DALLAS, TX.- Heritage Auctions again proved its dominance in the trading card games category when its December 16-17 event, its latest Trading Card Games Signature® Auction, resulted in two new auction records and $2,374,276.50 in sales. The 241-lot auction was a complete sell-out.

Two of the lots that led the auction were indeed the record breakers and the top lots overall: A 1996 original illustration for Magic: The Gathering Force of Will by legendary artist Terese Nielsen sold for $350,000, the highest auction price realized for a Magic: The Gathering original artwork. The fiery subject rendered on canvas brings to life one of the most iconic counterspells in Magic: The Gathering history. Most illustrations created prior to this one measured 5 by 7 inches — dimensions that pale in comparison to the stunning 11.5 by 14.5-inch piece by Nielson.

And the highest price ever realized at auction for a non-promo Japanese Pokémon card came compliments of this Pokémon Charizard 006 Japanese Base Set PSA Trading Card Game with a GEM MINT 10 grade. It sold for $300,000. It was a must-have treasure because of something it doesn’t have, which is the ‘rarity' symbol that appears in the lower right corner on most cards; the symbol’s absence means that the card is part of the first-print run of the Japanese Base Set. And for added context, PSA has awarded the English first-edition base set Charizard a GEM MINT 10 grade 121 times, but only eight times for this base set ‘No Rarity' version. The card was destined to become the centerpiece of a new collection, and Heritage delivered.

“We knew that the desirability for the Force of Will artwork was high, and the record-setting price proved just that,” says Jesus Garcia, Heritage’s Director of Trading Card Games. “We were thrilled to see the incredible selection that our team curated, but even more to see the event’s impressive results.”

Other six-figure results in the event include this 1999 Wizards of the Coast Pokémon Charizard 4 1st Edition Base Set PSA Trading Card Game graded GEM MINT 10. It realized $218,750 and is an exceptional example of the English-language version of the aforementioned Japanese record-breaker. The two incredible results show that Charizard remains the top Pokémon at auction. This Pokémon was featured on the cover of Pocket Monsters: Red and features artwork by category favorite Mitsuhiro Arita. Pokémon’s force was strong throughout this event and continued with another 1999 Wizards of the Coast offering: a Pokémon 1st Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box, which sold for $193,750. (Still-sealed booster boxes like this one are rare due to the low print run, and few come to market.)

And Magic: The Gathering made another appearance among the top five lots in the event with this Wizards of the Coast City of Traitors Uncut 18-Card Foil Test Print, which sold for $162,500. It’s the only intact City of Traitors Foil Test Print sheet with Magic backs known to exist. This once-in-a-lifetime piece will make an absolute show-stopper on the wall of its new home.