Pokémon cards are coming to the Rock. On Tuesday, November 17 at 5 p.m., the Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo is holding its very first auction devoted entirely to Pokémon, to mark the franchise’s 30th anniversary. On the program: signed Base Set cards, Japanese Pokémon Center boxes that have become impossible to find, and a sealed display estimated at six figures.
An EX Delta Species Display Estimated at Up to €180,000
The centerpiece of the catalog is French. It is a complete display of the EX Delta Species expansion, released in 2006: 36 boosters still sealed from the factory, presented under acrylic protection. Its estimate ranges from €130,000 to €180,000, a level rarely reached by a sealed product in the French version. The timing is telling: Delta cards are making a big comeback with the Delta Reign expansion, released on November 6 and led by Mega 
Rayquaza ex.
Right behind it, collectors of Japanese products will be well served. The 2016 Mario Pikachu Special Box, with its 293/XY-P and 294/XY-P promo cards, is estimated at €30,000 to €35,000, and its Luigi twin at €15,000 to €20,000. The Pikachu Poncho box with 
Magikarp and 
Gyarados from 2015, sealed, is expected to fetch between €22,000 and €25,000.
The Charizards Signed by Mitsuhiro Arita
It’s impossible to imagine a Pokémon sale without 
Charizard. The most highly valued is a Base Set Charizard 4/102 in French 1st Edition, “square cut,” graded Beckett 8.5 and signed by Mitsuhiro Arita, the card’s illustrator. It is estimated at €16,000 to €22,000. Arita also signs two other Charizards, a Base Set Shadowless Holo and a STAFF copy from Evolutions, as well as “black border filler cards” on which he drew 
Pikachu by hand.
Here is a selection of the most anticipated lots, with their estimates (excluding buyer’s fees):
- EX Delta Species display, French (2006), sealed: €130,000 to €180,000
- Mario Pikachu Special Box (2016): €30,000 to €35,000
- Pikachu Poncho Box with Magikarp and Gyarados (JP, 2015): €22,000 to €25,000
- Charizard 4/102 French 1st Edition, Beckett 8.5, signed by Arita: €16,000 to €22,000
- Pikachu Poncho Rayquaza black and gold (231/XY-P), PSA 10: €18,000 to €20,000
- Luigi Pikachu Special Box (2016): €15,000 to €20,000
- Complete French 1st Edition Base Set, 102 cards including a PCA 9 Charizard: €7,000 to €12,000
The catalog doesn’t stop there. It also includes the two Base Set starter decks, a 
Tyranitar Neo Discovery set, graded 
Umbreon cards, dozens of Japanese promo Pikachu and recent displays such as those of 151. The end of the sale makes room for art, with original drawings of Charizard and 
Dragonite signed by Moduwa and a print of 
Lugia by Onemizer. Some lots start at an estimate of around €100.
Exhibition, Online Bidding: How to Take Part
- Sale: Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 5 p.m. (Paris time), at the Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo, 14 quai Antoine Ier, Monaco
- Public exhibition: November 12, 13 and 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., at the same address
- Online: live bidding on Drouot.com, Invaluable and Interencheres, with prior registration
- Remote: telephone bidding or purchase orders entrusted to the auction house
- Good to know: estimates do not include the fees payable by the buyer
Key Takeaways
Eight years after the first Pokémon auction held at Drouot, the card market has changed scale, and a Monegasque auction house is now devoting an entire session to it. For collectors, the exhibition on November 12, 13 and 16 is a chance to see up close pieces that are usually only seen in photos. If you want to understand what gives these lots their value, reread our guides on PSA, PCA and Beckett grading, on the Base Set editions and on the most expensive Pokémon cards in history.
Source: sale catalog on Drouot.com; press release from the Hôtel des Ventes de Monte-Carlo (hvmc.com)
