Welcome to Rare Candy's "Spotlight On" series, where we feature the history and stories behind some of the rarest and coolest cards and collectibles.
Looking to pick up one of the rare Masaki evolution cards? Check out Rare Candy's June Premier Auction for the chance to bid on a set of all five cards in their original mailers!
Back in the ‘90s, when Japanese anime and video games weren’t quite as ubiquitous as they are now, North American localizers would often change explicitly Japanese cultural references, including character names, so as not to confuse Western viewers. That’s how early Pokémon fans got “Ash Ketchum” instead of “Satoshi,” and Bill (of “Bill’s PC” fame!) instead of “Masaki.”
Personal computers aside, Bill’s Japanese counterpart also looms large over the Pokémon franchise for another reason. Once upon a time, kids in Japan could actually send their Pokémon trading cards to Masaki and receive newly “evolved” ones via a marketing promotion known as the Communication Evolution Campaign.
When Did It Start?
It all began with the Expansion Sheets: Special collections of Pokémon booster packs sold only in Japanese vending machines as literal uncut sheets that you would have to carefully punch your cards out from.
Several sheets from Series 3, which was released in late November 1998, included a non-playable “pass card” for Masaki’s Personal Computer (マサキのパソコン). You’d have known right away that it was something special; even the back was unique, featuring iconic 151 Pokémon against a silver background and gold Pokéball outline.
Referring to an “Expansion Sheet Green Edition” that came in the sheet would clue you in to the rules: all you had to do was mail your Masaki’s PC card to Japanese publisher Media Factory, along with either a Kadabra, Omanyte, Graveler, Machoke, or Haunter all of which appeared in the same set as the PC card (and sometimes, even on the same sheet). In return, you’d get sent back a new holographic version of your now-evolved Pokémon — an Alakazam, Omastar, Golem, Machamp or Gengar — tucked into a cardboard holder.
In the original Game Boy games, most of these Pokémon (save for Omanyte) could only be evolved by trading with another player via a Link Cable. The Communication Evolution Campaign was meant to mimic that experience — and while other versions of all of these cards were available in the Base Set, these unnumbered promo editions could only be obtained in the mail.
The campaign only lasted a few months, running from November 24, 1998 to April 30, 1999. In that time, however, over 140,000 people participated, according to a later report that Media Factory published in Trainer Magazine Vol 2. Altogether, 39,000 Alakazams, 36,000 Gengars, 29,000 Machamps, 22,000 Golems (or Golonya, as they’re known in Japan) and 21,000 Omastars were distributed to TCG fans all over the country!
Where Are The Masaki Cards Now?
Despite the thousands that were sent out, it’s still pretty rare to find a Gem Mint graded copy of these cards. Unfortunately, the cardboard holders that the cards were packaged in didn’t preserve the cards very well, leading to frequent indents or folds. (If you manage to snag one that’s still tucked into the original mailer, however, that’s even rarer!)
Nowadays, a raw card from this promo series will likely cost you up to $500, and a PSA 10 will average out even higher — according to PSA’s website, the last PSA 10 Masaki Promo Gengar sold in 2021 for a whopping $16,250!
Meanwhile, the Masaki’s PC card — or Bill’s PC, as most card graders refer to it in their population reports — is surprisingly much less sought after. You can find Gem Mint PSA 10s for about $84, on average, and ungraded ones might only cost a few dollars depending on where you buy from. You never know, though – maybe in a couple of years, the PCs will be just as valuable as the Pokémon that came out of them!
Looking to pick up one of the rare Masaki evolution cards? Check out Rare Candy's June Premier Auction for the chance to bid on a set of all five cards in their original mailers!
