1999 Pokemon German 1st Edition Holo Charizard Glurak #4 PSA 10 GEM MINT

What is in a name? Shakespeare would have insisted that a name is enough to keep two star-crossed lovers apart. But do the words on a trading card really matter? Competitive players are justified in arguing that they do—after all, they need to know what they are reading to battle effectively. Yet collectors’ perspectives are more mixed. Aside from those altered due to various international censorship laws, artwork generally remains untouched as card companies reprint sets to accommodate different global markets. Take this 1st Edition German issue of the 1999 Base Set Charizard, for example. Despite being printed in German, this card still features illustrator Mitsuhiro Arita’s iconic artwork, making it virtually identical to the famed English print or even the original Japanese issue released in 1996. The card’s stats are identical to its English-language counterpart, and it features the same Galaxy Star Holofoil that made the original Gen 1 sets so popular. The only difference between this card and any other 1st Edition Base Set Charizard is its print language. “Glurak” roughly translates to “Ember Dragon,” which is admittedly much cooler than the portmanteau of “char” and “lizard” that became “Charizard.” But is language enough to justify the five-figure average price difference between PSA 10 examples of Glurak and Charizard? While fans of the English print may cite nostalgia as a reason to pay more for their card of choice, collectors simply looking to own Arita’s beloved artwork might consider choosing Glurak over Charizard. Even investors might find Glurak an appealing alternative. The German Base Set 1st Edition Charizard’s total PSA population is less than half that of its English counterpart, and only 53 examples exist in PSA 10 compared to 123 for the English 1st Edition Charizard. Therefore, PSA 10 examples of Glurak are actually rarer than 1st Edition Charizards in the same grade. So, what is really in a name? The only one that should matter when it comes to this stunning PSA 10 is “Winning Bidder."