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Base Set is where it all started. The set launched in the West on January 9, 1999 and laid the groundwork for everything that followed: Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur and the rest of the first 102 cards. Almost thirty years on, this is still the most sought-after Pokémon set there is, and you can see that in the prices.

In this blog we line up the top 20 chase cards from Base Set, counting down from number 20 to number 1. Base Set was released in three print runs and that makes a huge difference in value, so for every card you'll see the raw value and the PSA 10 value of 1st Edition, Shadowless and Unlimited, in euros with the dollar amount behind it. All pricing comes from Collectr and was collected in September 2026.

#20 Charmander 46/102

Charmander 46/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €150.28 ($174.54)
    Shadowless €10.92 ($12.68)
    Unlimited €2.63 ($3.05)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €2,735.21 ($3,176.86)
    Shadowless €498.77 ($579.30)
    Unlimited €256.19 ($297.53)
    Source: GetCollectr

#19 Pikachu (Yellow Cheeks) 58/102

Pikachu (Yellow Cheeks) 58/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €153.19 ($177.92)
    Shadowless €41.09 ($47.73)
    Unlimited €13.86 ($16.10)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €4,667.35 ($5,420.97)
    Shadowless €1,015.35 ($1,179.30)
    Unlimited €498.73 ($579.26)
    Source: GetCollectr

#18 Dragonair 18/102

Dragonair 18/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €155.84 ($181.00)
    Shadowless €46.92 ($54.50)
    Unlimited €16.06 ($18.65)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €5,094.14 ($5,916.67)
    Shadowless €744.75 ($865.00)
    Unlimited €407.94 ($473.81)
    Source: GetCollectr

#17 Magikarp 35/102

Magikarp 35/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €167.68 ($194.75)
    Shadowless €21.34 ($24.78)
    Unlimited €2.62 ($3.04)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €2,787.41 ($3,237.48)
    Shadowless €496.63 ($576.82)
    Unlimited €387.44 ($449.96)
    Source: GetCollectr

#16 Hitmonchan 7/102

Hitmonchan 7/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €251.84 ($292.50)
    Shadowless €83.59 ($97.09)
    Unlimited €17.24 ($20.02)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €21,599.82 ($25,087.48)
    Shadowless €3,391.30 ($3,938.88)
    Unlimited €1,881.85 ($2,185.71)
    Source: GetCollectr

#15 Chansey 3/102

Chansey 3/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €258.29 ($300.00)
    Shadowless €82.87 ($96.25)
    Unlimited €53.97 ($62.68)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €38,744.11 ($45,000.00)
    Shadowless €75,084.35 ($87,208.00)
    Unlimited €9,027.99 ($10,485.71)
    Source: GetCollectr

#14 Clefairy 5/102

Clefairy 5/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €272.90 ($316.97)
    Shadowless €171.34 ($199.00)
    Unlimited €45.28 ($52.59)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €9,901.27 ($11,500.00)
    Shadowless €4,656.18 ($5,408.00)
    Unlimited €3,933.82 ($4,569.00)
    Source: GetCollectr

#13 Bulbasaur 44/102

Bulbasaur 44/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €277.64 ($322.47)
    Shadowless €17.53 ($20.36)
    Unlimited €3.19 ($3.70)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €7,460.59 ($8,665.23)
    Shadowless €470.51 ($546.48)
    Unlimited €316.83 ($367.96)
    Source: GetCollectr

#12 Nidoking 11/102

Nidoking 11/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €284.11 ($329.99)
    Shadowless €131.84 ($153.13)
    Unlimited €34.30 ($39.84)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €20,212.53 ($23,476.19)
    Shadowless €3,874.41 ($4,500.00)
    Unlimited €1,377.57 ($1,600.00)
    Source: GetCollectr

#11 Zapdos 16/102

Zapdos 16/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €309.95 ($360.00)
    Shadowless €159.28 ($185.00)
    Unlimited €49.14 ($57.07)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €20,368.33 ($23,657.14)
    Shadowless €3,670.88 ($4,263.61)
    Unlimited €1,642.51 ($1,907.72)
    Source: GetCollectr

#10 Magneton 9/102

Magneton 9/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €350.85 ($407.50)
    Shadowless €63.70 ($73.99)
    Unlimited €31.49 ($36.58)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €5,424.17 ($6,300.00)
    Shadowless €2,058.60 ($2,391.00)
    Unlimited €1,823.23 ($2,117.62)
    Source: GetCollectr

#9 Poliwrath 13/102

Poliwrath 13/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €429.63 ($499.00)
    Shadowless €136.43 ($158.46)
    Unlimited €30.27 ($35.16)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €13,800.28 ($16,028.57)
    Shadowless €3,665.80 ($4,257.71)
    Unlimited €947.25 ($1,100.20)
    Source: GetCollectr

#8 Alakazam 1/102

Alakazam 1/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €440.82 ($512.00)
    Shadowless €263.02 ($305.49)
    Unlimited €59.70 ($69.34)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €18,553.91 ($21,549.75)
    Shadowless €14,292.27 ($16,600.00)
    Unlimited €2,453.79 ($2,850.00)
    Source: GetCollectr

#7 Raichu 14/102

Raichu 14/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €473.54 ($550.00)
    Shadowless €218.26 ($253.50)
    Unlimited €65.66 ($76.26)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €23,295.66 ($27,057.14)
    Shadowless €2,228.41 ($2,588.22)
    Unlimited €3,390.35 ($3,937.78)
    Source: GetCollectr

