Feast your eyes, Charizard lovers! You are about to see and learn how much money people can spend to obtain the most expensive Charizard cards on the market.
Charizard, the most loved and well-known Pokemon in Generation 1 has maintained its popularity in recent years, as it regularly appears in most mainline Pokemon games and TCG expansions.
There is just something unique about this red dragon that lures many fans as early as the release of the base set in 1996, up to the present that TCG collectors have put so much premium to some of the first and rarest Charizard Pokemon cards ever printed.
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The “Charizard Fever”
Two pieces of evidence support the idea that many Pokefans are favoring Charizard among all Pokemon of every generation.
The first evidence is a 2019 Reddit survey showing that Charizard tops the list of the most favorite Pokemon based on type, generation, and in the entire franchise.
The second one is a study conducted as recently as 2022 by Solitaire Bliss, where Charizard earned the second spot in the most Google-searched Pokemon in the US.
While having a more thorough study should be made to explain this particular phenomenon behind the Charizard fever, one thing is certain: vintage Charizard cards COST A LOT nowadays.
Top 10 Most Expensive Charizard Cards in the Market (As of 2023)
Before we unveil the Charizard cards that are actually sold for crazy amounts of cash, here are the most valuable ones that you can feasibly buy in the market today:
| Card Name | Market Price |
|---|---|
| Base Set Shadowless Holo Rare Charizard | $3,000 (see market price in real-time) |
| Neo Destiny Secret Rare Shining Charizard | $2,300 (see market price in real-time) |
| Dragon Frontiers Ultra Rare Charizard Star (Delta Species) | $1,750 (see market price in real-time) |
| Skyridge Secret Rare Charizard | $1,200 (see market price in real-time) |
| FireRed & LeafGreen Ultra Rare Charizard ex | $790 (see market price in real-time) |
| Gym Challenge Holo Rare Blaine’s Charizard | $749 (see market price in real-time) |
| SWSH: Sword & Shield Promo Cards Charizard | $681 (see market price in real-time) |
| Expedition Holo Rare Charizard | $599 (see market price in real-time) |
| XY Promos Charizard (XY Evolutions Prerelease) | $579 (see market price in real-time) |
| Prize Pack Series Cards Ultra Rare Charizard VMAX | $550 (see market price in real-time) |
Source: TCGplayer
10 Most Expensive Pokemon Cards Ever Sold in History
If you think the Charizard Pokemon cards mentioned above are unbelievably expensive, we barely touched the tip of the iceberg yet.
Any Pokemon card that can potentially snowball in value must be professionally graded to identify its most accurate price based on condition.
CGC, Becket, and PSA are the three companies that are well-known for their card grading services, but PSA is by far the most reputable and strictest of all.
PSA is so notorious for its card grading standards that any PSA-graded card with a score of 10 (Gem Mint) would easily sell for thousands of dollars!
The following are the most expensive Charizard cards graded by PSA and are currently owned by the hands of the richest Pokemon TCG collectors:
10. Plasma Storm Secret Rare Charizard (PSA 10): Sold for $8,000
This gold-bordered Pokemon card featuring a Shiny Charizard costs only around $500, but everything changed when someone bought a PSA 10 version of it for a whopping $8000!
The transaction was made on eBay last April 2021 via an auction.
Battle-wise, this expensive Charizard card is quite a powerful one with its 160 HP and a 3-energy move Split Bomb which deals 40 damage to two opposing Pokemon.
9. Stormfront Secret Rare Charizard (PSA 10): Sold for $8,100
Also sold in April of 2021, this Secret Rare Charizard from the Diamond & Pearl–Stormfront set was auctioned in PWCC and ended up with a price of $8,100.
So far, only 47 copies of this Charizard card bear the PSA 10 grade, and one particularly attractive feature of this card is its artwork, which is reminiscent of the Charizard card from the well-revered base set.
8. Base Set Holo Rare Charizard (PSA 10): Sold for $14,100
The very first Charizard cards printed in the 1999 base set are widely renowned as the holy grails of Pokemon TCG.
Arguably, the 1999 Base Set Charizard card is a staple for every wealthy Pokemon card collector, especially if it’s graded with a PSA 10.
According to CNN, out of the 3,000 copies of Base Set Charizard cards in circulation, only 121 of them got the grade of PSA 10.
Due to its rarity, it’s no surprise that a 1999 Base Set Charizard was recently auctioned in the PWCC market and the lucky bidder paid $14,100 for it.
