I think the number of illustrators that have entered the market over the past couple of years have kinda shaken the “Holy Grail of the Hobby” status a little bit, but it is still definitely a grail none the less and it’s price has a lot of strong sales data points that can be pointed at to affirm its value (which is simultaneously appealing to collectors AND investors).

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7

I think the multiple sales will only bolster it further in the future as the more confirmed public sales = more data points to consolidate a baseline value for the Illustrator.

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8

Right. I think that’s what I was trying to say here:

and it’s price has a lot of strong sales data points that can be pointed at to affirm its value (which is simultaneously appealing to collectors AND investors).

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9

I remember the first time I saw it. The $10K price tag or whatever it was, the stellar art, the incredible rarity. Definitely a card with a certain grandness to it.

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10

I love the Singularity of the Illustrator!! The fact that you don’t need a set of 3 to complete the goal compared to Pika trophies or SSB’s makes it more appealing to me. :smiling_face:

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11

I’ve had the rare opportunity to see it raw. Pretty cool.

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IMG_43791170×1535 364 KB

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12

Beautiful man!! :star_struck::ok_hand:

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13

I guess i never noticed the “Illustrator” text has its own shade of gold inside the gold name box

14

Nah that’s because I searched through my iPhone for the photo and it automatically highlights any word related to the search

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15

All the points have been made, but I’ll also add that its legendary status has been around for so long. For me, it feels like it’s been the pinnacle of of the collectable part of the TCG for as long as I can remember—for over a quarter of a century. Its staying power and longevity have compounded its own significance.

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