#6 Gyarados 6/102

Gyarados 6/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €473.54 ($550.00)
    Shadowless €103.67 ($120.41)
    Unlimited €40.67 ($47.24)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €19,580.08 ($22,741.62)
    Shadowless €6,026.86 ($7,000.00)
    Unlimited €2,200.82 ($2,556.18)
    Source: GetCollectr

#5 Ninetales 12/102

Ninetales 12/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €688.78 ($800.00)
    Shadowless €111.30 ($129.27)
    Unlimited €29.29 ($34.02)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €21,037.27 ($24,434.10)
    Shadowless €1,829.58 ($2,125.00)
    Unlimited €1,528.15 ($1,774.90)
    Source: GetCollectr

#4 Mewtwo 10/102

Mewtwo 10/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €985.82 ($1,145.00)
    Shadowless €272.71 ($316.74)
    Unlimited €67.18 ($78.03)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €62,821.42 ($72,965.01)
    Shadowless €12,668.71 ($14,714.29)
    Unlimited €3,917.17 ($4,549.66)
    Source: GetCollectr

#3 Venusaur 15/102

Venusaur 15/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €1,206.23 ($1,401.00)
    Shadowless €602.69 ($700.00)
    Unlimited €154.49 ($179.44)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €32,487.65 ($37,733.33)
    Shadowless €6,628.69 ($7,699.00)
    Unlimited €4,530.62 ($5,262.17)
    Source: GetCollectr

#2 Blastoise 2/102

Blastoise 2/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €1,375.85 ($1,598.00)
    Shadowless €769.75 ($894.04)
    Unlimited €196.59 ($228.33)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €67,156.45 ($78,000.00)
    Shadowless €21,954.99 ($25,500.00)
    Unlimited €6,589.26 ($7,653.21)
    Source: GetCollectr

#1 Charizard 4/102

Charizard 4/102 - Base Set
  • Date: September 2026
  • Raw value:
    1st Edition €14,464.47 ($16,800.00)
    Shadowless €1,044.08 ($1,212.67)
    Unlimited €772.46 ($897.19)
  • PSA 10 value:
    1st Edition €280,421.23 ($325,700.00)
    Shadowless €100,728.22 ($116,992.50)
    Unlimited €27,458.87 ($31,892.57)
    Source: GetCollectr

More about the set

Want to know what an original box of this set goes for these days and what was in it? You can read that in our blog about the Base Set booster box.

Release date and set details

Base Set launched in the West on January 9, 1999, published by Wizards of the Coast. The set counts 102 cards, where the first sixteen numbers are the holo rares and cards 17 through 102 make up the regular rares, uncommons, commons and Energy cards. That also explains why the top of this list is made up almost entirely of low card numbers. The set appeared in three print runs: first 1st Edition with the small round Edition 1 stamp to the left of the artwork, then Shadowless without that stamp but still without a shadow border, and finally Unlimited with a clear shadow along the artwork frame.

The Japanese counterpart

In Japan this set had already appeared on October 20, 1996 as Expansion Pack, a good two years before the Western release. That edition also counts 102 cards, with the same artwork. Japanese cards don't have the 1st Edition, Shadowless and Unlimited distinction in the same way: there the difference sits mainly in the earliest print run, where part of the cards still came off the press without a rarity symbol.

What is the most expensive card from Base Set?

Raw, the 1st Edition Charizard (4/102) is by far the most expensive card in the set, at around €14,464 in near mint condition. Then comes a gap: the Shadowless version of that same Charizard sits at roughly €1,044 and the Unlimited at about €772.

In PSA 10 the difference grows even bigger. The 1st Edition Charizard lands around €280,421, against roughly €100,728 for Shadowless and €27,459 for Unlimited. That's because far fewer copies of the 1st Edition print run exist, and because cards from 1999 were often already damaged before anyone had them graded. A perfect ten is rare as a result.

What is the difference between 1st Edition, Shadowless and Unlimited?

All three are the same cards, but from a different print run, and that makes up to a twentyfold difference in value. Here's how to tell them apart.

  • 1st Edition is the very first print run and has a small round stamp reading Edition 1 below the left of the artwork. These cards also don't have a shadow border yet.
  • Shadowless came next: no more stamp, but still no shadow along the right-hand side of the artwork frame, and a thinner typeface on the HP and the attacks.
  • Unlimited is the large print run that kept going for years afterwards, with a clear shadow along the frame. By far the most Base Set cards you'll come across are Unlimited.

That stamp and that shadow are literally the difference between a card worth a few tenners and a card worth thousands of euros. Always look there first.

Can you still buy Base Set cards without spending thousands?

Yes, and that's exactly why the Unlimited print run is such a comfortable way in. Of the twenty cards above, only three sit above €100 in Unlimited, and the rest sit well below that. An Unlimited Ninetales or Hitmonchan can be had for a few tenners in near mint condition.

If you do want to move towards the pricier print runs, the non-holo cards are the logical stepping stone. A 1st Edition Charmander or Magikarp costs a fraction of what a holo from that same print run does, while it's just as much a 1st Edition Base Set card.

Conclusion

In short, Base Set isn't one set but three, and which print run you're holding determines almost everything. Charizard tops every list, but the difference between the 1st Edition and the Unlimited version of that same card runs up to nearly twenty times. Behind it follow Blastoise and Venusaur, and surprisingly enough non-holo cards like Bulbasaur, Magikarp and Charmander also make the top 20 as long as it's 1st Edition.

So with this set, always look at the print run first and only then at the card. That one stamp in the bottom left is the difference between a nice find and a showpiece.

Please note: card values can go up as well as down. There is no guarantee of value appreciation.