There's a secret Pokémon hiding in the First Partners Collection Bulbasaur card, and now that the mouse is out of the bag, it seems to be having a direct and drastic effect on the Pokémon card's price.
The Pikachu can be spotted as a tiny silhouette in the green stripe in the top left corner of the card. I've seen some people claiming this is the Ascended Heroes 'treekachu', but to me it more obviously resembles the chonkier design Pikachu used to have in the 'olden days'.
This makes sense, since the promo is full of nostalgic references, with Pallet Town and the beginning of Route 1 at the base, Mt. Moon in the top right corner, and Red/Blue's first three badges sprinkled around the card art. Presumably, that patch of green is supposed to represent Viridian Forest. If that's the case, it makes sense the Pikachu is so hidden, since in those games you had just a 5% chance of finding this Pokémon in any patch of grass.
A few fans spotted this easter egg a month ago, but I guess most people weren't paying attention. Now, it's suddenly been brought to everyone's attention again, and the internet has been awash with chatter about it for the last few days.
With interest in the card rising, the Bulbasaur's price tag has gone up a lot as well. On May 11, this card was selling for around $25, but already copies are going for about $65 on TCGPlayer.
Of course, we can't prove that the hidden Pikachu is the direct cause of this spike. Pokémon card prices are prone to fluctuate wildly at times, with rare Pokémon cards dipping randomly and then soaring again as interest levels change.
However, it seems like a hell of a coincidence. The Bulbasaur is now worth more than the Charmander equivalent ($40/50) and way more than Squirtle ($3). Just a week ago, it was the cheapest card of the three.
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