7. Dragon Frontiers Ultra Rare Charizard Star (PSA 10): Sold for $18,100
This another Shiny Charizard Pokemon card from the nostalgic Dragon Frontiers set utilizes tons of Dark Energy cards to one-hit-KO any opposing Pokemon with its move Dark Swirl.
While having a 150-damage move isn’t that impressive in today’s metagame anymore, the uncommon dark-themed design of this Charizard card attracted many bidders.
A PSA 10 version of this card was once sold on eBay last 2022 for a staggering $18,100! That’s enough to buy you a nice car!
6. Neo Destiny Secret Rare Shining Charizard (PSA 10): Sold for $20,250
1st edition Pokemon cards are highly valuable due to their distinctive features that aren’t present in modern cards anymore.
Take for example this Shining Charizard from the Neo Destiny set, which was the last Pokemon TCG set bearing the 1st Edition stamp.
What’s even more intriguing is the card’s uncommon artwork depicting a flying black Charizard from behind.
A PSA 10-graded version of this card reached a price of $20,250 in an auction in PWCC.
5. Japanese Topsun Charizard Holofoil Charizard (PSA 10): Sold for $25,000
While the first official Pokemon TCG set was initially released in 1996, there is a particular Japanese chewing gum brand that comes with a peculiar set of Pokemon cards for every pack.
These Pokemon cards are known as Japanese Topsun cards, and some of them are even printed as holographic cards, such as the Topsun Charizard card above.
Each Topsun gum with a Pokemon card cost only around a few yens back in the day, and most owners of these cards weren’t able to maintain their collection in a gem mint state.
All except for one who put a PSA 10 Topsun Charizard Holofoil card in a PWCC auction, and it was easily sold for a price of $25,000.
4. Skyridge Secret Rare Charizard (PSA 10): Sold for $25,100
Just a bit above the Topsun Charizard card is this PSA 10 Secret Rare Charizard from the Skyridge set.
With a price of $25,100, this card is easily one of the most expensive Charizard cards sold in auction, considering that it came from a set that is very hard to find today.
As a colorless Pokemon card, the Skyridge Charizard has a Poke-body effect called “Crystal Type” which is coincidentally similar to the effects of the Terastal phenomenon introduced in Generation IX.
3. Base Set Shadowless Holo Rare Charizard (PSA 10): Sold for $31,211
If you have thousands of dollars to spare, you can buy a Base Set Charizard card online, but not as easy as the ones graded with a PSA 10.
This PSA 10 Shadowless Holo Rare Charizard was sold for $31,211, and every Shadowless card remains a target of many card collectors as they are the first English-written cards.
Adding to the card’s value is its actual rarity, since only 54 copies of this card reached a PSA 10 grade.
2. Japanese Version Base Set Holo Rare Charizard With no Rarity Symbol (PSA 9): Sold for $57,877
During the first few weeks of printing the 1996 Base Set, Pokemon TCG makers realized that the very first batch of Pokemon cards had no rarity symbols.
To prevent any possible issues in the future, the makers immediately added the familiar symbols to cards so we could easily identify a card’s rarity.
The printed Japanese cards without rarity symbols made their way to the market and are now known as the ancestors of all TCG cards in the franchise.
As the first Charizard card ever printed in the world, this Base Set Holo Rare Charizard Card was recently bought in an auction for $57,877.
1. Base Set Holo Rare Charizard Card 1st Edition (PSA 10): Sold for $420,000
Who would have thought that in 1999, there’s a random Charizard card – basically a piece of cardboard with artwork and text, would be sold for almost half a million dollars two decades later?
This 1999 Base Set Holo Rare Charizard card caught the attention of Forbes after someone bought the card for an astronomical price of $420,000, making it the most expensive Charizard card sold in history.
This card is also recorded as the third most expensive card in Pokemon TCG and is believed to have the best condition out of all the 121 PSA 10 Base Set Charizard cards in the world.
In Closing
Looking at the prices of the Charizard Pokemon cards in this article doesn’t mean that only the richest could collect the rarest cards.
Many modern and more affordable Pokemon TCG sets feature a Charizard card, and you can always check them out if you want to grow your own Charizard card collection.
However, for the most ambitious collector, it is common knowledge that Base Set Charizard cards are the most expensive Charizard cards in the entirety of the TCG franchise.
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