Each pack contained seven common cards (including two Basic Energy cards), three uncommon cards and one rare card. Pratte notes that the 1st Edition cards were only available in 11-card booster packs. "Most people never saw the 1st Edition cards because they sold out almost overnight," said Perdue.
No one knows the exact number of 1st Edition cards, but it's been estimated that less 10,000 of each card was produced.
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This series was produced by Wizards of the Coast, a company based in Renton, Washington, and Pratte believes that the bulk of the 1st Edition cards were distributed on the U.S. The Charizard is the centerpiece of the 102-card, 1999 1st Edition (Base Set) series, which was the first Pokémon issue unveiled in the U.S. Of the 1,071 Charizard cards submitted, there have been 95 PSA 10s. It also had the highest amount of HP (Hit Points) at the time for the game, and I think it had the highest 'attack' too before the later sets were printed, so that probably helps explain why it's so popular," noted Pratte. "You've already got a card that's this cool Pokémon - this fire-breathing dragon - and it has nice art and it's holographic. Pratte agrees and adds that this card was also one of the most powerful cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. "He's breathing this huge flame and he just looks so menacing." "The Charizard card, in particular, has phenomenal art," said Perdue. Not only was Charizard the most popular Pokémon in the Red and Blue video game released in 1998, but he was also featured on one of the 16 holographic cards in the 1st Edition Series, which were the toughest cards to pull out of the packs.
There are several reasons why this card is so desirable. "I never got one, but when I came back to the hobby 10 years later with disposable income, what card do you think I was going to go for? I wanted the Charizard." 4 Current Finest, 1999 Pokémon 1st Edition set. "A lot of people, including myself, grew up in the schoolyard wanting the Charizard card," said Jason Perdue, who's just 23 and has built the registry's No. "It's definitely the most iconic Pokémon card of the set, if not all time."īut while prices for PSA 10 Charizard cards have soared, the demand for this single is nothing new. Robert Hebb, who has assembled the entire 1999 Pokémon 1st Edition set in PSA 10 grade, has noticed the same trend.