With over 720 different Pokemon cards released to date, it’s no surprise that some are rarer than others. Some are so rare that they are worth a lot of money. In this article, we take a look at the most valuable and rarest Charizard Pokemon cards out there, estimating their value based on market trends and past sales statistics. With the help of online communities such as Reddit, Imgur, and Instagram, as well as some specialist websites, we’ve compiled a list of the most expensive Pokemon cards, along with what makes them so unique.
Table of Contents
What is a Charizard?
The Pokémon brand includes music, TV series, movies, and mobile games. However, in the trading space, Pokémon Game Cards are the bestseller. Currently, nearly 1000 pokemon species are featured on these cards, but Charizard cards remain the most valuable. The Charizard became popular due to its exceptional abilities and status as the mascot of the 1996 video game Pokemon Red.
The Charizard (also known as Lizardon in Japan) is a draconic bipedal Pokémon. Its primary color is orange, and it has a cream underside from its chest to the tip of its tail. Small blue eyes, slightly elevated nostrils, a long neck, and two horn-like protrusions from the back of its rectangular head are all features of this pokemon. It is the final form of a Charmander (which evolved from a Charmeleon) and was introduced in the Generation I series.
Why are Charizard Pokemon Cards Very Valuable?
Not only are Charizard cards the most expensive available, but they also feature some of the greatest graphics and artwork ever created on pokemon cards. The Charizard is a fan favorite that almost all pokemon players have used at least once and all card collectors want a Charizard card in their card collection.
In any Pokemon card deck, the Charizard card is the hardest to find. Even people who are not card collectors are aware of this well-known and esteemed card. But the Charizard isn’t just valuable; the Pokemon is also endowed with an incredibly beautiful appearance and these cards showcase the fantastic design of the Pokemon.
Most Valuable Charizard Cards
Let’s take a look at some of the most expensive Charizard cards ever sold and what makes them very special:
1996 Japanese Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card (No Rarity Symbol)
This is one of the rarest Charizard cards ever made. Up until recently, the 1996 Japanese base set was thought to have only had one print run. These recently discovered cards were actually the first Pokémon cards to be printed. They are from the Japanese base set’s initial print run.
Collectors refer to these initial print cards as “no rarity” cards since they lack rarity symbols in the card’s lower right corner. The Japanese base set’s normal print run, as well as all later printings of Pokemon cards, contain these rarity symbols. Only the promotion cards are contemporary cards without these rarity symbols.
No rarity cards are incredibly hard to come by. Nobody knows where these cards came from, whether they were short packs, base set packs, boxes, or first print decks. It is believed that these cards were only printed for one to two weeks until the print run was adjusted to include rarity symbols.
One thing about these cards is that are quite valuable among collectors. The record for the third-highest price for any pokemon card ever sold belongs to one of these cards. It was sold for $420000 at an online auction in 2022. You can check out the price for some that were sold on eBay recently and how much they were sold for.
1999 Base Set Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card (1st Edition)
This is the Holy Grail of Charizard Pokemon cards. For the Pokemon franchise and all of its devoted admirers, this card is both iconic and significant. Can you imagine how Pokemon would be if a Charizard had never been printed? It might not have grown to be as large as it was.
Because it is from the first English set ever made, it is far less common than other typical Charizard cards. It’s also the first-ever English Charizard card. This has both the first edition and no shadow, unlike the second wave of 1st editions with the shadow or the third wave without the 1st edition.
Because of their extreme rarity, these cards are really valuable. The highest sale recorded for any card of this type was in 2022 when a card was sold for $336000 at an online auction by Heritage Auction House. But on average, these cards sell for as high as $6000 on common auction sites like eBay.
1999 Holographic Shadowless Charizard Pokemon Card
The shadowless base set Charizard card is a popular choice among card collectors. With significantly more print runs, this set was produced not long after the first edition set. When compared to the limited set, the availability is still limited, although it is not as rare as the first edition.
