Pokémon once again owned the top end of the trading card market, this time with a weekly sales total that reached $10,650,600 across the five biggest TCG transactions. The headline result was a 2015 Pokémon Japanese XY Art Academy Daisuke Ochiai Mudkip #XY-P in PSA 10, which sold for $4,880,000.
That single Mudkip represented nearly 46 percent of the combined top-five total, but it was not the only major story. Three different cards from the 2015 Pokémon Art Academy promotion landed inside the top five and together generated more than $6.8 million. The group included Mudkip plus PSA 10 copies of Sableye and Gourgeist, two characters that rarely sit at the center of seven-figure hobby headlines.
All five of the week’s biggest TCG sales were recorded through Goldin on October 25. The results underscored a familiar pattern in the modern high-end Pokémon market: the most expensive cards are often driven by rarity, distribution method, and historical significance rather than by broad character popularity alone.
Mudkip leads the week with a $4.88 million sale
The top sale belonged to the 2015 Pokémon Japanese XY Art Academy Daisuke Ochiai Mudkip #XY-P PSA 10 at $4,880,000. It was the clear No. 1 result of the week and finished roughly $1.8 million ahead of the second-place card.
For more collector background, read Pokémon Happy Meals Return to McDonald’s in Canada with TCG Cards and 15 Toys.
What makes the result even more notable is the recent sales history for the same card. Just one month earlier, another PSA 10 example sold for $3.72 million. The latest transaction came in $1.16 million higher, which amounts to about a 31 percent increase in only 30 days.
The speed of that rise highlights how aggressively elite collectors are pursuing true trophy-level Pokémon material. In this case, the card combines several of the hobby’s strongest value drivers at once: extreme scarcity, unusual origin, artist attribution, and a design that feels completely different from a standard pack-issued release.
Population data adds to the appeal. Only three PSA 10 examples of the Mudkip are reported, giving collectors very little room to compete at the top grade. When supply is that limited, even a character that would not normally rank among Pokémon’s biggest commercial stars can become one of the most expensive cards in the hobby.
For another perspective on this story, read A $4.88M Mudkip Leads Pokémon’s $10.65M Week, Because Card Markets Have No Chill.
Art Academy cards were the biggest theme of the week
The Art Academy promotion stood out as the defining storyline of these sales. Three of the five biggest transactions came from the 2015 Pokémon Art Academy competition, and those three cards alone totaled $6,832,000.
The project has long held a special place among advanced Pokémon collectors because it was built around original artwork created during a themed contest. Winning illustrations were turned into promotional cards, producing a group of releases that feel distinct from ordinary set cards, standard promos, and even many trophy cards.
That difference matters. In a market flooded with recognizable characters across countless expansions and promo runs, Art Academy cards offer something far more specialized. They carry competitive and creative significance at the same time, and the artwork often looks unlike traditional Pokémon card design. For elite collectors, that combination creates a level of desirability that can outweigh the usual focus on franchise mascots.
The week’s sales made that dynamic very clear. Mudkip led the way, but Sableye and Gourgeist were not far behind the million-dollar mark. Those are not typically the Pokémon that define mainstream demand, yet in this context they became centerpieces of the market because the release itself is so difficult to obtain and so culturally important within the hobby.
The top five Pokémon TCG sales of the week
2015 Pokémon Japanese XY Art Academy Daisuke Ochiai Mudkip #XY-P PSA 10
Sale price: $4,880,0001997 Pokémon Japanese Gold 1st Place Trophy Pikachu #1 PSA 8
Sale price: $3,080,5002015 Pokémon Japanese XY Art Academy Rina Gourgeist #XY-P PSA 10
Sale price: $976,0002015 Pokémon Japanese XY Art Academy Iwaiya Sableye #XY-P PSA 10
Sale price: $976,0002007 Pokémon POP Series 5 Gold Star Umbreon #17 PSA 10
Sale price: $738,100
These five cards combined for $10,650,600, nearly doubling the prior week’s top-five total of $5.35 million.
Trophy Pikachu shows that grade is not everything
Second place went to a 1997 Pokémon Japanese Gold 1st Place Trophy Pikachu #1 graded PSA 8, which sold for $3,080,500. While the card did not reach Mudkip’s level, it still delivered one of the most significant results of the week and reinforced the strength of historically important Pokémon trophies.
Unlike traditional set cards, this Pikachu was not pulled from packs. It traces back to Pokémon’s early tournament era in Japan and was awarded for competitive achievement. That distinction gives it a very different kind of appeal. Trophy cards often sit at the intersection of organized play history, limited distribution, and iconic franchise imagery, making them some of the most respected pieces in the category.
The grade is part of what makes this sale especially interesting. It was the only card in the weekly top five that was not graded PSA 10. Even so, it still cleared $3 million, which says a great deal about how the market values genuine historical importance. For landmark trophy issues, condition still matters, but rarity and status can outweigh the premium attached to a perfect label.
