Rare Pikachu Card Breaks Auction Record 

An American collector paid a record-breaking $230,000 at the Japanese auction house ZenPlus for a rare, mint-condition limited edition Pokemon card. The card, with the image of the character Pikachu, features art by original Pikachu illustrator Atsuko Nishida. It is believed to be the highest price ever paid for a Pokemon card. Only 39 of these cards were made and distributed to winners of a Japanese comic contest in 1998. About 10 are known to still exist.