Pokémon card sold for $420,000 or almost P22M

Are you willing to shell out millions of pesos to “catch 'em all?” Because that's exactly what one collector did to get his hands on a rare Pokémon card.

Last week, a buyer spent $420,000 or P21,885,366 as of today's exchange rates to acquire a rare 1999 Pokémon Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Holo Charizard card. The card was sold at the PWCC March Premier Auction, and has set “the all-time record for a base set Charizard card,” according to the auction house.

This isn't the first time that the Charizard card has drawn such high bids. Earlier this month, Heritage Auctions sold a first-edition 1999 Pokémon Charizard No. 4 card for $336,000. Goldin Auctions sold a 1995 Pokémon Japanese Topsun Charizard Blue Back card for $493,230 last year.

Aside from all being Charizard cards, all of the cards have a PSA 10 Gem Mint grading, which means it has been kept in excellent condition by its previous owner. Only 121 of the 3,000 Charizard cards out in the market have the PSA 10 Gem mint grading.

PWCC business development director Jesse Craig described the card as the “GOAT” of the Pokémon brand, saying “it's an asset that Pokémon and non-Pokémon collectors know of and want to own.”

This Charizard card is just the latest piece of pop culture to attract such a high price. Just last week, Andy Warhol's "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" was estimated to fetch $200 million at an auction later this year.

People may be more familiar with "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn" as one of four portraits of the actress made by Andy Warhol, all featuring the same image of the actress with a different color background. These four portraits are often grouped together and used in recreations and replicas.

While not exactly a pop culture relic, an artwork by Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer was also estimated to draw millions of dollars in an auction. Initially bought for $30 at a yard sale, London auction house Agnews Gallery estimated that the artwork could sell for $10 million.

A Frida Kahlo self-portrait also sold for $34.9 million late last year, making it the most valuable Latin American artwork to be sold at an auction.

If you're not willing to spend millions of pesos to catch 'em all, check out pieces made by local celebrities in the gallery below.