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How To Get First Edition Pokemon Cards

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Pokemon First Edition Raichu #14

How To Tell If Your Pokemon Cards Are 1st Edition?

Raichu evolves from Pikachu, thus making it the more powerful version of Pikachu. When this card is evolved, it will double its HP, and its abilities will do twice as much damage as Pikachu can.

Raichu can charge electricity and store it inside its cheeks. Once it is ready to attack, the character will discharge the electricity and attack the opponent.

Because of its powerful abilities and the fact that the character is evolved from Pikachu, this Raichu card can cost quite a lot. It is one of the more expensive cards from the original Pokemon set, as it can cost a five-figure sum.

However, it can be a bit tough to find it in the best conditions, since this card is especially prone to damage if it is not well protected.


How Can You Tell If Pokemon Cards Are First Edition

In order to tell whether a Pokemon card is First Edition, you would have to look to the right of the main image on the card. There will be a logo here that says 1st Edition if the card is actually a first edition card. If you do not see that logo, then the card is going to be part of the unlimited print run.

Remember, nowadays, even if a card comes from the first print run, it is not going to be labeled as the first edition. This means that it is actually going to be impossible to tell whether a card is first edition. This is because it will look like every other card that has been produced for that set.

Pokemon First Edition Pikachu #58

Weve already talked about Raichu, but Pikachu can be just as popular as its evolved version. Even though it is not nearly as powerful as Raichu, this character remains to be one of the most popular cards.

Its cute appearance and its central role inside the movies and the series make it especially popular among Pokemon fans.

Pikachu is the face of the franchise because it is featured both in the game, the series, the movie, and also in this trading card game. Even though it might not be the most powerful character, it still remains popular. Ive written a full article on Pikachu cards if youre interested.


What is also interesting is that there are two versions of this card: Pikachu with red cheeks , and Pikachu with yellow cheeks.

Now, Pikachu with red cheeks tends to be a bit more valuable than the yellow cheeked-version, because it is a bit rarer and tougher to find. Nonetheless, both remain to be some of the most popular Pokemon cards from the first edition.

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How Many 1st Edition Cards Are There

If we just consider the WOTC era from 1999 to 2003 there are 940 first edition cards. But remember, this is just looking at English cards and of course there have been reprints and additional variants of certain cards over the years which blurs the number a bit. For example, some people consider No Rarity Japanese Base Set cards as the first edition equivalent for Japan, so its a bit of a grey area. However if you plan on building first edition sets from the early days of Pokemon, the list below should help you!

  • Base Set 102 cards

First Edition Holographic Blastoise

Rare First Edition Base Set Charizard Pokémon Card On Auction

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $5,500


A water-type Pokémon, Blastoise first appears in the Pokémon Red and Blue video games as the final evolutionary stage of Squirtle, one of the original three starter Pokémon.

Relying on twin water cannons that retract from the shell on its back, Blastoise is capable of delivering powerful blasts of water with superior accuracy.

And just as we saw Charizard’s boost in popularity stemming from its appearance on the cover art of the Pokémon Red video game, Blastoise was the center of attention on the Pokémon Blue video game:

Rightfully considered one of the coolest-looking of all Pokémon, Blastoise remains a collector favorite and this card can bring thousands of dollars in high grade.

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Best Pokmon Card Storage Methods And Ideas

No matter if youre interested in selling your Pokémon cards or keeping them, its important to know how to store them. If youre interested in the former, properly storing your cards will maintain their value. And if even if youre not interested in selling, you dont want to ruin your belongings by improperly storing them.

Identifing Trainer Base Set Pokemon Cards

Now, trainer cards arent a separate run of the Pokémon base set, but identifying them is a little bit different than identifying one of the regular Pokémon cards.

To figure out whether or not your trainer card is a 1st Edition card, look for the 1st Edition stamp.

It will look exactly the same as it does on other cards, but it will be in a different place. Instead of finding the stamp on the bottom left corner of the frame, youll find it on the bottom left corner of the whole card.

If the stamp isnt there, then you can use the other indicators to figure out whether or not your card is from the Shadowless or Unlimited runs.


If there is no shadow on the right of the card, and the copyright dates include 1999, you have a Shadowless run Trainer card.

If there is a shadow, and the copyright dates dont include 1999, you have an Unlimited run Trainer card.

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Ashs Bulbasaurs Gender Has Never Been Explicitly Stated

While Bulbasaur has been a recurring character for many years, the Pokémon television show has always avoided explicitly mentioning the characters gender.

The one exception to this comes in the very first episode that Bulbasaur appears in, wherein Ash calls Bulbasaur a he however, as Ash is unfamiliar with the biology of many Pokémon, fans are divided as to whether this counts as definitive proof of Bulbasaurs gender.


