A $420,000 Charizard card sells at auction

Trading cards of this fire-breathing Pokémon are skyrocketing in value.

A rare first edition holographic Charizard card from the 1999 Pokémon Base Set sold for $420,000 at auction, according to PWCC Marketplace, which sold it at its March Premier Auction.

In the words of the famed Japanese illustrator, “this historic piece of art drawn by famous designer Mitsuhiro Arita is the most iconic Pokémon card ever made.”

On a scale of 0 to 10, only 121 copies of this card are in pristine condition, according to PWCC’s item description on their website.
In the realm of media, Charizard is the GOAT. “It’s an asset that Pokémon and non-Pokémon collectors know about and want,” PWCC’s head of business development, Jesse Craig, told CNN.

“Demand continues to outnumber supply,” Craig noted.

In recent years, the card has fetched progressively high prices, including $336,000 earlier this month. A identical Charizard card sold for $360,000 in late 2020, including a buyer’s premium.

Early that year, retired rapper Logic allegedly spent over $220,000 for another first edition Charizard card, while YouTuber and want to be MMA fighter Logan Paul reportedly spent the same amount on a box of Pokémon Base Set cards.

One of the most popular Charizard cards sold for nearly $490,000.