What happened to this Base Set Charizard?

General
1

Hey guys,

I’m looking for some opinions on this Base Set Unlimited Charizard.
I received this Base Set Charizard in a private sale recently that involved the sellers entire collection. I am extremely happy with the purchase I made. Now this is where it gets interesting. As I was going through the lot I discovered this card that had me puzzled. Immediately I could tell this card was “unique”. The card is extremely light in coloration for an unlimited Charizard. I personally haven’t seen a base set unlimited holo this faded. What I am curious about is if you guys think this lack of coloration was due mainly to direct sunlight ,and has subsequently caused this card to fade. Or, if this could have potentially been caused by something else ? I immediately thought the sun, however, no other card including the other unlimited and shadowless holos in the lot had any signs of coloration issues. Another point that had me questioning the sun was that the cards were cared for extremely well as the only damage on this card is a factory print line going horizontally across the holo. Finally, if you think it was the sun, how long do you think it would need to be kept in the sun to achieve this result?

Regardless of the cause I find it extremely unique, and am adding it to my Charizard collection. I am messing with the idea of it grading it on my next round of submissions just to see what PSA would do with it.

Thanks for your input and take care!!

PHOTOS:
Unfortunately, I do not have my other base set Charizard’s on hand at the moment for a proper comparison, so I had to get creative in showing just how extreme the color difference is.


Can you spot the odd man out ?


The "Pokémon Power: Energy Burn " is extremely light in person.


Pic showing the print line :slightly_frowning_face:


Flawless back too!

2

UV radiation is one hell of a drug.

5 Likes
3

Well, I am not an expert but I think it’s because of the sun, as you suggested.
Maybe this Charizard was very old and took a seat for years on a desk or a shelf, fully exposed to sun light.
Did you ask to the seller what happened with this Charizard ?

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4

Do you have a usb microscope? try putting the back of the cards under the microscope to see if they have the same dot pattern.

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5

albinozard

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6

Print looks a bit light but it may be that you’re comparing it to versions that were “naturally” (for lack of a better term) more saturated.

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7

I’m going to dig up his contact info and see if he can give me some info on it. Thanks!

8

I do not have a usb microscope :slightly_frowning_face:

9

Yes more saturated, but not by this wide of a margin.

10

Looks like it went window tanning for 5-10 years

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11

I was gonna come in here and make this exact comment lol

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12

I love the name. I’m going to start calling it that :joy:

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