PWCC’s TCG Premier Auction will run until 4 p.m. PT on May 4. Below are a few of their most interesting lots!
1999 Pokémon Jungle Black Star Promo Star 1st Edition Pikachu #1
PSA 10 Gem Mint
The 1999 1st Edition Jungle Black Star Promo Pikachu remains one of the most unique cards in the TCG’s history. Casual Pokéfans might confuse this card with the standard “Ivy Pikachu,” which Wizards of the Coast released through the Pokémon League in 1999 as one of the first Black Star Promos.
While both cards feature Keiji Kinebuchi’s iconic artwork, the Jungle print is considerably rarer. Scattered throughout 1st Edition Jungle packs, this Ivy Pikachu appeared sporadically and featured the Black Star Promo symbol, leading collectors to believe it had been included in error.
However, after discovering a prototype Jungle booster pack and preliminary images of the English Jungle expansion years later, the Pokémon community revised its stance on the card. The prototype pack and preliminary images featured the text, “Capture the rare Pikachu card! Look on inside wrapper!” Therefore, Ivy Pikachu’s inclusion appeared to be intentional. As a result, collectors now believe the 1st Edition Jungle Black Star Promo Pikachu was WOTC’s first attempt at a Secret Rare Pokémon card.
With a PSA 10 population of only nine, this is undoubtedly one of the finest examples of this coveted card on the market.
1993 Magic The Gathering Alpha 60 Card Starter Deck Factory Sealed
Magic: The Gathering introduced the world to trading card games with its Alpha set in 1993, which laid the foundation for games like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!. This is one of the few remaining factory-sealed Limited Edition Alpha starter decks left in existence.
Magic’s paramount release featured 60-Alpha cards and was available for purchase for just one month in 1993. While the majority of the deck will contain common and uncommon cards, each deck also includes two rares, giving the owner a chance to find a famed card such as the Mox Sapphire, Timetwister, or the Black Lotus. The possibility of pulling a high-end rare card is roughly one in every 20 packs.
1993 Magic the Gathering MTG Unlimited Black Lotus BGS 9.5 GEM MINT
The Alpha Black Lotus likely needs no introduction, it's the crown jewel of Magic: The Gathering and is one of the most legendary cards in all of trading card history.
Roughly 1,100 copies of the Black Lotus, illustrated by the late Christopher Rush, were released in Magic: The Gathering’s Alpha set. However, since card sleeves weren’t introduced until 1995, the condition of most of these early Black Lotuses rapidly deteriorated from heavy play. This example somehow survived to earn a BGS Gem Mint 9.5 grade. To date, BGS has only graded one copy higher.
2017 Pokémon Japanese 20th Anniversary Team Rocket Complete Special Case
The first promo, Giovanni’s Scheme, features the Team Rocket leader along with his Persian and is illustrated by famed Pokémon artist Mitshurio Arita. The second promo, Team Rocket, features anime staples Jessie, James, and Meowth in their special occasion black costumes.
These made-to-order briefcases were available exclusively for Pokémon Online center members and were the last promo item ever produced from the XY era.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series officially wrapped up its 25-year-long run in March, retiring both Team Rocket and Pokémon's most notable protagonist Ash Ketchum. In Team Rocket’s finale, the criminals were finally poised to capture Pikachu, their long-time target, but ultimately failed and decided to disband after defeat.
2004 Yu-Gi-Oh! Shonen Jump Championship Cyber-Stein #SJC-EN001 PSA 10 Gem Mint
This 2004 Cyber-Stein is the first Shonen Jump championship card Yu-Gi-Oh! ever released. Given out to the winners of the inaugural 2004-05 Shonen Jump Championship tournament series, the card allows those who own it to activate Cyber-Stein by paying 5,000 life points to summon any fusion monster from the deck in attack position. This effect allowed users to summon powerful monsters like the Cyber-End Dragon on their first turn and utterly decimate their opponents.
Due to its immense power, tournaments almost immediately banned Cyber-Stein from competitive play. However, Konami recently took the card off the ban list after a decade and a half.
While less than 20 Cyber-Steins were awarded throughout the Shonen Jump tournaments, Upper Deck special released extra copies in 2009 in celebration of Upper Deck Day. The total number of Cyber-Steins believed to be in existence sits around 150, but only 22 copies have earned this PSA Gem Mint 10 designation.
