# Need help identifying the final signature **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [February 7, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/need-help-identifying-the-final-signature/19486 "2018-02-07T20:19:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quuador](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/quuador/32/237215_2.png) [@Quuador](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Quuador)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/need-help-identifying-the-final-signature/19486/1 "2018-02-07T20:19:33Z")
Some of you might remember the autographed Jumbo Pikachu I bought a while ago: ![](https://i.imgur.com/WgN5AbY.jpg) At the time I only knew about the two silver ones, and the Torii PCL one at the bottom somewhat. With the great help from some members here and on reddit, I now know four of the five signatures: ![](https://i.imgur.com/CUs58le.png) I don’t think he needs introduction, but just in case relatively new collectors read this: **Mitsuhiro Arita** is a famous Japanese Pokémon illustrator. He’s been an active illustrator for the Pokémon TCG since the beginning. The Base Pikachu is one of his illustrations, but the recent Mewtwo GX 78/73 Secret Rare from SM Shining Legends (Mewtwo in the laboratory tube) is also his illustration for example. He signs either with his English or Japanese signature, or in this case above both. (Mitsuhiro Arita autographed cards are probably one of the easiest to find, since he signs a lot of them at Pokémon events, although they are still very popular.) ![](https://i.imgur.com/98uaONv.png) Although I don’t know who Torri is, the PCL stands for **Pokémon Card Laboratory**. PCL employees are basically the creators of the Pokémon TCG in Japan, and they handle the R&D (Research & Development) of the Pokémon TCG. They are also in charge of designing new cards, and have authority on any matter related to the Pokémon TCG. I did hear Torii was showing some e-reader’s he created at one of the events, although I would like to know his full name if possible. Source: > [@](#): > > Although TPCI tries to keep Organized Play as equal as possible all over the Earth, there are some notable differences in how POP is run outside of the United States. The Pokémon Card Laboratory (PCL), located in Japan, is the designer of new cards and the ultimate authority on any matter relating to the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It can declare rulings on any in-game circumstance, issue errata, change card text after publishing, and change the basic game rules, although the latter three rarely occur. PCL runs Organized Play in Japan. The Pokémon Trading Card Game in most European countries is currently handled by The Pokémon Company International. Certain countries have no direct official presence; in these regions, distributors of the game run tournaments. European countries are able to qualify for positions at the Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships each year, through National Championships and European Rankings. > [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon\_Trading\_Card\_Game#Major\_tournaments](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Trading_Card_Game#Major_tournaments) EDIT: Full name is **Yukinori Torii**. He worked in many Pokémon related games, and searching for his name on Bulbapedia results in multiple search results: [bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&search=Yukinori+Torii&go=Go&searchToken=336ivklbci8wb9lf468dld4mx](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&search=Yukinori+Torii&go=Go&searchToken=336ivklbci8wb9lf468dld4mx) ![](https://i.imgur.com/9vUoYFq.png) Today I heard from someone on reddit that BDS is Richard Walkoski, a top level Pokémon TCG tournament organizer and judge, better known as **Big Daddy Snorlax**. Source: > [@](#): > > Big Daddy Snorlax (BDS for short) loves to run events … BIG EVENTS! As one of the founding members of Team Compendium, he has been involved with Pokémon TCG since January of 1999. Soon after he started playing the game he realized that there was a need for people to organize and Judge events. What started off as something to do with his two kids has turned into a lifestyle, taking him to every Pokémon TCG World Championship and most all the other major events … not as a player, but as a Judge. He is a Premier Tournament Organizer (PTO) in Oregon and also works as a member of the PUI Rules Team and is an Admin at PokeGym. > [compendium.pokegym.net/team/big-daddy-snorlax/](http://compendium.pokegym.net/team/big-daddy-snorlax/) ![](https://i.imgur.com/WDoOD4J.png) ![](https://i.imgur.com/z1oPRRq.png) MTM and DMTM are both the same person: Mike Boozer, better known as **Dark Master Trainer Mike**. He was a WotC representative and was present at Pokémon events in the early WotC days. He’s also pretty well-known for spreading the rumors and pictures of the Prerelease Raichu. Source: > [@](#): > > WotC representatives consistently denied the card’s existence. One such WotC representative was Mike Boozer, affectionately known to the players as Dark Master Trainer Mike. > Adding to the mystery, Mike would willingly show the card to some players late in the evening, after the main events had shut down and been packed up. But, he’d do this while verbally denying the existence of the card. Often simultaneously! Oh, he truly was “Dark”. 🕶 > Because of all this, the card was known by many to really exist, but with the lack of official confirmation and no copies to point to, an air of mystery and desirability grew over the card. Many top collectors had it on their “want list”, but they all knew it was futile. That no copies of the card had ever hit the market, either for sale or trade. > > But now, in honor of the PokeGym’s 7th Anniversary, Dark Master Trainer Mike has broken his silence and has agreed to reveal the existence of this card to the world! The PokeGym proudly presents the only known image of this exceedingly rare error card… Prerelease Raichu!! > [pokegym.net/community/index.php?threads/history-of-pokemon-part-2a-prerelease-raichu.32583/](http://pokegym.net/community/index.php?threads/history-of-pokemon-part-2a-prerelease-raichu.32583/) So, that leaves me with the final signature left to find out. The golden one near the tail of Pikachu: ![](https://i.imgur.com/w1IpzzG.png) If anyone could identify it I would greatly appreciate it. I’ll see if I can make a clearer picture later this week, since it might not be too clear right now. Thanks to all the people who helped me so far. 😊 Greetz, Quuador ---
**Author:** ![jkanly](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/jkanly/32/368_2.png) [@jkanly](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/jkanly)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/need-help-identifying-the-final-signature/19486/2 "2018-02-08T02:14:49Z")
The last one is from Steven Kam. He was the manager of the marketing dept for WOTC and attended lots of Pokemon events back in the day 😊 ---
**Author:** ![Quuador](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/quuador/32/237215_2.png) [@Quuador](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Quuador)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 7:46am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/need-help-identifying-the-final-signature/19486/3 "2018-02-08T07:46:15Z")
> [@jkanly](#): > > The last one is from Steven Kam. He was the manager of the marketing dept for WOTC and attended lots of Pokemon events back in the day 😊 Thanks! Out of curiosity, did you recognize his autograph from somewhere else, or read it from the autograph? Now that you’ve said it I can see Steve in the middle part of the signature, but I can’t really distinguish Kam myself tbh. Also, do you know where the DM (or OM) at the top stands for? Thanks for clearing the mystery of the final stamp, @jkanly! Appreciated. Greetz, Quuador ---
**Author:** ![japanime](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/japanime/32/290_2.png) [@japanime](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/japanime)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2018, 9:19am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/need-help-identifying-the-final-signature/19486/4 "2018-02-08T09:19:17Z")
> [@jkanly](#): > > The last one is from Steven Kam. He was the manager of the marketing dept for WOTC and attended lots of Pokemon events back in the day 😊 That feeling you get when you realize that the _other_ signature on your 1996 Derek Jeter-banmeno Rivera-Alfonso Soriano autographed baseball is that of the clubhouse janitor. 🤣