The 4th print Charizard from the Pokémon Base Set Unlimited edition has a different color tone mainly because of changes in the printing process at the factory, where they switched foil patterns and adjusted ink mixes to fix earlier mistakes and cut costs on later runs. This makes its colors look a bit more washed out or shifted compared to the first three prints, especially in the orange scales, yellow highlights, and blue flames on its tail.
Let’s start from the beginning to understand why this happens. Pokémon cards from the original Base Set came out in 1999, printed by Wizards of the Coast in big batches called “prints.” The first print was super limited and had a special “Shadowless” look with crisp, vibrant colors and no shadow on the drop shadow around the artwork. Then came the Unlimited prints, which included 1st Edition stamps at first but dropped them later. These Unlimited cards went through at least four major print runs, and each one had tweaks because printing thousands of cards isn’t perfect—machines wear out, ink supplies change, and factories fix errors on the fly.
The 4th print specifically stands out because it was the last big Unlimited run, released mostly in places like the UK to meet demand after earlier prints sold out. According to detailed collector records on Bulbapedia, this print corrected some foil issues from before, like using the right “cosmos” foil pattern instead of the starry “starlight” one that snuck into some earlier Unlimited holos from the Fossil set—but the Base Set Charizard got caught in similar shifts. The cosmos foil is a swirling, galaxy-like shine, different from the tighter star pattern, and it changes how light hits the card, making the whole thing look cooler or more purple-toned under certain lights. That’s one big reason the color tone pops differently—it’s not just paint, it’s the shiny layer underneath reacting to light in a new way.[1]
But it’s not only the foil. Color tone shifts come from ink variations too. Early prints used fresher ink mixes with stronger yellows and oranges, giving Charizard that fiery, bold glow everyone loves. By the 4th print, the factory was churning out cards faster and cheaper, so they dialed back the ink saturation. The orange on Charizard’s body looks more muted, almost peachy, and the tail flames shift from deep blue to a lighter cyan. Some collectors call this the “washed” or “faded” tone. There’s even a noted cyan shift where the blues lean left in the color spectrum, mixing oddly with magenta and yellow dots from the printing plates. This happens because printers use a four-color process—cyan, magenta, yellow, black—and tiny misalignments or weaker ink build up over runs.[1]
Spotting a 4th print isn’t hard once you know the tells. Hold it next to a 1st or 2nd print under good light. The 4th has that distinct holosheen that’s smoother but less punchy, with micro holoshifts at the bottom of the art where the foil bends light weirdly. There’s sometimes holobleed, where the shine creeps into the borders. And check the bottom text: while not every 4th print has the famous “Black Dot” over the “t” in Nintendo, many do, tying it to those late Unlimited quirks. The black flames on Ninetales from the same era hint at how Wizards changed designs mid-print, and Charizard followed suit with tone tweaks.[1]
Why did they do this? Money and fixes. Early prints were premium to hype the launch, but demand exploded, so Wizards pushed factories to produce more without hiking costs. Switching foils saved on materials—the cosmos pattern was cheaper or more available late in production. Ink got rationed or swapped from different suppliers, causing tone drifts. Bulbapedia notes this was corrected explicitly in the 4th Base Set print for UK markets, meaning they nailed down the errors but ended up with a new “look” as a side effect.[1]
Collectors go nuts over these differences because they affect value and rarity. A pristine 1st Edition Charizard can fetch thousands, like recent sales around $10,000 for PSA 10 grades, while Unlimited 4th prints are common and cheaper—raw ones around $150-$200 lately.[4] But a 4th print in top shape still pulls $500+ graded because the tone makes it unique. PriceCharting tracks Base Set Charizard #4 sales showing Unlimited versions dipping a bit recently, but the color variance keeps enthusiasts trading.[3][4] It’s not a mistake; it’s a snapshot of 1999 printing tech limits.
Dig deeper into the printing world, and it’s all about offset lithography, the main method back then. Giant metal plates get inked, pressed onto rubber rollers, then stamped onto card stock at high speed. Each color layer—those CMYK dots—has to align perfectly, but heat, humidity, and plate wear cause shifts. For holos, a pre-printed foil sheet gets laminated, then the ink and art go over it. If the foil changes, like from starlight to cosmos, the base reflection alters, toning down warm colors like Charizard’s fire theme. Late prints like the 4th used worn plates, so dots spread slightly, blending colors into a softer palette.
Compare it to other cards. Take Ninetales from Unlimited: early ones have blue flames, but a rare “Black Flame” version matches Shadowless with black ones, showing mid-print design flips.[1] Clefairy has black dot errors too. Cosmos holos popped up in Fossil sets before the Base 4th print fixed it regionally. Even Team Rocket had border bleeds and speckles from ink glitches.[1] Charizard’s tone change fits this pattern—Wizards was iterating fast.
Modern eyes notice it more because cards today use digital printing with consistent tones. Back then, no computers auto-corrected; it was human tweaks between runs. Photos online amplify it—scan a 4th print, and the cooler tones glow purple; light it warm, and it warms up. But side-by-side, the difference screams.
Does condition matter? Absolutely. Wear fades colors anyway, so a beat-up 4th print looks even more washed, mimicking lower grades. Gem Mint ones preserve the exact tone shift, prized by graders like PSA. Population reports show fewer high grades for late prints since they circulated more.[3][4]
Grading services obsess over this. PSA looks at centering, corners, edges, and surface—tone is part of surface shine. A 4th print’s unique holoshift can bump or dock points if it looks like damage. BGS uses black-core slabs and notes print variants too.
Trading communities break it down further. Forums buzz about “print lines”—faint horizontal marks from rollers, more visible on 4th prints due to thinner ink. The drop shadow around Charizard is lighter, almost gone, blending into the faded borders.
Want to hunt one? Open old packs if you dare, but most 4th prints come from bulk lots or starter sets. Avoid fakes—counterfeits mimic tones poorly
