Anyone here remember the days when base set psa 9 1st ed zards used to sell for 200$ each haha? I can still remember talking myself out of bidding 750$ for a 9 a few years back saying it was too much. Crazy how much they’ved jumped!
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It has been insane. I bought my ungraded 1st zard for $50 5 years ago. Because I feel i needed such a hot card in my collection. Now I will see what grade it gets soon but its looking like a 8-9. Could be severely disappointed but oh well!
I wish they were that low, need one to complete my set and trying to afford one for me is hard these days.
Can’t even find a decent raw one for under 500 now…
Wiser words were never spoken friend.
It’s because every seller who has a mint or close one is putting the grade they are expecting the card the get in the title or description and then buyers see it and bid the card up like crazy because they think it’s a guaranteed grade.
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I remember struggling to sell one for $260 back in the day. Overall, I am happy the market is where it is (what I tell myself to maintain sanity on how cheap things were years ago).
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Also because all of us are flooding Facebook/YouTube/Instagram/eBay/the internet with our snazzy graded cards. Anyone with a slight interest in Pokemon probably now knows about PSA grading and knows that grading is the best way to maximize the money for their card. Honestly, you’d have to be nuts to throw up for bid a 1st Ed. Charizard in NM/M condition.
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It is nice seeing the 1st Edition charizard having defined lower grade values. In vintage sports cards, prices are defined all the way down to the laughable grades for pokemon collectors (1, 2, 3 grades). This is mostly due to the fact that little to no sealed product exists. Most cards in Pokemon are undefined after 8, but Charizard sells pretty consistently at 7, 6, 5 grades.
Perhaps one day the original series of Pokemon will be considered “vintage” and have defined values for every grade.
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This is why I gotta get a 1st ed Zard back in my coooolection before it goes up another thousand or so. Really happy with the stuff I got with the money from selling the zard though, because the RAYQUAZA and GOLD ZARD seem to be worth crazy amounts right now, even at auction. 2 ZARDS went in Minty Fresh condition recently for 900-1100US MAX, and compared to that ZARD that went for 2130US on auction Ungraded… I’d say there is no difference in condition, and that the 2 that went recently had no whitening, but that one that was listed as GEM MINT went for 2130US and it had some whitening, but was really well centered. AGAIN that Term GEM-MINT.
That is the hope. However I do believe that unlike the other base cards, charizard will always stand above the rest as the icon of Pokemon. For that reason the price will continue to increase, and who knows maybe these cards will end up in museums some day. Saw a 10 sell for over 5500 USD at auction! the other day, absolutely insane
There’s Gyarados collectors, Rays, Pikachus etc. Is anybody an exclusively Charizard collector?
you?
Close, but I collect lots of things;)
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Almost everyone is a Charizard collector. I’m glad it’s not my favorite.
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You have nirly finished your goals! So one day you will have to go after 1st base in psa 10, unless you dont want to have every single set accept the first one… That would make no sense though, I cant understand why you would get every english set but not the first one.
Everyone and their grandmas are Charizard collectors.
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I only collect the prick as part of sets, personally im not a big fan of the bastard
Wish I wasn’t a fan of him 
Recently purchased one for $1025 inc shipping and customs to the UK. $850 or so before customs. Mint and ungraded, achieved a PSA 9.
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