More than 26 years after its release amid the height of Pokémania, the most iconic card in the TCG world now has a new record price paid.
A 1999 1st Edition Base Set Charizard PSA 10 sold for $550,000 at Heritage Auctions on Friday, besting the previous record high of $420,000 set in 2022.
Of the 5,325 examples graded by PSA, just 124 have been graded a PSA 10.
The card was one of the biggest risers during the pandemic boom, as it went from sub-$20,000 in 2017 to more than $310,000 in 2021 — with no publicly recorded sales in the years between, according to Card Ladder.
Seen as one of the hobby’s most significant cards, as well as an investment piece by many, it rarely changes hands in a PSA 10, with this sale marking only the ninth public sale of 2025.
Earlier this year, the record for the most expensive Charizard card of all time was set by an earlier Japanese “No Rarity” copy, which sold for more than $640,000.
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Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.