Rare 1st Edition Charizard Pokemon card shatters records after selling for $420,000

A 1st Edition Charizard Pokemon card has become the second most expensive TCG item in the world after selling for an eye-popping $420,000. The rare collectible was from the original Base Set released in 1999.

The Pokemon TCG was a cultural phenomenon when it launched in 1999. Children around the world were obsessed with collecting rare holographics of their favorite ‘mon. At the very top of the hobby, though, was the highly coveted Charizard.

Decades later, the Kanto starter is still the crown jewel and collectors are willing to shell out big money for the card. A Shadowless 1st Edition Charizard from the Base Set just set the bar even higher after selling for a record-breaking $420k at auction.

Game Freak / The Pokemon Company

A 1st Edition Charizard from the Base Set broke records at a March 2022 auction.

Charizard Pokemon Card sells for $420k

While the Nintendo hobby has seen a resurgence in popularity for years now, Pokemon cards have had an explosion in value in 2020. Leading the market boom was the Base Set Charizard which has continued to skyrocket in prices.

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The popular Pokemon shattered all previous records on March 19 when a 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard sold for $420k at a PWCC auction. The rare collectible was rated a PSA 10 and was in pristine condition.

According to the auction house, only 122 Charizards in the whole world have scored a Gem Mint slab by the grading company. Making the item even rarer is the fact that it was from the set’s first edition run and had Shadowless artwork.

PWCC Auctions

The rare Charizard broke records after selling for $420k in the March auction.

The popular Pokemon card has had an interesting sales history as it has seen incredible growth in value year after year. For instance in 2020, Grammy-winning rapper Logic paid $226k for the same 1st Edition Shadowless variant. In 2021, the collectible jumped even higher and auctioned off for $369k before being surpassed at $420k just a year later.

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Incredibly, the Base Set Charizard is still not the most expensive card ever sold. That honor still goes to the rare Pikachu Illustrator CoroCoro Comics Promo which went for a mind-blowing $900,000 in February auction. The Japanese card is more scarce due to being a prize in an art contest in 1995.