1999 Pokemon Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Holo Charizard #4 PSA 10 GEM MINT

Despite landing a contract to design many of the first Pokémon cards in 1996, famed Pokémon illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita feared his artwork would fade into obscurity. At the time, Nintendo had yet to release the original Pokémon games, so there was no guarantee that the Pokémon Trading Card Game would succeed. But upon the TCG’s debut in 1996 and its U.S. release in 1999, Pokémon became an international phenomenon. Every Pokémon collector, big or small, wanted a Charizard— the cover character for Pokémon Red for Game Boy. Though some kids did not actually play the TCG, the sight of Charizard’s 120 HP and fearsome artwork let everyone know the card featured one powerful Pokémon. Today, collectors know it as the ’52 Topps Mantle or ’86 Fleer Jordan of the Pokémon world. Of the three original English prints of this card, the Shadowless 1st Edition remains the most coveted Charizard, and arguably the most iconic TCG card. This first English printing features a shadowless portrait border and a deeper color palette than its Unlimited counterpart, creating an unmatched aesthetic that brings the powerful Pokémon character to life. Because of its desirability and effectiveness within the Pokémon TCG, this card was often scuffed, scratched, bent, and chipped as excited fingers gripped and grabbed at it during gameplay, making high-grade examples exceedingly rare. This beautiful PSA 10 will fire up plenty of TCG bidders this month, igniting a fierce battle to own this exemplary example of TCG's mightiest printing. The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 06/12/2025.