30th CELEBRATION (M6a) released worldwide on September 16, 2026, and its “day and night” Pikachu ex pair is one of the set’s chase slots. Pikachu ex 126/103 is the SAR (Special Art Rare) version of the “day” Pikachu ex, whose regular print is 047/103; its “night” counterpart is 048/103, printed as SAR at 127/103.
This guide is about grading, not artwork appreciation: what PSA’s own Grading Standards page says it looks for on the way to a Gem Mint 10, what is and is not confirmed about this card’s physical finish, the dated asking prices we have since release, and which PSA 10 Pikachu prints are currently listed on our own site as a comparable while you decide whether to submit a copy of your own.
Pikachu ex SAR 126/103 (day) is a Lightning-type Basic Pokémon with 190 HP, Pika-Pika Parade and Thunderbolt. The lowest asking price on SNKRDUNK was ¥9,500 on September 18, 2026, down from ¥11,000 on release day. This exact print is not listed as a PSA 10 on our site at the moment; other PSA 10 Pikachu ex prints currently are. Our M6a 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box is currently listed at ¥28,500 (~$185) sealed.
Store prices and availability checked September 25, 2026 at 13:48 JST. Marketplace observations retain their stated dates. USD conversions use ¥154 per US dollar.
What Is Pikachu ex SAR 126/103?
Pikachu ex 126/103 sits in 30th CELEBRATION’s SAR (Special Art Rare) block, numbers 124–133 — ten cards, one for each of the set’s Pokémon ex. The set’s Pikachu ex is split into a “day” and a “night” version: 047/103 (day, illustrated by 5ban Graphics) is SAR 126/103, and 048/103 (night, illustrated by takuyoa) is SAR 127/103. The SAR block, together with the 20-card AR block (104–123) and the two-card FUR block (134–135), is compiled from official promotional images rather than the official card database: the database currently lists the main set 001–103, the Classic Collection 136–165 and the eight Basic Energy, but not 104–135. All 32 cards in that secret-rare range have now been shown, with the last five surfacing in release-day marketplace listings on September 16, 2026.
The card text on 126/103 matches the regular 047/103 print — only the artwork and rarity slot differ. For the full list of cards this Pokémon guide sits alongside, see our 30th Celebration full card list.
Card Details: Pika-Pika Parade and Thunderbolt
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Card number | 126/103 (SAR, day); regular print 047/103 |
| JP name | ピカチュウex |
| Illustrator | Not published for the SAR print (SAR illustrators are not credited on the official database); 5ban Graphics for the regular 047 print |
| Type | Lightning |
| HP | 190 |
| Stage | Basic |
| Weakness | Fighting (×2) |
| Retreat | 1 |
Per PokeBeach’s September 9, 2026 translation, the “day” Pikachu ex carries two attacks:
- [C] Pika-Pika Parade: Search your deck for any number of Basic Pokémon and put them onto your Bench. Then shuffle your deck.
- [L][L][C] Thunderbolt: 200 damage. Discard all Energy from this Pokémon.
Pika-Pika Parade is a one-Energy bench-building attack, and Thunderbolt is a heavy three-energy finisher that empties the attacker’s energy in the process. That’s a different attack pair from the “night” Pikachu ex 048/103 (SAR 127/103), which instead runs Zip-Zap Frenzy and Thunder — the two prints share a name and HP total but not a moveset. None of that changes between the regular print and the SAR version — grading only concerns the physical card, not the text on it.
What PSA Checks Before Awarding a Gem Mint 10
PSA’s Grading Standards page, as printed on September 18, 2026, defines its top grade like this:
“A PSA Gem Mint 10 card is a virtually perfect card. Attributes include four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus and full original gloss. A PSA Gem Mint 10 card must be free of staining of any kind, but an allowance may be made for a slight printing imperfection, if it doesn’t impair the overall appeal of the card. The image must be centered on the card within a tolerance not to exceed approximately 55/45 percent on the front, and 75/25 percent on the reverse.”
The same page adds a discretionary note: “a small variance may be permitted on occasion based on the card’s overall eye appeal,” and describes grading as a mix of objective checks (print defects, staining, surface wrinkles, measuring centering) and a subjective read on “what will the market accept for this particular issue.” Our own Pokemon Card Condition Guide breaks that down into four pillars — centering, corners, edges and surface — each of which a submitted card is checked against.
PSA publishes definitions for each grade on its Grading Standards page; this guide quotes only the Gem Mint 10 definition. PSA also authenticates before it grades: a card judged to show trimming, re-coloring, restoration or other tampering is not graded at all. For general background on PSA, BGS and CGC grading, see our Japanese Pokemon Card Grading Guide.
Is the SAR Finish Textured? What’s Confirmed and What Isn’t
The official 30th CELEBRATION product page does not describe the SAR treatment’s physical surface finish in the way collectors mean when they ask whether a card is “textured,” and the SAR illustrator for 126/103 is not credited anywhere on the official database. Elsewhere, Pokémon’s Japanese site has described the SR rarity on an earlier set as carrying “特別な加工” (special processing) that gives the card “a luxurious feel,” and illustrators working on a different high-class pack’s AR and SAR cards have described using gold-foil textures and glass-like transparency effects in their own artwork. Neither statement is an official description of this set’s SAR treatment specifically.
