So I have been collecting shadowless bast set cards for some time now because it’s what I grew up with and means something personal to me.
My question though is what does everyone else think about Shadowless cards? Do you collect them? Do you think the huge price mark up from Unlimited is justified?
I ask because I was recently talking to a friend who also collects (mostly modern stuff) and had to show them both versions of the cards so they could tell the difference. As far as collecting goes, is it too niche for future collectors since it’s not 1st ed, and Unlimited is more recognisable?
I had never seen a shadowless holo in my life before 2018 and I immediately found their colours & holo foil much more appealing than the unlimited version/any other language.
That said, I couldn’t care less about the shadow & thus didn’t buy any shadowless non holo cards. Holo premium = completely justified, non-holo premium = eh.
I think it comes down first to the rarity aspect and second the visual appeal. As a child I must have had unlimited cards because I remember comparing my base set Bulbasaur to a friend’s copy and being SO CONFUSED about the HP text appearing differently and even the colors of the cards being off from one another. I do not remember noticing the shadow/ shadowless aspect though. Their availability compared to unlimited absolutely justifies the price difference I would say. I have yet to collect any myself but have been studying the prices these last few weeks as something I’m definitely considering getting into.
Unlimited was what was introduced to me as a kid so it stands out as being the most nostalgic. I did come across a few friends who had Shadowless cards, but we all thought they were either fakes or just cards that had printed differently. It wasn’t until I was into my mid teens that I learned that it was from the original set.
That being said, I think the price hike is justified. While it’s frustrating to know that Unlimited has mostly remained the same price-wise as it has about 5 years ago for a large portion of cards (not true for everything), 1st Edition Shadowless and Shadowless cards stand out as the original Pokemon cards to be printed in English.
To get to the point: The more knowledgeable collectors will recognize why they pay more for Shadowless than Unlimited. It’s not even remotely close to being niche in my opinion.
The supply of unlimited cards is many times larger than the supply of shadowless cards, so the price increase is absolutely justified.
From an aesthetic standpoint, I think shadowless cards are significantly better looking that their unlimited counterparts, but scarcity has much more of an effect on price than aesthetics in this case.
There are a lot of people for whom Unlimited cards will work just fine. Mostly the same cards at a substantially lower price point.
But there will always be a lot of collectors who want something more than just good enough. People look for something that makes their collection a little extra special.
Shadowless cards, in my opinion, are a good compromise between something that still feels special while at the same time being relatively affordable compared to 1st ed Base.
Overall, I wouldn’t call Shadowless either overpriced or underpriced relative to 1st ed Base or Unlimited. Its place between those cards feels about right to me.
And yes, I think there will always be a market for them for this reason - something that still has a special feel while being more affordable than 1st ed Base.
Also, I completely agree with the consensus here that the Shadowless colors are so much more vibrant and appealing than the washed out colors of the Unlimited set. All the years later I still find it fascinating that WOTC would adjust the cards for the worse after the first print run in that way.
This is conjecture, but it seems to me unlimited cards are produced with less ink than their shadowless/1st edition counterparts, giving them that more washed out appearance. I’d guess that the change was partly a fiscal decision to save on ink. WOTC knew that they’d be printing multitudes more unlimited cards once popularity was gauged.
There is always going to be an appetite/interest for the OG cards and their price will be reflected in their rarity. Having said that I believe there were less print runs if the fourth set then any other and they don’t go for the same as 1ED or shadowless which seem to have a certain combination of desirability/demand.
Wow what fantastic responses so quickly. I agree that they are far more aesthetically pleasing than Unlimited and will keep collecting them because it’s what I like personally. It’s just great to see so many people who agree and have their own opinions.
I love shadowless cards, I collect all the cheap shadowless gyarados I see out there I will never have too much. Basically they are the same as 1st ed but they were not stamped so that’s means a lot to me. They will always achieve a premium over unlimited because they had just 1 print run.
I used to almost exclusively collect/buy&sell charizard cards, and after I completely sold everything the only thing I still have is a shadowless Charizard. It’s affordable, its the exact same as 1st ed base and cost 1/4 of the price because the 1st ed stamp isnt there…shadowless is the way to go for holos imo!
They have such a vintage feel to them with the colors. I love them so much more than unlimited. Once you see the difference it becomes very hard to unsee it.
Shadowless is from the same print run as 1st edition, just without the stamp.
It is like “Beta” in MTG from my perspective - won’t be as expensive as “Alpha”, but still gets the respect it deserves. In this inflated market, I’m only looking out for shadowless blastoise or no ‘stage’ error blastoise. There’s just too much unlimited to go around for everyone.
