Calling all Pokemon card collectors and enthusiasts! We're diving into the world of the most valuable Charizard cards that could potentially fund your entire retirement. From rare editions to exclusive prints, these cards are worth more than some people's annual salary!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Charizard cards in
00:13the Pokémon TCG that are most likely to break your wallet.
00:18Keep in mind that these prices are averages and can fluctuate heavily.
00:23To coincide with the release of the third-generation Kanto remakes, the Pokémon TCG released a
00:39whole new line of EX cards.
00:50And you know what that means, more Charizards for wealthy collectors.
00:55Everyone's favourite Kanto starter hit shelves again, and like every other time, immediately
01:00got snatched up for hundreds of dollars apiece.
01:10Given all the exclusivity around the EX variant, a Mint Condition card can net you close to
01:165K.
01:17For that much, you could just pick up a copy of Pokémon FireRed, or ten.
01:22Although, to be fair, an in-game Charizard just isn't the same.
01:33Number 9.
01:34Blaine's Charizard Gym Challenge 2 1st Edition – $4,700
01:40Pokémon's first generation was a simpler time.
01:44Even in the trading card game's sixth expansion, people were still snatching up their favourite
01:49of the original 151 like there was no tomorrow.
02:00Chief among them, Blaine's Charizard.
02:02Even though this was far from the first to feature the Fire starter, the fact that this
02:07one was owned by the Cinnabar Gym Leader made it an elite find.
02:21Especially for those in search of a 1st edition print.
02:24Even if you do manage to track one down, well-conditioned copies go for as high as $4,700.
02:36Talk about a hot ticket item.
02:39Number 8.
02:40Charizard Expedition No. 6 – Holofoil – $8,000
02:45Look, it's no secret that Charmander's final form is the most in-demand Pokémon
02:51maybe ever.
02:56In or out of the card game, it's just that popular.
02:59But when you slap a shiny coat on it and add the word Holofoil, well, you're looking
03:05at an obscene amount of cash.
03:07And no, you can't use Poké Dollars.
03:16What's more, this wasn't even a normal card.
03:19It was released as part of the Expedition expansion set for the e-reader corner of the
03:23TCG.
03:24But if you think that dings its value any, you're gonna be sorely disappointed.
03:30If anything, the worth of this Holofoil Charizard keeps going up.
03:43Number 7.
03:44Charizard Evolutions No. 11 – Staff Prerelease – $13,500
03:52In 2016, the Pokémon brand celebrated 20 years by releasing a new pack of cards featuring,
03:59you guessed it, everyone's favourite fire type.
04:07But as if Charizard alone wasn't enough to move sales, there was an even more elusive
04:12version of this classic card.
04:15Workers overseeing the release events were given hyper-exclusive foiled Charizards with
04:20the word Staff stamped on them.
04:30The 2016 card on its own is already worth a pretty penny, but that little word adds
04:35an extra zero onto the original price tag, pushing the Evolutions version well into the
04:41tens of thousands of dollars.
04:43That's probably more than the staff made working the event.
04:53Number 6.
04:54Charizard Legendary Collections No. 3 – Reverse Holofoil – $15,000
05:01How much can a card reprint go for?
05:03Well, if your name is Charizard, it's a lot.
05:11While reissuing the iconic base set Charizard seems profitable enough already, this collection
05:17introduced a new card treatment called Reverse Holofoil.
05:21It featured a glossy, light show-like texture on every square inch outside of the artwork.
05:32The fresh variant gave casual buyers and die-hard collectors alike a whole new reason to pursue
05:39Charizard.
05:40It reached far and wide, but since everyone else was looking too, the demand skyrocketed
05:45the card all the way to a hefty $15,000 market value.
05:56Number 5.
05:57Shining Charizard – Neo Destiny No. 107 – 1st Edition – $15,000
06:05If your jaw is on the floor from that price tag, we only need two words to tell you why
06:09it goes for so much – Shiny Charizard.
06:16Do we really need to elaborate?
06:18It's one of Pokémon's heaviest hitters, with its ultra-rare alternate colour and unlimited
06:24card form.
06:25Honestly, we'd be shocked if it didn't cost a mortgage.
06:28It's almost funny.
06:30In the art, Charizard is dimmed so much, it's hard to tell it's even him at first.
06:39But clearly, that hasn't stopped hardcore fans from jacking up the cost.
06:44Charizard aficionados really know no bounds, especially not monetary ones.
06:57Number 4.
06:58Charizard Expedition No. 39 – For Position Only – $15,000
07:05Nothing ratchets up a card value more than internal test markups.
07:20Before the Expedition set was formally released in America, distributor Wizards of the Coast
07:25made prototype versions of a handful of cards.
07:29One of them just so happened to be a Charizard.
07:37These test versions, identifiable by the words, For Position Only, printed on the front,
07:43became overnight novelty sensations.
07:45It's not just that the art of Charizard was exclusive, it's that there was a finite
07:50version of these tests made in the first place.
07:53In terms of collectors, that means one thing – ka-ching, ka-ching.
08:03Number 3.
08:04Charizard – Sky Ridge No. 146 – Holo-Foil – $18,000
08:11If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that Charizard cards sell… a lot.
08:23So, when the Sky Ridge set was released with awesome new Charizard art as a rare pull,
08:31people took notice.
08:33Then, when news broke that the expansion only had a very small print order, the popular
08:39find turned into a full-on urban legend.
08:45It's so highly sought that, if you're lucky enough to find a Sky Ridge card in pristine
08:52condition – and trust us, that's a major if – you'd be holding around $18,000 in
08:59your hand.
09:00Forget printing money, printing Sky Ridge Charizard is much faster.
09:14Number 2.
09:15Delta Gold Star Charizard – EX Dragon Frontiers No. 100 – $25,000
09:22If there's a checklist for rare qualities in a Pokémon card, this one ticks them all.
09:32Alternate type?
09:33You bet.
09:34Beloved starter?
09:35Obviously.
09:36Gold card denoting its status as a prized possession above all other prized possessions?
09:42Yep.
09:43EX Dragon Frontiers Charizard has all that, and somehow wraps it into a single, gloriously
09:49illustrated card.
09:59It'd be the crown atop any collection.
10:02That is, assuming anyone can afford its ludicrous price tag.
10:06These things have sold for as high as $25,000.
10:10So which will it be?
10:11Dragon Frontiers Charizard, or a car?
10:15The choice is up to you.
10:42Number 1.
10:43Charizard Base Set No. 4 – $420,000
10:49We know you were waiting for it.
10:51Well, here it is.
10:52The original base set Charizard in all its glory.
11:02Forget its name, though.
11:03We could probably just call it THE Charizard card, and you'd know what we were talking
11:08about.
11:09Allegedly, only 3,000 copies of the first edition exist, and of those, around 120 are
11:16considered in mint condition.
11:18That's not considering the rare Disco Test Print editions, either.
11:31What does that scarcity add up to, you ask?
11:34A record-setting auction where the card sold for $420,000.
11:40That's what.
11:41You heard that right – $420,000.
11:46For those keeping score, that's more than every other card on this list combined and
11:50tripled.
11:51Charizard's supremacy is unmatched.
12:00Do you own any of these ultra-rare finds?
12:03Let us know in those comments below.