Rare Pokémon card up for auction

We were most put out when our school banned Pokémon cards - a promising black market trade had established itself, but despite protests that we were simply "practising economics", we were shut down.

We'd have tried all the harder to keep the markets going had we known the potentional value of some of those cards. One of the rarest ever printed has been listed on eBay with a stagering asking price of $100,000 (£63,740).

Seller Scott Prate of Illinois is looking to break all Pokémon trading card records with the sale of his Pokémon Illustrator trainer card - one of only six ever printed. Issued in 1997, the card was rewarded to winners of the Japanese Pokemon Card Game Illustration Contest.

Rather than bestowing the owner of the card with any significant gaming advantages, the card text simply reads: "We certify that your illustration is an excellent entry in the Pokémon Card Game Illustration Contest. Therefore, we state that you are an Officially Authorized Pokémon Card Illustrator and admire your skill."

Staggeringly, Prate owns two of the illustrator cards, both of which have received a nine out of ten grading from the Professional Sports Authenticator group - the highest ratings awarded to the six prints. An ungraded Illustrator card has previously made $23,000 at auction, and Prate is hoping to hold out for an offer of $50,000 before the bidding draws to a close on 12 September.

We've dug out some old shiny specials from the attic and are confident that Prate will settle for a trade.

(Via: CNET)

(Image: eBay)