Pokemon base set as it is commonly referred to, is essentially the very first Pokemon Trading Card set. This is the set that started Pokemon mania all across the world.
Pokemon cards swept across the world and literally stopped all other TCG’s from being printed. For almost 2 years, Pokemon cards were just about the only cards being printed due to the huge amount of demand.
Pokemon base set would become the most well known and sought after set ever released. The nostalgia most kids ( now young adults ) get from base set is unparalleled. Friendships, rivalries, good and bad trades – Pokemon base set took the world by storm.
What is Pokemon Base Set and how much is it worth?
Released in English on January 9, 1999 and Japanese on October 20, 1996. Pokemon Base set contains the very famous and elusive Charizard, along with other fan favourites such as Blastoise, Venusaur, Mewtwo and of course Pikachu.
There are 4 main variations all consisting of the same cards juts with slight differences, i will discuss them all below..
- 1st Edition Shadowless Base Set
- Shadowless Base Set
- Unlimited Base Set
- 1999-2000 Base Set
1st Edition Shadowless Base Set
PRICE PER PACK $8,000+
PRICE PER BOX (36) $300,000+
1st edition base set is the first printing of the first ever Pokemon trading cards. It is regarded as the holy grail set for collectors and investors alike. You can spot a 1st edition printing by the 1st edition logo printed on the box, pack and cards. The most expensive card in this set ( 1st edition Charizard ) can fetch upwards of $500,000 depending if the card has been professionally graded.
This set is very rare and expensive, even at the time of release back in 1999 they were really hard to find due to such a low print run.
Shadowless Base Set
PRICE PER PACK $1000+
PRICE PER BOX (36) $35,000+
Shadowless base set is such named because of the lack of a 1st edition stamp but retaining the unshadowed border from the 1st edition print run. The booster packs can be identified as the ‘trading card game’ logo is situated on the bottom of the pack unlike unlimited packs with the logo at the top. Each individual card can be identified also by the lack of 1st edition stamp but retaining a ‘shadowless border’ on the right hand side of the Pokemon frame.
Shadowless booster boxes and booster packs are slightly less rare than their 1st edition counterparts but are still really hard to find.
Unlimited Base Set
PRICE PER PACK $500+
PRICE PER BOX $18,00+
Unlimited base set is by far the most common variant and the most nostalgic for collectors. This set was heavily printed and distributed all over the world. You can spot an unlimited edition printing by the lack of a 1st edition stamp on the box, pack or cards. The cards themselves have a shadowed border on the right-hand side of the Pokémon frame.
The term unlimited does not mean these products were in fact ‘unlimited’. Due to the age of the product and the fact most of this product was opened and played with by kids from around the world this set is getting harder each day to find on the open market.
1999-2000 Base Set
PRICE PER PACK $1000+
PRICE PER BOX $35,000+
Widely unknown to new collectors the base set printing has a 4th variant sometimes regarded as ‘4th print’. These cards were mainly printed in Australia and Belgium and are identifiable by the printing date on the bottom of each card. All other base set variants read ‘1999’ whereas this set reads ‘1999-2000’. The longer crimps on the top and bottom of the pack are also key indicators of a 1999-2000 print.
1999-2000 base set products and cards are almost as rare as the 1st edition printing. Due to the fact they were only printed and sold in 2 countries with a significantly lower print run than ‘unlimited’ products.
The Cards..
Base Set has a total of 102 cards including 16 holographic cards. The main chase cards in this set are Charizard, Blastoise and Venusaur. Ironically these 3 cards are the final evolution of the generation 1 starter Pokemon from the games. They are also featured on the pack artwork as seen above.
Pokemon such as Mewtwo, Chansey, Pikachu and Dragonair were also very popular among kids. You could see your favourite Pokemon on the Tv and now you could own their cards. Many friendships would be made ata school because of the common interest in Pokemon cards. Brining children together to trade and play Pokemon is what made Pokemon such a big hit worldwide.
Lastly..
I will be writing about every english Pokemon TCG expansion released thus far.. Follow my posts as we take a trip down memory lane.
My next post is about all about ‘Jungle‘ the second set of the Pokemon TCG
