3 Stunning 25-Year-Old Pokémon Promo Cards Fetch Nearly $1.2 Million at Auction

There isn’t a scarcity of gorgeous high-end graded Pokémon TCG playing cards setting information weekly on the secondary market. Typically, although, a group of playing cards comes alongside that deserves particular plaudits as a result of historic significance, large shortage, or sheer aesthetic magnificence. The English Southern Islands Promos from 2001 definitely match that invoice.

Southern Islands was an uncommon launch from the start. The gathering first appeared in Japan in 1999 alongside the second Pokémon film, with its 18 playing cards divided between themed Tropical Island and Rainbow Island portfolios. Smaller three-card units had been additionally launched, every specializing in a specific space of one of many two islands and forming a bigger panoramic scene when positioned collectively.

That interconnected art work is a big a part of Southern Islands’ enduring attraction. Prolific Pokémon TCG illustrator Naoyo Kimura illustrated the Tropical Island scenes, whereas Keiko Fukuyama dealt with Rainbow Island, with every particular person card basically serving as one piece of a a lot bigger image.

When Wizards of the Coast launched the gathering in English in 2001, all 18 playing cards had been packaged collectively in a adorned folder alongside postcards and three booster packs, whereas preserving the unique, extremely distinctive island artwork fashion that made the Japanese launch so distinctive. The holos are additionally notably hanging, with shimmering swirls and glowing patterns dotting almost your entire card relatively than remaining confined to the art work field, giving these already distinctive illustrations much more visible impression.

However what of the current report gross sales of a few of the playing cards from the Southern Islands set? Let’s check out three graded Southern Islands grails that hit almost $1.2 million combined at auction lately.

PSA 10 Southern Islands Holo Mew #1 – $840,000

Showcasing its sheer collectability and widespread fan devotion, the Southern Islands Holo Mew’s supremacy as essentially the most priceless card from this set is underscored through its sky-high $840,000 price ticket for this PSA 10 slab.

Whereas Naoyo Kimura has the far longer and extra prolific PTCG illustrator profession, Keiko Fukuyama’s work on the Southern Islands playing cards is arguably extra memorable, because the deeply saturated colours and nearly chibi-like artwork fashion (simply have a look at Pidgeot’s softened options and darkish eyeliner). That fashion definitely fits this eminently fascinating Mew grail, which additionally options the always-popular Charizard within the bottom-left nook of the cardboard’s artwork.

With only 20 PSA 10 copies of Southern Islands Holo Mew in existence worldwide, seeing this card hit six digits appears about par for the course – particularly in 2026, when all the things from classic grails to the most valuable cards from Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration has attracted severe collector consideration.

Picture: The Pokémon Firm

Whereas a far cry from $840,000, $168,000 for a Holo Togepi remains to be deeply spectacular. It as soon as once more options the distinctive art work of Keiko Fukuyama, who illustrated solely 20 playing cards throughout her Pokémon TCG profession. Rainbow Island accounted for a number of of them, whereas Fukuyama additionally contributed numerous beautiful e-Reader-era playing cards from deeply fascinating units like Expedition, Aquapolis, and Skyridge.

Positive, this Togepi slab doesn’t fairly attain the heights of the second-most valuable Pokémon card of all time, which offered for $8.4 million lately, however $168k for this sometimes-overlooked Child Pokémon remains to be relatively spectacular.

Picture: The Pokémon Firm

Earlier than ravenous Poké-fans knew this ‘mon’s identify, it was billed unofficially as “Pikablu” as a result of its obvious resemblance to everybody’s favourite Electrical Mouse Pokémon. After all, the collected “electrical rodent” group of ‘mon is now a codified a part of the Pokémon franchise, in addition to an anticipated ingredient of any new Pokémon online game.

This staggering PSA 10 Marill slab retains the attractive “Reverse Cosmos Holo” foiling that typifies the Southern Islands Holos, and that is additionally the one card on this group that’s illustrated by Naoyo Kimura, whose iconic illustration for Aquapolis Lugia helped buoy the card to a record $360,000 result on this similar public sale.

An Eminently Collectible Island Paradise

Southern Islands has all the time occupied a very uncommon nook of the Pokémon TCG. It lacks the booster-pack nostalgia of Base Set or Neo-era expansions, as an alternative constructing its identification round a tiny, predetermined assortment, interconnected artworks, and a presentation not like just about the rest Wizards of the Coast launched throughout its time with the sport. Greater than twenty years later, these qualities have aged remarkably effectively.

Mew’s extraordinary $840,000 consequence will understandably seize many of the consideration, however Togepi and Marill fetching $168,000 apiece would possibly say much more about simply how fascinating Southern Islands has turn out to be. When stunning artwork, an intriguing backstory, and deep-pocketed collectors mix, that’s how three considerably obscure 25-year-old Pokémon playing cards can hit almost $1.2 million at public sale.