Pokémon Dragonair STAFF Promo 2008 — Pair, PSA 9 (Diamond & Pearl)

Two identical copies of the Dragonair STAFF promo from the Diamond & Pearl era, both authenticated and encapsulated by PSA at 9 MINT. The card was never sold: it was distributed to staff at official Pokémon League events and at Provincial and Territorial championships in 2008, which is why the STAFF stamp places it outside the reach of ordinary promo collecting. Finding a single copy in this grade is uncommon; finding two matched copies is a materially different proposition.

The artwork—Dragonair against cherry blossoms, with the gold STAFF print set into the card—is among the most elegant of the Diamond & Pearl period, and the event codes recorded on the card (LA-ST, PRVNC, TER.CHAMP-STF) document the distribution channel itself. With a graded population in the thirties and very few examples slabbed at all, the pair sits in the narrow band of pre-2010 event promos where supply is defined by staffing rather than by print volume.