It can be observed that the 1st edition logo is no longer present on the base set shadowless. This may not seem like much of a change to an inexperienced card collector, but to an expert collector, this is a whole new distinction on the cards. Most Pokemon cards without shadows are more collectible than those that have shadows.
The most valued of the 102 cards that were printed was sold for went for $264,000 in 2022 at a PWCC Auctions auction. On regular sites like eBay, they can sell for prices as high as $9000.
2000 Korean 1st Edition Charizard Pokemon card
When WOTC started printing Pokemon Trading Cards, they also released many editions in various languages. The Korean edition came a year later, in 2000. Even though it doesn’t have the same worth as some other foreign cards, it is still a fascinating piece of memorabilia.
The changes between Pokémon cards printed in English, Japanese, and Korean are minimal. The borders of the cards show some noticeable distinctions, with Japanese cards having silver edges and others having edges in various hues. Additionally, Korean cards don’t fray as quickly and have stronger edge cuts than some others.
One Charizard card went for $40,000 in an online auction in 2021 since it was the first edition to be sold in Korea. This holographic card has a PSA rating of 10, which implies that it is flawless and free of blemishes and tears. In Korea, these cards are generally worth $500.
2000 Topps Chrome Series 1 Tekno Charizard Pokemon Card
Topps created the Pokémon Chrome Trading Card Series of trading cards in 2000 in response to the game’s huge success. The series consists of 78 cards with 78 of the original Pokémon characters, though it is unclear how many Charizard cards were made in this series.
A Charizard card from the set that PSA rated 10 GEM Mint condition was sold for $60,000 at a PWCC Auctions auction in 2022. These series of Pokémon cards were distributed at random and often came in packs of five.
2002 Holographic NEO Destiny Shining Charizard Pokemon Card
This is another big seller in the Pokemon card collection. The Pokémon on this card were made shiny by Wizards of the Coast as opposed to having a foil background, which gives it a genuinely distinctive appearance. This makes this card stand out from the rest and most collectors consider it an essential addition to their collection.
Additionally, this is the last edition in which Wizards Of The Coast used the logo from the first edition and the last of the four NEO sets. It is the third Charizard card to be printed that features the 1st edition logo.
These cards have grown to be very popular as collectibles among price collectors and they pay very high prices to acquire them. They usually sell for a couple of thousand dollars. You can check out some sales of these cards that were completed in recent times.
1996 Japanese Base Set Holofoil Charizard Pokemon Card
The 1996 Japanese sets were the first Pokemon game cards that were produced. The cards that don’t have a rarity indication in the bottom right corner are regarded as being from the first edition. The quantity of Japanese Pokemon cards printed in 1996 is unknown. It was discovered that just around the same number of cards as the 1999 1st edition cards had been sent to PSA for grading thus far after looking at the population data. Consequently, the print run can be far smaller in number than most collectors believe.
The design arrangement of the Japanese holofoil Charizard Pokemon card from 1996 differs from the design of the 1999 version. It can be observed that the block shape on the 1999 card is different from the horizontal block containing the energy requirements on the 1996 cards. However, the holographic aspect and art remain similar in both versions.
In 2020, a holofoil Japanese Charizard card bearing the number 6 sold for $37,600 in an online auction. This card lacks other features found on typical Pokémon cards and instead gains value from the unique Charizard image and holofoil on its face. Currently, these cards are only collectibles.
2002 Legendary Collection Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card
The 2002 Pokémon Legendary Collection Holographic Charizard Pokemon card is next on this list. This card resembles the Charizard with the shadow from the base set, except that it bears a legendary collecting medal in the character box on the lower right corner of the card. Additionally, 2002 is written there instead of 1995 as the year.
Apart from the renowned Charizard artwork, another thing that makes this card so expensive is how tough it is to grade in a PSA 10. This is because grading this card is more difficult due to the vast holographic area’s frequent susceptibility to print lines.
The card’s highest selling price for a PSA 10-graded edition was a solid $12655. While that may sound like a lot of money, isn’t quite as much as everything else on this list.