What that means for grading: the corners, focus, gloss, staining and centering checks PSA applies — grouped by our condition guide as centering, corners, edges and surface — apply to any finish, textured or not, but until an official source describes the SAR finish directly, we’re not going to state as fact that 126/103 is textured.
Dated Market Asks Since Release
Japanese market-tracking sites forecast a ¥70,000 buy price and a ¥100,000-plus market estimate for the Pikachu ex SAR pair before release (reported September 9, 2026). The lowest asking price for Pikachu ex SAR 126/103 (day) on SNKRDUNK was ¥11,000 on September 16, 2026 (release day) and ¥9,500 on September 18, 2026. These are live seller asking prices, not sale records, and we’re not attaching a cause to the move.
For context, the sealed M6a booster box itself moved from a ¥47,200 lowest ask on September 1 to ¥17,500 on release day and ¥20,994 on September 18 — still roughly three times its ¥7,200 manufacturer’s suggested price.
Comparable PSA 10 Pikachu Prints Currently Listed
Pikachu ex SAR 126/103 itself is not listed as a graded PSA 10 on our site at the moment — it was released only on September 16, 2026. Several PSA 10 Pikachu prints from earlier Japanese sets and promotions are currently listed, for collectors who want a graded Pikachu in hand while they weigh submitting their own copy:
| Card | Currently listed at |
|---|---|
| PSA 10 Pikachu ex [WCS23 001/030] (Pokemon World Championships 2023 Yokohama anniversary deck) | ¥73,836 (~$479) |
| PSA 10 Pikachu ex 234/193 SAR | ¥46,446 (~$302) |
| PSA 10 Pikachu V 001/015 | Sold out |
None of these is the 30th CELEBRATION SAR print covered in this guide — they’re separate cards from separate sets, listed here as comparables for collectors interested in graded Pikachu cards generally.
How We Source Graded Copies
A PSA 10 listing on our site is a card that has already been through PSA’s authentication and grading process and returned in a sealed PSA holder; a raw Pikachu ex SAR 126/103 bought sealed or as a single would need to be submitted to PSA separately if you want it graded.
If you’re submitting from outside Japan, PSA’s own FAQ (as printed on September 18, 2026) is worth reading first: PSA Japan currently accepts submissions only from customers living in Japan, and PSA US has paused grading submissions from outside the United States. PSA’s US Standard tier is listed at $59.99 per card with an estimated turnaround of 90–100 business days, explicitly described as an estimate and not guaranteed (psacard.com, September 18, 2026).
Opening your own sealed product and choosing your own copy to submit is one route; buying an already-graded PSA 10 Pikachu ex from the comparables above is another. For the wider question of which 30th CELEBRATION cards are worth sending to PSA at all, see our 30th Celebration grading guide: which cards to send to PSA.
Where to Buy
Pikachu ex SAR 126/103 itself is not listed as a single or as a graded card on our site at the moment; sourcing requests go through Quick Order. Our M6a 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box is currently listed — Sealed at ¥28,500 (~$185) or No Shrink at ¥23,500 (~$153), both shipping from Tokyo; see the product page for the current dispatch date.
Browse the PSA 10 collection or the Japanese Pokémon card collection for singles and sealed product across sets. For the day-and-night Pikachu ex pair’s own dedicated write-up, see our Pikachu ex SAR Day and Night card guide, and see the full 30th Celebration card list for every print in the set.
USD figures convert at ¥154/USD, approximate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pikachu ex SAR 126/103 in 30th Celebration?
It’s the “day” version of the set’s Pikachu ex, a Lightning-type Basic Pokémon with 190 HP and the attacks Pika-Pika Parade and Thunderbolt, printed in the set’s SAR (Special Art Rare) block. The card text matches the regular 047/103 print.
What does PSA check when grading a card for a Gem Mint 10?
Per PSA’s Grading Standards page, a Gem Mint 10 needs four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus, full original gloss, freedom from staining, and centering within roughly 55/45 percent on the front and 75/25 percent on the reverse, with a small discretionary variance allowed for overall eye appeal.
Is the SAR finish on Pikachu ex 126/103 physically textured?
That isn’t stated on the official 30th Celebration product page. Pokémon’s Japanese site has described a different rarity tier on an earlier set as having a special surface treatment, and illustrators on a different high-class pack have described gold-foil and glass-like effects in their own artwork, but neither is an official statement about this card’s finish specifically.
What was the lowest asking price for Pikachu ex SAR 126/103 on September 18, 2026?
¥9,500 on SNKRDUNK, down from ¥11,000 on release day (September 16, 2026). Japanese market sites forecast ¥70,000 and up before release (September 9, 2026); the lowest SNKRDUNK asks were ¥11,000 (September 16) and ¥9,500 (September 18).
How is Pikachu ex 126/103 (day) different from 127/103 (night)?
Both are 190 HP Lightning-type Pikachu ex cards, but 126/103 runs Pika-Pika Parade and Thunderbolt, while 127/103 runs Zip-Zap Frenzy and Thunder — different attacks despite the shared name and HP total.
Where can I buy 30th Celebration product now?
Our M6a 30th CELEBRATION Booster Box is currently listed at ¥28,500 (~$185) sealed. Pikachu ex SAR 126/103 itself isn’t listed as a single at the moment; sourcing requests go through Quick Order.
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