The Card That Started Everything
There is no trading card on Earth more famous than the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard. Not a sports card. Not a Magic card. Nothing. When people who have never collected a card in their life think of "valuable Pokémon card," this is what they picture: the holographic fire-breather that launched a million childhoods and, decades later, became a cultural phenomenon commanding prices that rival fine art.
The card was released in January 1999 as part of the English-language Base Set — the very first Pokémon TCG expansion to reach North America. The 1st Edition print run was the earliest batch, identifiable by the small "Edition 1" stamp on the left side of the card. Within this run, "Shadowless" refers to cards printed without the shadow effect behind the artwork box — a subtle visual distinction that separates the earliest printings from the far more common "Unlimited" version that followed.
The numbers tell the story of its ascent. In the early 2010s, a PSA 10 copy could be purchased for roughly $5,000–$10,000. By 2017, that had climbed to $30,000–$50,000. Then came the pandemic-era explosion: in 2020 and 2021, fueled by Logan Paul's viral box breaks, a flood of nostalgia-driven millennial buyers, and a broader alternative assets boom, PSA 10 copies began selling at auction for $300,000 to $420,000.
What makes the card so scarce in top condition is the combination of age, cardstock quality, and the way it was used. In 1999, kids didn't sleeve their cards. They shuffled them into decks. They threw them in backpacks. They traded them on the playground. The holo surface was particularly vulnerable to scratching, and the 1st Edition print run was small — Wizards of the Coast significantly increased production for the Unlimited run once they realized the demand.
PSA has graded roughly 3,000+ copies of the 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard over the years, but only around 120 have achieved the coveted PSA 10 Gem Mint grade — a roughly 4% rate. That tiny population, combined with near-infinite demand from collectors, investors, and nostalgia buyers, is what sustains six-figure prices for a piece of cardboard printed over 25 years ago.