This is super cool! I had to do a quick refresh on the details of the Ivy Pikachu Error. Given this info it seems pretty possible that the Ivy Pikachu “Error” Promo was included in packs as a chase/secret rare. On bulbapedia it says (posted below) that the believed pull rates for the “error” card is 1 out of every 10 Jungle booster boxes… I mean, that would be a pretty good standard pull rate for a secret rare back in the day maybe?
Seems possible the origin of these cards is (like you said @styluspt ,) English Jungle booster boxes distributed in Japan with this 1/10 pull rate for the rare “Capture the rare Pikachu card! Look on inside Wrapper.”
Look on inside the wrapper seems like a weird translation and proof that it would be intentionally inserted into the booster packs. If this wasn’t a known promo in the US then makes sense for the boxes that were eventually discovered to include the error Ivy Pikachu to have come from Japan.
Could someone clarify what today is considered the “error” with this card for me?
Also from bulbapedia: a small number of English version cards with 1st edition symbol were accidentally released alongside 1st edition release of Jungle booster packs? Why would a 1st edition stamp be an “error” if its a first edition set release? Are promos not suppose to have 1st edition stamps?
Or is it the lack of jungle stamp/inclusion of wizard promo stamp that is considered the “error”
Some supplements for others:
bulbapedia: The card was first released in English through the first Pokémon card leagues in July 1999. The version of the card released in English is commonly known as Ivy Pikachu, referring to the background design of the illustration. A small number of the English version of this card with a 1st Edition symbol were accidentally released along with the 1st Edition release of Jungle booster packs. This accident caused this card to be the only promotional card of any sort to have a 1st Edition release.
Wizards Promo errors:
Pikachu: Due to a mistake by Wizards, a few Ivy Pikachu promo cards were printed with a 1st edition stamp. This is the rarest unique card in the 1st edition series; it is said to be found in only 1 of 10 Jungle booster boxes.
flipside gaming 2017: The Ivy Pikachu Error was mistakenly included in a very small number of 1st edition Jungle booster packs. The total number of these error cards are unknown, but they are universally acknowledged to be the rarest, and most expensive, cards in the Jungle expansion. Interestingly, the Promo set symbol, and not the Jungle set symbol, appears on this card. As with the no symbol Jungle holo error cards, this has been a source of confusion for new collectors. The bottom line is that if your Ivy Pikachu has a first edition symbol, someone pulled it from a 1st edition Jungle booster pack.
YouTube: pulled from a 1st edition jungle pack @ 7:42 - YouTube