Fine Art and Pokémon Merge With 2018 Japanese Promo Card & Big Sales
Despite all his success and massive hobby popularity, Shohei Ohtani doesn't have the hottest cards over the past year. Yes, his cards have seen incredible growth, up nearly 300% in one year alone, but he's not at the top. In fact, he's not even in the top 5 when looking at players and Pokémon with at least 30 graded cards.
Ohtani takes the sixth spot, and the top five are all Pokémon. And the top Pokémon is one of the original 151, the lovably-clueless little water Pokémon, Psyduck.
The card that's really pushing Psyduck to the top is a 2018 Japanese promo card. In February, the BGS Black Label Pristine 10 Scream Psyduck (seen below) sold for $78K. Compared to Q1 2025, no PSA 10 Scream Psyduck cleared $3K with the highest sale closing at $2,700 on March 8, 2025.
The Munch-Inspired Promo Cards
This 2018 Japanese Promo Psyduck card is styled after the iconic Edvard Munch painting, 'The Scream'. Psyduck is one of five Pokémon cards incorporated into the promotion that adopts the aesthetic of the famous painting. The others include Eevee, Rowlet, Mimikyu, and Pikachu.
The cards were created as part of a partnership between the Pokémon Company and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. In 2018, the museum honored Edvard Munch on his 150th birthday with the “Munch: A Retrospective” exhibit. The Scream-inspired cards were given to visitors who attended the Munch exhibit and, as a result, are very rare.
A very brief history of The Scream painting
Unless you were an art history major or just happen to know a thing or two about a thing or two, chances are you aren't very familiar with The Scream.
The painting has four copies (two in paint and two in pastels), all of which were created in either 1893 or 1895 by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The image captures a person experiencing severe anxiety through a distorted figure against a swirling background. Munch was inspired to create it after he experienced an anxiety attack during a sunset walk.
The Scream is often portrayed in pop culture, including as a character in multiple episodes of The Simpsons and the masks in the movie Scream. Even the screaming face emoji is thought to pay homage to Munch's famous painting.
Munch isn't the only fine artist to have a Pokémon collaboration
In 2023 the Van Gogh Museum partnered with Pokémon to launch an official collaboration aimed at introducing a younger audience to the work of Vincent van Gogh. Pokemon cards were created based on famous pieces by the artist, such as Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat inspired by Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, Munchlax & Snorlax inspired by The Bedroom, and Sunflora inspired by Sunflowers.
So far, the van Gogh-inspired cards haven't been quite as in demand as the Munch cards, but that could change quickly.
Conor is a life long sports card enthusiast who started collecting in the early ’90s, inspired by hometown heroes like Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Tom Brady, and David Ortiz. Like many ’90s hoops fans, he also started building (and continues to build) a modest Michael Jordan collection.