2003 Skyridge Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card
The 2003 Skyridge holographic Charizard Pokemon card is another popular Charizard card among collectors. This set’s artwork is incredibly intricate, distinctive, and appealing, making it a highly sought-after one.
The Charizard comes into proximity to us as his claws seem to detach from the card. He has a menacing expression on his face, and you can see his fiery tail waving in the distance. He seems to be getting ready for a dragon tail assault.
In a recent sale on eBay, one of these was sold for $3750. This shows how valuable these cards have become among collectors and how much they will willing to pay to have one in their collection.
2006 EX Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card
This is the first Charizard Pokemon Card where the Pokémon are portrayed emerging from the character box and seemingly popping off the card. All of the Charizard Pokémon featured in this set were original Pokémon that had already evolved, which is another distinctive aspect of this.
Only on this one card does Charizard use darkness energy in place of his usual fire energy for attacks. It’s a rather special card that practically transforms him into a different Pokémon. They are extremely difficult to grade and only 9% of the cards have been confirmed to be in gem mint 10 conditions. incredibly difficult to obtain and a fantastic investment.
One of such priceless rarities, graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) in a gem 10 Mint condition, sold for $25,400 at a PWCC Auctions sale in 2021.
2016 XY Staff Release Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card
These were distributed to a select group of distributors who hosted XY prerelease events in 2016. The staff members or judges who assisted in running the event were to receive the cards bearing the Staff stamp. However, not all of them were Charizards.
Four Pokémon staff release cards, Mewtwo, Blastoise, Machamp, and Charizard, were distributed. One of the four, with Charizard being the most valuable, was given to each store. The only difference between Staff cards and promo Charizard cards is the gold Staff stamp, which can be found on the left-bottom corner of the holographic box.
Card collectors now covet these fantastic pieces. Although they sell as high as some other Charizard cards, collectors still pay reasonably for them. For instance, one of these cards was recently sold on eBay for $1525.
1995 Japanese Topsun Holofoil Charizard Pokemon Card
The 1995 Japanese Topsun Holofoil is for devoted Charizard collectors. This card is popular among collectors because of the background’s distinctive broken ice design, which is exclusive to this collection.
Since Pokémon wasn’t invented until 1996, Topsun cards were printed in 1997. This suggests that these were not the first Pokemon cards to be printed. “1995” is not actually related to the year the card was produced, it only has to do with the Nintendo trademark. These holofoils are extremely uncommon and challenging to grade. Only 16 have been deemed to be in gem mint condition by PSA; only 79 had been sent to them for grading to date.
One of the highest recorded sales of one of these cards was completed in 2020 when it was sold for a solid $25000. The card was graded by PSA in a gem mint 10 condition.
2019 Team Up Black Star Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card (Staff Release)
A select few distributors who hosted 2019 Team Up prerelease events received staff cards such as the Black Star sets. The staff cards were intended as gifts for the participants who supported the event’s organization. They can be challenging to locate in gem mint conditions and are relatively uncommon.
Charizard wasn’t distributed to every store; some received Gyarados, Machamp, or Mewtwo instead. The only difference between Team Up Staff prerelease cards and standard prerelease promo cards is the gold Staff stamp that can be found on the holographic box’s lower left corner.
In a recent sale on eBay, one of these cards was sold for $1536. There is currently another sale listing of a card of this type with a listing price of $2316.
2002 Legendary Collection Reverse Holographic Charizard Pokemon Card
Surprisingly, the most expensive Charizard card in the Charizard collection is not the reverse holographic Charizard Pokemon card, despite its uniqueness and rarity. The card is still precious and quite alluring, though. It truly is one of a kind.
Just 543 of the Charizard reverse holos have been extracted and submitted by collectors since 2002. It is shockingly low for one of the more well-known sets. Only 543 have been discovered and submitted in the past 17 years meaning that the PSA only receives an average of 32 cards of this set on yearly basis.
2002 Team Rocket Holographic Dark Charizard Pokemon Card (1st Edition)
The second Charizard Pokémon card to ever be printed can be found in the 2000 Pokémon 1st Edition Team Rocket collection. These have entirely different artwork from the original set. Charizard’s top is visible from above as he soars across the night sky.
