You have an interesting point that the valuation is based on how much people like the story. I have trouble seeing why the story is so enthralling. The provenance stuff and the marketing posts from CGC for similar things just seem like an artificially created market.
To me, the story comes down to that a couple employees saved some printing offal from a long time ago and are selling it during a market boom
Why pay a premium for something created by random employees while they were just messing around?
(Meme incoming)
It’s like a line cook from the first McDonald’s store preserved a burger that had extra pickles on it and goes around asking for 100k for it
The story streches back to the early 2000s where wotc employees like Dark Trainer Mike would show copies to kids playing the TCG to establish this mystique about it. Whether it was an artificial hype generation or just wotc employees innocently messing around, that’s where it got its start. On early forums it established a reputation as the “rarest pokemon card” and the 10k sale mentioned earlier in the thread was part of that era. To me, its basically the same as if somehow you could slab and sell the “mew under the truck” story today.
Since then it’s carried the legacy and while its not really brought up often anymore a lot of the old heads still carry the fascination.
I maintain my view posted in that thread; that we over-complicate what ‘authenticity’ means when it comes to Pokemon Cards.
To me, authenticity simply hinges on whether there was official intention by the IP holder to create a card. Specifically, intention to create it exactly as it appears in its final format.
If at the point of creation TPCi officially intended to manufacture a card, then it is ”authentic”. Regardless of what happens to that card in terms of release, distribution, theft, redacted official release, if that intention was there, then it is authentic.
In respect to Prerelease Raichu, there is no confirmation that there was official intention by WOTC / TPCi to create that card in its final format. For me, that’s end-of-story. The underlying Raichu may well be authentic, but that is an authentic Base Set Raichu, not an authentic “Prerelease Base Set Raichu”.
There is no evidence that there was ever intended to be a Prereleased Raichu card. Rogue employees who ‘intended’ to create one in a manner separate to the official production line do not represent a final ruling of Pokemon’s senior creative Directorship.
If you were around in the PokeGym days, you’d understand just how widely this card was discussed and pursued. It was larger-than-life: rumors, speculations, occasional anecdotal sightings, etc. It was also the most expensive Pokemon card sale for years.
I would compare it to the hype and rumors around finding Mew in the Pokemon Gameboy Game. Before Mew was officially distributed by Toys or Us, there were all sorts of rumors about where to catch Mew (Truck by SS Anne). Both became defining moments in their respective branches of Pokemon lore.
I think this is probably how I see it too but it’s quite an odd thing when you think about it.
Hypothetically - If for the WOTC Christmas party a base set holo sheet was made with “Christmas” stamped on them. Would those be authentic cards? They’d be novelties/trinkets/fun things to look at and own and they certainly add to the background “lore” of the TCG. I imagine they’d even sell for a load of cash. But at the end of the day they were only items for the staff to own and weren’t for public consumption.
I have sort of accepted that my collection of Raichu cards is “publicly available” cards but I have 1st-4th place stamped promos. You have to do something to earn those. Maybe I’m inconsistent.
The authentic nature of the “card” part is if it was printed around that time by WOTC or TPC, regardless if it was intentional.
But at the end of the day, this is a collectible - which could mean anything that someone assigns value too.
Personally i NOW think the fake Akabane test prints are very collectible because of the story behind them (especially if they have his signature, LOL).
If anyone has one for sale, I would actually be interested in buying (after you get your CGC payout of course).
I like the line in the sand you drew. Cards meant for official release, prize, etc = yes. Cards made by mistake and only employees got them after taking them home = no.
I agree. I draw the same line with my own collection:
Officially released are must-haves. For Pikachu, this is still almost impossible with cards like the SNAP and twelve Art Academy cards, but they’re still official releases.
Unofficial releases are nice-to-haves. This includes:
Sample/prototype cards (e.g. the E3 Sample set; the For Position Only cards; etc.);
Cards given in private (e.g. Ishihara GX; Ishihara & Pikachu GX; Doug Ferguson GX; J Balvin V, Post Malone V, and Katy Perry V trio; etc.)
The Prerelease Raichu was never intended to be released, and the few copies we have are leaks from (ex-)WotC employees, so imo those defintely fall into the unofficial release category.
Also agreeing with this. I’m not chasing down that guy that bought the sample card auction a decade ago, even if the sample Eevee art has never been released
I get that, I’m mostly theorizing that the story can also be looked at in the way I framed it, which is much less romantic than the alternatives. I personally can’t get past the idea that buying this card is essentially rewarding random people for having worked at a company at a specific point in time.
He took 2 quick photos several years ago. after a quick comparison, he told me that the card that has been graded is the same card that he saw several years ago …
He also told me this (I have his permission to post this here):
I suppose this does provide extra provenance for it! That said, my memory of who showed it to me is vague, I dont think it was Mike Boozer
But it was a Wizards employee. It was on the last day (maybe even the very last hour) of GenCon Indy 2003 when it was Wizards’ last official event with the Pokémon license, and Wizards employees were running around to give last minute gifts for us loyal fans. One guy had a stack (A STACK) of 1st Edition Base Set holos to hand out, I had my eye on another 1st Edition Hitmonchan and lucked out. I think it was that same employee who then mentioned that they had the Prerelease Raichu and if we wanted to see it… I said ABSOLUTELY and he pulled it out. I wanted to take a picture but he employee didn’t want to keep it out of their possession for too long, and I only managed to get those two quick snaps with my camera before he had to grab it again.
And honestly, it could’ve been Mike’s copy that he let that employee borrow to share with us.
But it was the ultimate hype to see it in person because before that it was always hinted at but never officially revealed. I dont think this was the first photos of it online, but definitely one of the earliest.
Ok since Prerelease has been settled. Onto 1st edition Jigglypuff error. Does it exist in card form? Pikachu certainly does, but I haven’t seen Jigglypuff.
Those both have thin HP text, I don’t think the actual 1st Ivy Pikachu does in packs. I’m yet to see any copies that actually look like those pictured.
Proof is basically impossible. This card was great as a legend in the past. As a commodity it sucks. All these sorts of things have proven more than anything, that grading companies are a blight and enable criminals.
Basically what fourthstar said, but more with more spice is my thoughts.
