The hottest thing in the hobby right now might not be a member of the deep 2017 MLB rookie crop. It’s not an athlete. It’s Charizard. Yes, the Pokemon dragon that millions of kids were chasing back in the day. A 1999 Pokemon 1st Edition Charizard Holo graded BGS 10 sold for $55,650 on eBay.
Getting the Pristine BGS grade, three of the four subgrades (Edges, Corners and Surface) are all 10s. The only thing holding it back from Black Label status is the 9.5 for Centering.
The 1st Edition Charizard Holo could be compared to the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle for baseball and 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan for basketball. It has attained a similar iconic status, as far as Pokemon go. It’s known even by those who couldn’t otherwise tell you the difference between a Pikachu and a Raichu.
This card came on the heels of another big recent 1999 Pokemon 1st Edition Charizard Holo sale. This one, a PSA 10, went for $18,900 on July 23 via eBay. Both this sale and the BGS 10 were consignments through PWCC Auctions.
Another PSA 10 Charizard Holo ended at around the same time as the BGS 10, closing at $20,000.
Is My Pokemon 1st Edition Charizard Worth $50,000?
Before you start planning for a Scrooge McDuck-esque money bin (or even a Clark Griswold-ian swimming pool), if you have an original Charizard, it’s probably not worth thousands of dollars.
First off, this is the 1st Edition version that is commanding the huge amounts. The 1999 Pokemon Charizard has a few different versions. All are coveted and command decent money. But it’s the 1st Edition version, noted by the small bit of foil, that identifies this one.
However, the big driver of these massive sales is the condition. They’re among the best of the best out there, which is reflected with the grades. Just two have been graded BGS 10 Pristine. As for PSA 10 copies, there were 110 at the time of this sale.
Even if your 1999 Pokemon 1st Edition Charizard Holo isn’t in perfect condition, it’s still likely to draw interest and carry some value — just like when it came out of packs nearly 20 years ago. It might just not be measured in tens of thousands of dollars.
If you are interested in learning about how to get your Pokemon cards graded through BGS, you can check out the page here or get in touch with a sales rep. You can also access and subscribe to Beckett’s Pokemon online price guide.