The attack and hit points on the cards were printed at a lower level. Only 80 HP can be seen on the card, which is very low, particularly for Pokémon of Stage 2. As a result, this card is wonderful for collecting but not for playing the game. When discovered in gem mint condition, the holographic Dark Charizard Pokemon card is quite valuable and collectible.
Just like other collectible cards on this list, collectors would pay well to have this card in their collection. One was recently sold on eBay for $4,036.16.
1997 Pocket Monsters Cardass Vending Charizard Pokemon Card
This is the first Charizard Pokemon card that was distributed throughout Japan in vending machines, along with the cards of some other popular games such as Dragon Ball Z and Yu-Gi-Oh. This makes it one of the most unique Charizard Pokemon cards.
The front of these cards screams attention with the background’s highly reflective prism pattern. The purple reflective foil finish of the Pocket Monsters text, which is prominently visible on the bottom, complements the orange prismatic background. The PSA has received only 175 of the Carddass Charizards for grading. It’s safe to say they are relatively uncommon as only 45 were discovered in gem mint 10 conditions.
These cards might not be as valuable as some others mentioned on this list but collectors still want them. And with the rate at which it’s being sought after, the value is expected to keep going higher with time. Recently, one was sold on eBay for $750.
2017 Full Art GX Burning Shadows Charizard Pokemon Card
This was the first card on which Wizards of the Coast printed the Secret Hyper Rares with the rainbow foil and unique texture and the card is gradually growing to be something of value among collectors.
A staggering 1421 Charizard hyper rares have been evaluated by PSA. With a total of 617, less than half of the Charizard hyper rares were in gem-mint condition. 144 were in NM-MT 8 and 611 were in mint 9 conditions.
2018 Full Art GX Japanese Sun and Moon Charizard Pokemon Card (Ultra Shiny GX)
More people were anticipating the release of this set than any other recent set when it was launched in Japan. PSA has graded 467 of the Ultra Shiny Charizards, with 400 in gem mint condition. This number is surprisingly low compared to the Burning Shadows Charizard GX secret rare
The master set, the most important set, features a whopping 375 cards and includes reprints from prior sets. The more difficult it will be to obtain this stunning blue beauty in pristine condition, the more expensive it will become. It is currently proving to be more difficult to find than anticipated.
EX FireRed & LeafGreen Charizard Pokemon Card
Since most EX FireRed & LeafGreen Charizard Pokemon cards in good condition are already owned by collectors, many of the more expensive Charizard cards are difficult to find. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get your hands on some incredible finds in 2022 and beyond.
The EX FireRed & LeafGreen set’s Charizard Pokemon card may be purchased for $300 on the open market, which is a relative bargain given that it cost close to $1000 only a few months ago. You should go get this Pokemon card right away if the $300 price tag doesn’t automatically put you off.
Sword & Shield Vivid Voltage Promo Charizard Pokemon Card
Due to their limited availability, promo cards in the Pokemon Trading Card game and all other trading card products will always be valuable. This applies to the Charizard promotion for the Sword & Shield card sets, which highlight Vivid Voltage.
This particular card was intended for the employees working the prerelease event and wasn’t just a promotional item. Due to that restriction, even fewer copies of this Charizard Pokemon card were printed than the usual run of promos that attendees at prerelease events are entitled to in exchange for showing up and/or taking part in the event.
Conclusion
Finally, we hope this article gives you some useful information on some of the rarest and most expensive Pokemon cards from this past year and their average value. However, it should be noted that the price for most of these cards is not fixed; it all depends on the stability of the market and some other factors.
If you take a long-term view on Pokemon card investing, paying a few extra dollars to secure some of these cards is not a bad idea. Because the prices of these cards increase over time. Also, if your strategy is a quick pick-and-flip, then you probably need a rethink because trading Pokemon cards for their best value is a long-term investment.
Ultimately though, there’s nothing bad about picking up the cards you love, and adding them to your collection.
