Second PSA Gem Mint 10 Set of 1999 Pokémon 1st Edition Sells for $107,0102 min read

Pokémon card sales continue to take the hobby by storm

The coveted 103-card Pokémon 1^st Edition English Base Set from 1999 sold last month for $107,010 through Goldin Auctions. The last time we saw this collection of Pokémon cards, it sold for $98,400 at auction in December of 2017. With those two staggering auction prices realized, it’s safe to say that the popular trading card game that took the world by storm 20 years ago is now a highly prized, modern collector’s item. Finding each of the cards in PSA Gem Mint 10 condition is difficult enough since they’ve no doubt been shuffled, traded and likely have changed hands over the past 20 years. While the cards each possess rounded corners, it remains extremely difficult to find them all in PSA Gem Mint 10 grade. Therefore, being able to put together such a pristine assortment of these sought-after cards is quite the painstaking, laborious project.

The holographic Charizard #4 example, in PSA 10, has sold for as much as $40,000 by itself and does not make appearances at auction that often. The set also features many other fan favorites such as Alakazam (PSA 10 APR $2,191), Blastoise (PSA 10 APR $4,838), Mewtwo (PSA 10 APR $2,332), Venusaur (PSA 10 APR $2,771), and two different Pikachus! Although the set initially came out with 102 cards, there were two separate Pikachus that were released, one with “Yellow Cheeks” (PSA 10 APR $172), and the rarer “Red Cheeks” version (PSA 10 APR $337) that accounts for the 103^rd card. Initial bidding on the complete set this time around started at $25,000 with 12 online bids being placed over the course of the two-week auction that eventually pushed it up to its final realized price of $107,010.

Pokemon and TCG cards have really taken off in today’s modern card-collecting community, especially with this second milestone sale. And just to be clear, the two Pokémon sets that sold are different collections of the cards, both of which established new benchmarks for the industry. The continued support of these characters could see it reach even greater heights the next time the amazing, 103-card set goes up for auction.