The demand has gone up!
Ahem. Prior sale was on YJ! for 1m yen which I think is something like $10k last month. I don’t have a link but i’m almost certain this was the case.
It’s worth $50/100k because Pokemon Illustrator. Don’t ask me why. 
And @smpratte If you sold that illustrator for $50k, how much is ebay/paypal fees? Do they have a max that they can charge you? Since ebay updated their terms and conditions, it gets really confusing.
The 9-12k price you are seeing is via YJ! Essentially, only japan, not the rest of the world.
This card is something that can easily earn much more with patience.
However, JP-Jun listing another copy is the opposite of patience. If he would wait for my copy to sell, confirm the sale, get more attention that a copy sold for x amount, then he could easily ride the coat tails and get a nice price.
The card sold ungraded in live auction on ebay for $22,000-$23,000. The price was 22k and change. It was sold through Collectors Cache. The card went to a man named Stephan (might not be correct spelling) in Florida. He sniped it towards the end, while also picking up the pika trophy set for 22k as well.
What year was that??
I remember Collectors Cache selling the TMB, SSB and Pika No. 1 but don’t recall them selling a set?? I really regret not buying at the time because they offered me a great price on them. 
Has yours sold for $50k yet Scott??? It will be great for Pokemon as a whole if your sale goes through. 
I am not sure what year it was. I spoke with one of the owners of collectors cache a few months ago. We got to talking about the market and how it is similar to the late 90’s early 2000’s (knock on wood). Anyway, he told me the story about how they sold the pika set and the illustrator.
Wil’s TMB, 97 pika, and other trophy cards you are referring to were sold more recently.
Do you think that the price will decline if more surface? Or is it so popular that it will stand the test of time. After all there are 60 honus Wagner cards and it commands a huge price tag…even in horrid condition.
Side note, does anyone know how these were truly distributed? I know of 5 graded and one in the hands of DB. That is six confirmed and 3 images (the one on yj included) of ones in Japan. The issue is that I can’t tell if they are the same card.
BTW a genuine question. Why is the Illustrator worth so much more in the Western market when this forum contains most of the top collectors in the Western world who were aware of the auction in Japan?
There are a handful, if that of the collectors/potential buyers on the forum. The forums do not represent the market, especially a high end items potential.
I think it will hold its value. What the Illustrator has working for it is that it still reaching out to the average person. The average person knows about Charizard. The average person thinks Charizard is the rarest card.
The average person knows about Honus Wagner, they know it is the rarest/most valuable card. That was the goal with putting my copy up. To spread that sometimes dangerous word “awareness” about the card.
The Illustrator was only known by serious collectors years ago, now it has expanded to a more general audience. This will ultimately increase the value as the market has increased.
Majority of the people who are looking to buy are not on YJ! That is why most of us who buy from YJ! are able to flip cards for a profit on ebay.
Essentially, eBay is the main Highway everyone takes, YJ! is a back trail that only serious collectors know about, and majority of us need a middle man just to use it.
Hmm ok. Well anyway keep us updated with your $50k sale. Very curious to see how much your final sale price is. 
I bought both of those! Thankfully I got quite a large discount (although I still paid quite a bit)
Well I paid a lot more than that, but no where near what he was asking on eBay. I figured if it’s for his charity and whatnot I may as well get it. That aspect of collectors screwing others over to make profits is frustrating though.
I would like to emphatically agree with this point.
I have no interest in screwing around with prices that high, but the Hoppip + Pichu set is something I am in significant desire for. I’m just hoping that when I do get around to making that part of my collection, I don’t get screwed as a result of that price point.
@theeucollector - If you paid anything more than $300 for that Oran Berry, you have no idea about the values of Jumbos, or you are just REALLY desperate. I know, it sounds harsh, but it’s true. You really shouldn’t have paid anymore for that Jumbo. It’s rare, but not $300+ rare! Even Troll and Toad got their hands on one last year!
And if you don’t mind me asking, what did you pay for both? Feel free to PM me if you want it private.
Also, just a heads up, if you purchase an item that doesn’t have the “donation” stamp on the listing, that money isn’t necessarily going to charity. Yeah, DPersin said he needed money to pay for his kid’s upkeep, but he clearly stated that he is considering starting a Pokemon charity. So whatever money you “gave him as charity” isn’t necessarily charitable money at all. Sorry if I seem mean or inconsiderate, but I just find it bad business practice to use pathos when selling items on ebay. Don’t get me wrong though, I have all the respect in the world for the man and his collection.
As for the Illustrator, I’m glad it got posted on ebay. FINALLY CLEAR PICTURES! Looks like a 9 to me, but a possible 10 
Did anyone message the seller asking for details on how the card was obtained?
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Yeah he outbid me for it! It was the auction a couple months ago… I however outbid him on the marshtomp and the multienergy
The Illustrator JP-jun is selling is one of the two I knew were still in Japan.
As I still know of one copy in the hands of the winner there seem 8 or 9 Illustrators confirmed depending on the one on YJ is JP-juns or not…
Wow nice info! Im looking forward to your article Jason! Be sure to finish it soon 