This reference doesnt occur in the original Japanese show, although there is a subtle hint at Bulbasaurs gender in another episode. In Island of the Giant Pokémon, an episode where Ashs Pokémon talk to each other through subtitles, Bulbasaur uses the personal pronoun ore , which is typically only used by males. Beyond this, though, there is no clear reference to Bulbasaurs gender in the entirety of the cartoon series.

While originally, the only Pokémon to have distinct genders were the Nidoran family line, genders were introduced for almost all Pokémon during the games second generation of titles, and more recently, the games have introduced slight physical differences between genders for example, female Pikachu have heart-shaped tails. In the games, Bulbasaurs are only female 12.5% of the time, meaning that for every seven male Bulbasaurs, there is only one female.

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Best First Edition Pokemon Cards

*I BOUGHT A 1ST EDITION POKEMON CARDS COLLECTION!* Opening VINTAGE Booster Pack and RARE Cards!

So now that weve examined what first edition Pokemon cards are and why they are so valuable, lets take a look at some of the best cards from this set that you can get.

Note that we tried to put these cards into order in terms of values, but know that these values can fluctuate and change constantly, so the order might change in the future.

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What Makes First Edition Shining Charizard So Valuable

Lets dive back into the Neo Era and into Neo Destiny one of the best sets EVER from Wizards of the Coast.

What makes this set so special is that it contains eight secret rare Shining cards. The holofoil was on the character themselves, instead of the background, which is something unique collectors hadnt seen before.

Charizard was always going to lead the pack in terms of value, and that tiny little first edition stamp adds that extra level of rarity too.

In terms of the PSA population, its certainly not as low as some of the others on this list. In fact 229 PSA 10 1st Edition Shining Charizards exist. But with a smaller holofoil area, grading is relatively easier, therefore this is to be expected.

So is it worth it? For so many reasons , YES. This is an awesome first edition, WOTC era, secret rare Charizard. It ticks so many boxes.

1999 1st Edition Shining Charizard PSA Population Report

Pokmon Diamond & Pearl

Coming in at number eight are Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

These two role-playing games are the first instalments in the fourth generation of the Pokémon video game series and were developed by Game Freak.

The games were first released in Japan in 2006 and then North America, Australia and Europe in 2007.

Similar to the previously mentioned games on the list, Diamond and Pearl follow the adventures of a trainer who does battle with Pokémon whilst trying to prevent criminal organisations evil plans.

This version introduces several new features, one of which, allows players to play online using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Others include battle mechanics and Pokémon contests.

The added Wi-Fi feature and gameplay was praised by critics upon release and the game has become one of the most successful Pokémon games of all time!

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Are All 1999 Pokemon Cards First Edition

Gotta Catch Em All So to recap, 1st Edition came first they hail from 99, have a little stamp below the featured Pokémon and lack the drop shadow that outlines the right-hand side of the character box. Shadowless came next, and are separated by 1st Edition only by the absence of the stamp saying so.

Water Type Pokemon Strength And Weakness Chart

PSA Set Registry: Collecting the 1999 Pokémon 1st Edition ...

STRONG AGAINST

Water Type Pokemon

Water type is one of the eighteen types of Pokemon in the Pokemon Universe.

There are more Pokémon of this type than any of the other two because of the large number of marine creatures on which to base the species. Most Pokémon of this type also have another type, which represents the biodiversity of marine creatures. Water is in particular, the second type of fire / water Volcanion has completed all possible pairings.

Most water-type Pokémon look like creatures that live in the water or use water to get rid of them. Their attacks involve the use of water, otherwise attacks that can only be committed by creatures of the sea .

Misty, the second leader of Kanto Gym Wallace, the eighth Hoenn Gymnasium Leader, became champion and his replacement, Juan Crasher Wake, Sinnohs fourth gymnasium chief Cress, one of the three leaders at the Striaton City gym in Unova Marlon, eighth officer of the city of Humilau at Unova Siebold, one of the Kalos Elite Four and Lana, trial captain from Akala Island to Alola.

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Top 12 Most Expensive 1st Edition Pokemon Cards

How do you tell if you have a first edition Pokemon card? Your deck should have three types of gaming items, a Pokemon, a Trainer, and an Energy. Check the first edition symbol on each card. According to PSA ratings, these are 1st edition Pokemon cards values in 2021:

This was the hottest gaming collection back in the 90s, and its price has soared even higher in 2021. Its value is almost similar to the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan basketball packs. You can roup sell it for as high as $55,000 on PWCC.

