[Update 18 Oct 2024] This card’s price has recently plummeted; today, a Pikachu V (25th Anniversary Golden Box [S8a-G] 001/015) card sells for 26,000 JPY (~US$173)—only slightly more than half of what it went for just half a year ago. This is surprising for two reasons: firstly, most promotional cards, especially those which have a gimmick such as this one, tend to retain their value over time. Secondly, this card has not been reprinted recently; these factors make this card’s price drop an outlier.

When the Pokémon TCG honored its 25th anniversary in 2021, Creatures Inc. released a Double Rare (RR) Pikachu V card as part of the 28-card special release 25th Anniversary Collection [S8a].

They then proceeded to top themselves with the subsequent launch of the 25th Anniversary Golden Box [S8a-G], an all-holofoil deck featuring various gold-colored accessories and two Full Art cards covered in gold-colored holofoil—including this one.

About Pikachu V

As one of just two gold-holofoil Full Art cards to have ever been released, this Pikachu V card was always going to draw significant attention. This is especially so because the other such card was a Poké Ball—it’s exceptionally rare that item cards end up becoming highly sought-after.

Additionally, after something of a lull, this card’s value has once again been rising rapidly—likely due to a renewed understanding that nothing like this will ever again be printed.

To give the card an official-looking touch, there’s a 25th anniversary logo positioned towards its right edge. Though 5ban Graphics’ illustration may be largely devoid of color, that actually adds to the card’s prestige and value.

When positioned against the gold holofoil, the Pikachu illustration gains a somewhat metallic-looking tint. Not only that—this same monochromatic illustration makes the unique holofoil color stand out even more.

Release Details

This card’s English version is card SWSH145 from the SWSH Black Star Promos. Other languages in which this Pikachu V card was printed include Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Indonesian—the other languages in which the 25th Anniversary Golden Box [S8a-G] was sold.

A purchase of a Pikachu V (25th Anniversary Golden Box [S8a-G] 001/015) card will cost ¥46,000 (~US$306).

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