Why 1st Gen Pokémon Charizard Card Got Sold For $183,000 in Auction?
- Avise Kenye
- Oct 15, 2020
- 2 min read
In an auction held last Friday, a rare Charizard card went up for auction. Called the Pokémon Trading Card Game’s “Holy Grail” by Iconic Auctions, the starting bid was set at $40,000. It was expected that the card would fetch a high price for its rarity, but after the bidding ended, it went for a whopping $183,812 to the rapper Logic. With the additional auction and buyers fees included, the final price for the card ended up over $220,000.
Logic posted on his Instagram on why he spent a huge amount for the card:
"When I was a kid I absolutely loved Pokémon but couldn’t afford the cards, I remember even trying to trade food stamps for theirs and now as an adult who has saved every penny he has made being able to enjoy something that I’ve loved since childhood now as a grown man is like buying back a piece of something I could never have, it’s not about the material it’s about the experience.”
The card itself, which is officially named the 1999 1st Edition Shadowless holographic Charizard #4, was graded as GEM MINT 10 by the PSA, an authentication company. In order for a card to reach this level, it must have the original gloss and zero stains, among other criteria. Iconic Auctions called the Charizard the most coveted Pokemon card.
"This is the Holy Grail of Pokemon cards, the most iconic and important card to both the Pokemon franchise and its die-hard fans," Iconic Auctions wrote on its website. "Indeed, this card can be compared to the T206 Wagner for baseball and 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan for basketball. It has attained a similar iconic status as far as Pokemon go, setting the stage for modern investment in today's lucrative modern card market.
In recent years, the market for collectable card games, especially Pokémon cards has skyrocketed. A No. 3 Trainer card, one of the most valuable Pokemon cards ever released went missing. Sold for $60,000 via an eBay auction in August 2018, the card vanished while in transit, never arriving at its destination. Faced with the missing treasure, the buyer is offering a $1,000 reward for information about the card's whereabouts.
Source: Polygon
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