In practical terms, the result is a reminder that collectors at the highest level are often buying stories and significance as much as they are buying cardboard. The Trophy Pikachu remains one of the clearest examples of that principle in the Pokémon market.
Gourgeist and Sableye nearly reached seven figures
Third and fourth place were tied in price at $976,000 each, with both sales coming from the Art Academy group.
The 2015 Pokémon Japanese XY Art Academy Rina Gourgeist #XY-P PSA 10 took the No. 3 slot at $976,000. Right behind it was the 2015 Pokémon Japanese XY Art Academy Iwaiya Sableye #XY-P PSA 10, also at $976,000. Matching results at that level are rare enough on their own, but seeing them attached to Gourgeist and Sableye makes the week stand out even more.
These cards are strong examples of how elite Pokémon sales can behave differently from the broader collector market. In mainstream product demand, characters like Pikachu, Charizard, Umbreon, or Mewtwo often dominate the conversation. At the top of the auction ladder, though, scarcity and release context can elevate cards that would otherwise never approach the same price territory.
Both of these Art Academy cards benefit from the same underlying drivers as the Mudkip: promotional status, contest origins, unconventional artwork, and exceptionally tight supply in top grade. Their results also suggest that demand for premier Art Academy pieces is not confined to a single card but extends across the category.
Gold Star Umbreon continues to command major money
Rounding out the top five was a 2007 Pokémon POP Series 5 Gold Star Umbreon #17 in PSA 10, which sold for $738,100. That figure would be a headline sale in almost any other week, yet it finished fifth here because the upper tier was so loaded with trophy and Art Academy material.
Umbreon remains one of the most sought-after Pokémon among serious collectors, and Gold Star issues have long held special weight in the market. The combination of a beloved species, a highly respected chase designation, and a top-grade example helped this card post another substantial result.
Its release background also separates it from standard pack-issued cards. POP Series cards were distributed through Pokémon Organized Play promotional packs rather than through a conventional booster product. That alternative distribution model adds another layer of appeal for collectors who focus on harder-to-source releases and historically important promo-era cards.
Even in a week dominated by multimillion-dollar outliers, the Umbreon sale showed that classic Gold Star cards remain firmly in demand. There is still a deep and active market for blue-chip character cards, especially when they appear in PSA 10 and come from a release that already carries strong hobby prestige.
Why these results matter for the Pokémon market
The biggest lesson from this group of sales is that the Pokémon market continues to reward truly elite rarity at a level that few other trading card categories can match. More than $10.65 million changed hands among just five cards, and the spread of those sales covered multiple collecting lanes: trophy cards, artist-driven promotional cards, and a marquee Gold Star.
The results also showed that high-end Pokémon demand is broadening in a very specific way. It is no longer just about the most famous characters from the franchise. Cards tied to unique events, competitions, or distribution methods are increasingly capable of leading the market, even when they feature Pokémon that rarely headline mainstream discussions.
That shift is important for collectors watching long-term trends. It suggests the upper end of Pokémon is behaving more like a mature rare-asset market, where context, provenance, scarcity, and hobby narrative can matter just as much as character recognition. Art Academy cards fit that model almost perfectly, which helps explain why they performed so powerfully here.
For anyone tracking trophy and promo categories, this week’s numbers provide another strong reference point. The Art Academy subset produced the most dramatic results, Trophy Pikachu proved historic pieces can overcome less-than-perfect grades, and Gold Star Umbreon reminded the market that premium character cards still have room to post major prices in crowded headline weeks.
Full sales checklist
- Total of top five TCG sales: $10,650,600
- Sales venue for all five cards: Goldin
- Sale date listed for all five: October 25
- Cards from 2015 Pokémon Art Academy in top five: 3
- Total generated by Art Academy cards: $6,832,000
- Highest sale: 2015 Pokémon Japanese XY Art Academy Daisuke Ochiai Mudkip #XY-P PSA 10 at $4,880,000
- Second-highest sale: 1997 Pokémon Japanese Gold 1st Place Trophy Pikachu #1 PSA 8 at $3,080,500
- Only non-PSA 10 card in the top five: Trophy Pikachu PSA 8
- Fifth-place sale: 2007 Pokémon POP Series 5 Gold Star Umbreon #17 PSA 10 at $738,100
- Recent prior sale noted for Mudkip: $3.72 million for another PSA 10 example one month earlier
- Difference between the two Mudkip sales: $1.16 million
- Approximate increase for Mudkip in 30 days: 31%
With the Mudkip reaching $4.88 million and three Art Academy cards accounting for well over half of the week’s top-end volume, the latest Pokémon sales cycle reinforced just how powerful rare promotional and trophy material has become at the highest levels of the hobby.
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