1999 Pokemon Base Set Shadowless Holo Charizard #4 CGC 10 PRISTINE

Along with its fearsome look and powerful attacks, Charizard owes its popularity to its early appearances in the Pokémon anime. Ash Ketchum and his friends first encountered Charizard in episode 11 as a Charmander abandoned in a rainstorm. The image of Charmander cowering beneath a leaf as he attempted to keep the flame on his tail lit immediately bonded viewers to the adorable lizard—they genuinely cared about his growth and success. Over the next few episodes, Charmander grew stronger as he rescued Ash and the others from several sticky situations, proving his loyalty to his new trainer. However, after defeating a horde of Exeggutors in episode 43, Charmander evolved into the disobedient Charmeleon. Believing himself too strong to be commanded by an inexperienced trainer, Charmeleon became so problematic that Ash had no choice but to confine him to his Pokéball. Three episodes later, Charmeleon finally evolved into Charizard in order to defeat an Aerodactyl that had kidnapped Ash. However, Charmeleon had only evolved to display its strength and proved just as stubborn and disobedient as a Charizard. Only after Ash helped Charizard recover after Tad’s Poliwrath froze him solid in episode 105 did the Flame Pokémon realize how much his trainer cared for him and finally became loyal. With the release of the 1999 English Base Set, young trainers followed in Ash’s footsteps by adding their very own Charizard to their team. While there are eight different printings of Mitsuhiro Arita’s iconic Base Set Charizard, the Shadowless version is considered one of the rarest prints of this beloved issue. Wizards of the Coast printed the first English Base Set in the Shadowless design and added 1st Edition stamps later in production. Therefore, Shadowless cards are technically part of the first print run of the English Base Set yet are more common than their 1st Edition counterparts. This stunning Pop 1 of 1 CGC 10 stands as one of the few examples of this coveted card to survive in high grade and sits only a half-subgrade shy of CGC Perfect 10 distinction. Given its high grade and Charizard’s place as one of the franchise’s most iconic Pokémon, this Shadowless Base Set Holo is sure to be a popular choice among collectors in this month’s TCG Premier Auction.