Charizard is the big red Pokemon that resembles a dragon for those new to the collectible. The character was made famous in the late 1990s and is famous for the prices collectors are willing to pay for some of the nicest graded examples known. Charizard outdid his own six-figure card record over the weekend at the PWCC March Premier Auction.

Collectors Dashboard has followed the progress of all the high-end Pokemon card sales as the main characters become an alternative asset every collector wants to track.

The highest price ever paid for a base Pokémon Charizard card was set in the PWCC March Premier Auction over the weekend with this 1999 Pokémon Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Holo Charizard selling for $420,000.

Image above courtesy of PWCC Marketplace.

While the sale set a new all-time record for a base set Charizard card, one thing that also stood out here is that this appears to be the third-highest price paid in a public marketplace for a Pokémon card of all time.

The card’s price was buoyed not only by its PSA 10 Gem Mint grade – only 121 PSA 10s exist in the world at the time of the auction – but also by the fact that it is one of the cleanest copies in existence. The card has no visible whitening on the back, appears to have perfect centering, and looks to have no holo imperfections.

Many of the PSA 10 copies of this card are believed to be owned by long-time collectors or celebrities. This means the 121 copies in existence are very unlikely to hit the market with frequency. The card also holds a draw to more than just Pokémon collectors. The Charizard base is considered one of the premier assets for collectors looking to diversify beyond sports cards.

According to PWCC’s own research and sales history, the auction house has had only 5 “Charizard” sales of $100,000 and one of those is being given a round up from just under $99,000 to make the fifth one. See below:

1999 Pokemon Base 1st Edition Holo Thick Stamp Shadowless Charizard #4 PSA 10Special Bidding – Part of a Complete PSA 10 1st Ed Set Sold: Dec 12, 2020	$350,100
1999 Pokemon Base Set Shadowless 1st Edition Holo Charizard #4 PSA 10 GEM MINTSee Special Bidding Rules – Critical Investment Piece Sold: Mar 28, 2021	$311,800
1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Shadowless Holo Charizard #4 PSA 10 GEM MINTSpecial Bidding – Part of a Complete PSA 10 Set Break Sold: Nov 25, 2020	$295,300
1999 Pokemon Game 1st Edition Holo Charizard THICK STAMP #4 BGS 9.5 GEM MINTAmong The Market Finest Blue-Chips Sold: Nov 30, 2020	$104,600
1999 Pokemon Base Set 1st Edition Base Set Holo Charizard 4/102 BGS 9.5 GEM MINT Sold: Dec 12, 2020	$100,223
1995 Pokemon Japanese Topsun Blue Back No Number Charizard PSA 9 MINT Sold: Feb 27, 2021	$98,850