As the world of high end collecting continues to change, there are certain monoliths within the landscape that continue undaunted through the shifting tides of markets and collecting mania. Pokémon stands supreme above all TCG’s, having defined and redefined the space for decades. When it comes to Pokémon collectibles, there’s a fiery dragon that sits atop the mountain of, crowned as king of them all. Charizard is not only the most powerful of the monsters, but the rare cards featuring the fire drake command more value than any other monster, coming in second to only Pikachu himself. Charizard is king and a recent sale on eBay just proved it. The Pokémon community watched in open mouthed disbelief as a 1999 Base Set First Edition Shadowless Charizard, graded a flawless PSA 10, crossed the auction block on eBay to secure a staggering final price of $1,000,952.84.
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Why Is This Card So Special?
Some may question the wisdom, or even the sanity of a single piece of foil commanding a millionaire’s ransom. That’s because you need to understand the background of this unassuming card. The “First Edition Shadowless” designation is the ultimate trifecta of rarity for collectors. When Wizards of the Coast first printed the Base Set in 1999, the initial run featured a distinct “Edition 1” stamp on the left side of the card. Additionally, these earliest prints lacked the drop shadow bordered around the character illustration box—a design choice that was quickly corrected in subsequent print runs to give the artwork more visual depth. In other words this supposed ‘design flaw’ is what catapulted the First Edition Shadowless Charizard card into mega value. Being that this is the first iteration of the iconic dragon, purists lust after such a rare item. This is the Holy Grail of Pokémon cards, and there are collectors who have effectively waged crusades in search of the elusive card.
Despite the insane rarity, no First Edition Charizard has ever gone for such a princely sum. So what makes this one so special? This is where this particular cards superpower shines, unlike the others, this particular card is flawless. You see, rarity amongst card collecting is a strong factor, but not the only one that matters. The condition of said cards are the secret multiplier. If you have a dingy, wrinkled card, forget it. Having scratches is akin to a cardinal sin. The 1999 Base Set has been notoriously fragile. Often the cards would suffer microscopic scratching right out of the box. Even worse the card stock would easily become wrinkled around the edges. Rare thought it may be, finding a quality card is like trying to find a polka dotted unicorn. So image everyone’s shock when the PSA awarded this special little card a Gem Mint 10 certification. A perfect and flawless score. Essentially this means that this particular card is akin to not only discovering the previously mentioned polka dotted unicorn, but finding the Holy Grail and maybe proof of alien life. ‘A big deal’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Collectible Trading Becomes Democratized
But there’s one extra player in this wild drama we haven’t discussed yet. The fact that all of this happened on eBay. TCG sales happen all the time on eBay, don’t get me wrong. But a buyer coughing up over a million dollars? That just doesn’t happen. After all, there are far more sophisticated ways to do this, high end auctions and whatnot. Who buys such a card, sight unseen? Yet this is where we are in the world of TCG trading. No longer do we have to travel hundreds of miles and pay gobs of money, for just the chance of squeezing into a major auction. Collectible trading has become democratized. Now anyone can partake in an auction for the rarest of items. Not that most of us could even begin to afford the million dollar price here, but that’s not the point. It is now easier than ever to access the world of high level collectible trading. Who knows what glorious treasures may await buried deep within eBay or other platforms?
As the dust settles over such a stunning auction, we are left with a few things to consider. No longer are Pokémon cards just ‘a hobby’. With this sale, the 1999 First Edition Shadowless has attained the level of professional art collections. Hold your head high collectors! For we are now to be taken as seriously as those who collect Monet paintings! Pokémon cards aren’t just for fun, they are now serious and legitimate financial investments. Who would have thought that your childhood hobby could turn you into the next JP Morgan? However, now that we are seeing such record breaking sales, we are left to ponder, how far could prices really rise? Is this the ceiling? Or could this be the harbinger of even more soaring auctions? After all with such market hype, it’s possible that we will see spikes in other rare cards. Those who have been secretly hoarding a first edition somewhere may mysteriously appear. Probably on eBay. Here’s what we do know, Pokémon has cemented its place in the world of collecting, and Charizard can rest smugly on his mountain.
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Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company
