This Week in Collecting: Raincoat Pikachu Card Sells for $8.4 Million

The short version: A PSA 10 copy of the 2015 Japanese "Raincoat Pikachu" promo, officially the Art Academy Fujishima Pikachu #XY-P, sold for $8.4 million on Fanatics Collect when its weekly auction closed on the night of September 27, 2026. That makes it the second-most expensive Pokémon card ever sold. A PSA 10 copy of the same card sold for $19,200 in 2025.

The biggest Pokémon sale of the fall came from a contest prize card that most collectors had never heard of a year ago. Here's what sold, how it stacks up and what it means if you buy, sell or grade Pokémon cards.

What happened

The card closed in Fanatics Collect's 245th Weekly Sunday Auction after 64 bids. According to the Fanatics Collect lot page, the $8.4 million final price includes the buyer's premium. Dexerto reported that premium as 20%. The lot was a late addition to the sale, flash inserted on September 16.

The card shows Pikachu in a red raincoat holding an umbrella, drawn by an artist credited as Y. Fujishima. It came out of a 2015 drawing contest tied to Pokémon Art Academy on the Nintendo 3DS. The winning art was printed as a card, and only 100 copies were made. They went to the contest winner instead of store shelves, which is why the card almost never shows up for sale.

The copy that sold is graded PSA 10 Gem Mint. Kotaku reported a PSA 10 population of 57, which means more than half of the 100 printed copies are sitting in top-grade slabs. The buyer has not been named.

How it compares

Only one Pokémon card has sold for more. In February 2026, Logan Paul's PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator sold through Goldin for $16,492,000 including buyer's premium, according to Sports Illustrated. That sale made it the most expensive trading card of any kind.

The jump in price is the part that has collectors talking. Here's the reported sales trail for PSA 10 copies of this card:

• July 2024: $12,600, per Dexerto
• June 2025: $19,200, per Dexerto and GamesRadar+
• June 2026: $156,250 at Heritage Auctions, per Kotaku
• August 2026: $79,999.99, per Kotaku
• September 2026: $8.4 million at Fanatics Collect

That's roughly 437 times the June 2025 price and about 54 times the June 2026 price.

The bigger trend

High-end Pokémon has been on a run all year, and this was not the only big result that weekend. In its weekly roundup, Collectibles On SI counted four Pokémon cards from the same Fanatics weekly auction among the top five TCG sales of the week, including a PSA 10 2002 Legendary Collection Reverse Holo Pikachu at $780,000. The top five combined for $10,534,650, and the Raincoat Pikachu was almost 80% of that total.

The grading numbers point the same way. Athlon Sports reported that PSA graded a record 2.5 million cards in June 2026, up 74% from a year earlier. About 71% of that volume, roughly 1.78 million cards, was trading card games rather than sports. PSA's low-cost Value tier has been paused since June 2 while it works down its backlog.

Put together, PSA is grading more cards than ever, Pokémon is driving that growth, and the very top of the market keeps finding buyers. Cards with a small print run, a story and a high grade are where the biggest money is landing.

What it means for collectors and resellers

One $8.4 million sale sets a price for one PSA 10 copy of one rare card on one night. It shows what at least two bidders were willing to pay, and little else about the wider Pikachu market. A few practical takeaways:

• Check sold prices, not asking prices. After a headline sale, listings for "Raincoat Pikachu" and lookalike cards tend to appear with wishful prices. Look at completed sales for the exact card, language and grade. Moe can identify a card from a photo and show recent market value, which is a fast first check before you list or buy.
• Know exactly what you have. The Art Academy promo is a Japanese contest card with the #XY-P promo number. Regular Pikachu cards from 2015 sets, or other Art Academy entries, are different cards with very different values.
• Grade matters more than ever. The 2025 sale at $19,200 and this sale were both PSA 10s. At the top end, the gap between a 9 and a 10 can be huge, so think about condition before you pay for grading.
• Watch for fakes. Big headlines bring counterfeits. Verify the PSA cert number on the PSA site before you trust any slabbed card.

If you do sell a card that's getting attention, putting it in front of more buyers helps. Moe lets you cross-list to multiple marketplaces and handle buyer messages in one place.

What to watch next

• The next PSA 10 sale. With 57 PSA 10 copies reported, another one could come to market. That result will show whether $8.4 million was a new level or a one-night fight between two bidders.
• Other contest and prize cards. Low-print promos given as prizes, like the Pikachu Illustrator, have now produced the two biggest Pokémon sales ever. Expect more of them to surface at auction.
• PSA's Value tier. In July, Athlon reported the tier was projected to reopen around October 2026, once the backlog falls. A reopening could send another wave of Pokémon submissions to PSA.

Frequently asked questions

How much did the Raincoat Pikachu card sell for?

A PSA 10 copy sold for $8.4 million, including buyer's premium, on Fanatics Collect. The weekly auction closed on the night of September 27, 2026, and the card drew 64 bids.

What is the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold?

Logan Paul's PSA 10 Pikachu Illustrator, which sold through Goldin for $16,492,000 in February 2026. The Raincoat Pikachu is now second.

Why is the Raincoat Pikachu card so rare?

It was created for a 2015 Pokémon Art Academy drawing contest, and only 100 copies were printed. They were given to the contest winner and never sold in stores.

How many PSA 10 Raincoat Pikachu cards are there?

Kotaku reported a PSA 10 population of 57. Population reports change as more cards are graded, so check PSA's population report for the current number.

Are my Pikachu cards worth more now?

Probably not because of this sale. It applies to one specific card in one grade. Look up recent sold prices for your exact card, set and condition to see what it's worth today.