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Rare Sheet Of Uncut First Edition Pokemon Cards Up For Auction

An uncut sheet of 1st Edition Base Set Pokemon cards is now up for auction. The auction house Goldin has put the sheet up for auction, with a current high bid of $34,000 as of press time. The sheet not only contains all of the rarest cards in the originalPokemon Trading Card Game Base Set, it also provides a valuable glimpse into the history and manufacture of Pokemon cards. Due to the fact that the sheet has a handwritten note noting that the sheet is “okay for color and fit,” this was likely a proof sheet designed to test the printing of cards before they entered mass production. We’ll note that these cards are all holofoil cards non-holofoil rare cards weren’t introduced until Wizards of the Coast produced the Jungle expansion set. No details were provided about the seller of the sheet.

The auction is scheduled to end on February 23rd. While it likely won’t fetch as high of a price as a graded 1st Edition Charizard card, this card sheet is still an intriguing and important piece of Pokemon trading card history.

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First Edition Holographic Machamp

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $1,000

The final form of Machop that evolves from Machoke, Machop is an intimidating fighting-type Pokémon who looks like the last thing you’d want to fight.

Known for its brute force and strength, Machamp is nothing but solid muscle and its four arms allow it to strike opponents from multiple angles at once.

And not only is Machamp overpowering, it also possesses incredible speed making it capable of throwing as many as 500 punches in one second.

Wearing a championship belt around its waste, the aptly named Machamp is frequently on the victorious side of the fight.

First Edition Holographic Hitmonchan

Grading My 1st Edition Pokemon Cards…

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $3,250

Sporting boxing gloves, shoulder pads and extreme quickness, Hitmonchan exhibits every bit of the appearance of the fighting-type Pokémon that he is.

The five protrusions on top of its head round out an overall ferocious look.

Bidding for this card in high grade can be just as ferocious as Hitmonchan itself as prices will often rise above $3,000 or more.

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What Makes First Edition Shadowless Base Set Venusaur So Valuable

Here he is! I dont know about you, but I absolutely LOVE this card. Mitsuhiro Aritas artwork is just iconic with the contrast of the greens and the pop of the orange.

So interestingly, 138 PSA 10 copies exist, which is the highest of all the cards above, but of course, its part of the big three and collectors love to complete the trilogy.

1999 1st Edition Base Set Venusaur PSA Population Report

A Note On Pricing And Condition:

The examples throughout this text all utilize the Pokémon Charizard, who typically fetches the highest prices of any Pokémon from these early sets. Those looking to sell their collections should not expect Charizard-level pricing for other cards from these sets. While other Pokémon, like Blastoise and Venusaur, carry decent value, none approach the level of Charizard.

The pricing examples all note that the estimated retail pricing reflects a card in Near Mint condition. Finding cards from this era in Near Mint condition can be quite difficult. Pokémon cards are essentially pieces of a game, and many became treasured possessions of children who took them to school in their pockets to show off and trade. As a result, cards frequently show significant wear, which significantly affects their value. Unless exclusively stored in binders and played with in card sleeves , there are few Near Mint examples in circulation. In addition, cards that came from a household with heavy cigarette smoke, or that were stored in a damp attic or garage in the intervening years, can have a lowered value, even if the card physically appears otherwise Near Mint.

If you are considering selling your cards to a store, expect a much lower price than the retail price as stores would typically only pay between 30% and 60% of the retail value of an item.

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How To Find The Value Of Your Cards

Taking your old cards out of the closet and researching to find their current value is the most common way people are getting back into Pokémon. When trying to figure out a cards value, make sure to follow these steps:

Step 1. Find the year of the card. Check the bottom year of the card.

Step 2. Find the set the card belongs to. If there is no logo on the right side, its Base. Every other set has an indicator.

Step 3. Identify the card with the name and number in the set.

How Much Is A First Edition Pokemon Card Worth

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This is actually tough to say because it is going to be dependent on several different factors. This includes:

  • The condition of the card
  • The set the card came from
  • The rarity of the card
  • Whether it is an English or Japanese card.

As you can probably guess, the condition of the card and the rarity of the card will be the main influencer here. A first edition Charizard graded PS8 would be worth than a 1st Edition Metapod with the same grade. However, we do want to focus on the two other factors. At this point, we do want to point out that a 1st Edition Machamp from the base set is not worth anything beyond being a Machamp card. All of the Machamp cards from these era would have been 1st Editions.

Firstly, the set. The way in which 1st Edition Card works for the English set is weird. The early sets of the game had distinct First Editions. This meant that there were incredibly rare. So Base Set, Base Set 2, Jungle, Fossil, etc. However, as we started to get into the Neo era, the way in which First Editions were distributed changed.

In some cases, the First Edition wasnt actually the first edition and was distributed after the unlimited run. This meant that the cards from these sets hold less value. It was after this that Pokemon stopped producing First Edition cards.

Therefore, first edition cards are not all that rare. We wont dive too much into the value of the Japanese cards here, mostly because they tend to be a lot less valuable than the English cards.

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