DALLAS, TX.- An exceedingly rare Pokémon card that only was available to players in a tournament held in Japan more than a quarter of a century ago will be up for grabs April 21-22 in Trading Card Games Signature ® Auction.

The Pokémon Trophy Pikachu No. 3 Trainer Bronze PSA Trading Card Game NM-MT 8 (Media Factory, 1997) 1st Tournament, Holo is one of just four PSA-certified copies to earn a NM-MT 8 grade, with none graded higher.

"This is one of the desirable cards in the Pokémon TCG, easily a centerpiece item in any collection," says Jesus Garcia, Heritage's Trading Card Games Consignment Director. "It doesn't matter how many booster boxes someone had — this card wasn't in any of them. The only way to get the card was to be a trainer at the First Official Pocket Monsters Tournament in Chiba, Japan, in 1997.

"The card was awarded to the third-place winners, with each of them receiving these ultra-rare cards, and preferred entry into the Lizardon Mega Battle Tournament, which was just the second Pokémon TCG tournament and is considered by many to be the first official Pokémon TCG National Championships. This card is an enormously important part of Pokémon history."

The artwork was done by one of the most famous Pokémon artists, Mitsuhiro Arita, who also was responsible for the artwork on the cards awarded to those who finished first and second in each of the contests.

Also among the highlights is a Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1999). Sealed boxes like this one, from the first set released in 1999, are increasingly rare, as more and more boxes are being opened. This set includes characters like Blastoise, Venusaur, Mewtwo and the elusive Charizard.

A Pokémon VS 2001 Tropical Mega Battle Complete Deck CGC Trading Card Game Graded (The Pokémon Company, 2001) is being offered for the first time at public auction. Individual cards from these VS TMB decks are elusive, but complete sets are even more rare. The VS set of cards was released by Media Factory in Japan only. The set was not re-printed by Wizards of the Coast, so this English deck was printed in Japan. These decks were awarded to the 23 children participating in the 2001 TMB. The offered copy is in English, eight of which were given out during the 2001 events. CGC has graded all 30 cards between NM/Mint+ 8.5 to Gem Mint 9.5 grades. Of note: Clair's Mantine card had an error on the resistance, which later was fixed for the 2002 version — when this was discovered, all of the matches that had already taken place had to be re-played.

Pokémon Charizard 4 First Edition Base Set PSA Trading Card Game GEM MT 10 (The Pokémon Company, 1999) Rare, Holo is arguably the hottest card in the entire hobby, and the offered example is graded a GEM MT 10. Charizard was featured on the cover of Pocket Monsters: Red, one of two versions of the first released Pokémon games in Japan. Since then, his popularity has grown as he is widely considered the fan favorite, even topping the franchise mascot: Pikachu.

Dragon Ball Z

The auction includes 10 lots from the Dragon Ball games, including a Dragon Ball Z GKI Foil Uncut Sheet (Score Entertainment, 2003), which includes the highly sought-after Ultimate Champion prize card. Several cards on the 121-card sheet, which is coated with an exclusive GKI foil pattern, were printed for the 2003 Score Dragon Ball Z World Championship Tournament and the Grand Kai Invitational. The sheet features Let the Games Begin! (World Championships Participation), Champion Punch (Top 64 Prize card — there are an estimated 100 copies in circulation) and the Dragon Ball Z TCG crown jewel: Ultimate Champion, awarded to the tournament winner. An estimated five Ultimate Champion cards, including the example in this sheet, are in circulation. A Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Champion SZ9 World Championships First-Place Winner BGS Trading Card Game NEAR MINT+ 7.5 (Scoring Zone, 2003) is one of an estimated five known examples, and the only example graded by BGS. The card was awarded to the first-place winner of the 2003 World Championships.

Magic: The Gathering

A Black Lotus Limited Edition (Beta) CGC Trading Card Game Excellent+ 5.5 (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) Rare is one of more than 100 MTG lots in the auction. The Black Lotus is the most desirable card in Magic: The Gathering, and arguably the most desirable across all trading card games. This card is from the Beta Edition, the second printing for the original set, which had a print run of 3,000 for rare cards, including the Black Lotus. This example is one of just four copies to earn an Excellent+ 5.5 grade from CGC, with only 26 graded higher.

A Magic: The Gathering Limited Edition (Beta) Sealed Starter Deck (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) is from the game's second set — Beta Edition — that was released just two months after the Alpha Edition was released. It can be verified as a part of the Beta Edition by a barcode on the bottom, and through the fact that the box does not say "Unlimited Edition" on the front. Among the cards that might be included: Black Lotus, Timetwister, Mox and/or any of the other Power Nine cards.

Other top lots in the auction include, but are not limited to:

• A Pokémon Japanese Base Set Sealed Booster Box (Media Factory, 1996)

• A Yu-Gi-Oh! First Edition Legend of Blue Eyes Set Sealed Booster Box (Konami, 2002) Glossy

• A Magic: The Gathering Phoenix Heart RG2015 CGC Trading Card Game NM/Mint 8 (Wizards of the Coast, 2014) Richard Garfield Promos

• A Dragon Ball Super SSB Vegito, Energy Eruption BT7-25 1st Place National Championship Finals PSA Trading Card Game GEM MT 10 (Bandai, 2019)

• A Pokémon Lugia Gold, Silver, to a New World PSA/DNA Trading Card Game MINT 9 (The Pokémon Company, 2000) Signed and Sketched by Hironobu Yoshida, Holo

• A Pokémon Unlimited Neo Destiny Set Sealed Booster Box (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)