1999 shiny Charizard Pokémon card sells for record £169,000
‘Holy Grail’ card bought by rapper Logic.
One of the rarest Pokémon cards of all time, the original holographic Charizard, has sold for a record amount at auction - and to a celebrity, no less.
The 1999 First Edition Shadowless holographic Charizard #4, to give it its full name, is one of the most sought-after Pokémon cards ever made. More commonly known as the ‘shiny Charizard’, the card has long been one of the most valuable Pokémon cards, ahead of even rarer cards such as the Japanese No. 1 Trainer hologram card, of which only seven exist. The most recent No. 1 Trainer card sold over the summer for $90,000.
As Iconic Auctions, the auction house that recently offered a mint-condition copy of the Charizard card for sale, put it: “This is the Holy Grail of Pokémon cards, the most iconic and important card to both the Pokémon franchise and its die hard fans.”
Bidding for the Gem Mint 10 holographic Charizard started at $40,000 and ended with a winning bid of $183,812. With Iconic’s 20% buyer’s fee on top, that brings the total amount paid for the card to $220,574 (£168,992) - the most ever paid for this particular Pokémon card, according to card game news outlet Cardhops.
While many auctions are won by unknown buyers, recently-retired rapper Logic - known for songs including 1-800-273-8255 - revealed that he was the new owner of the shiny Charizard card, tweeting that he had made the winning bid. (Thanks, Kotaku.)
The day of the auction, Logic tweeted that he had opened an original Pokémon base set box said to be worth $23,000, showing another holographic Charizard and shiny Raichu. A video was later uploaded of the rapper opening the booster packs.
The total $220,574 figure may even make the shiny Charizard the most valuable Pokémon card of all time, as it exceeds the $195,000 paid last year for a mint-condition copy of Pikachu Illustrator, currently listed by Guinness World Records as the most expensive Pokémon card sold at auction.