Between 1999 and 2000, multiple distinct Charizard card prints were officially released worldwide across different sets, promotions, and regions; listing them and explaining their contexts requires separating formats (Base Set English releases by Wizards of the Coast, Japanese releases, Gym Challenge/Gym series cards, Neo-era “Shining”/Dark/Team releases, promotional inserts and prize/venue-only cards, and various regional print runs and corrected vs. uncorrected printings) because collectors count different “prints” in different ways depending on set, edition, holo treatment, and region. [5][6][7]
Essential context about how “how many” is interpreted
– “Print” can mean a unique card design (the artwork and card text), a unique set-and-edition combination (for example, Base Set 1st Edition Holo Charizard vs. Base Set Unlimited Holo Charizard), or a production variant (shadowless vs. shadowed, UK yellow-shift, holofoil pattern differences, energy-symbol error corrections, promotional/test prints). Different collector communities count these differently; authoritative catalogs separate by set/edition and by officially-numbered releases versus promos/venue-only issues. [5][6][7]
Core categories of Charizard releases in 1999–2000
– Base Set Charizard (English, 1999): The widely recognized Holo Rare Charizard from the original English Base Set (004/102) was printed in at least three principal official variants that collectors treat separately: First Edition (with First Edition stamp), Shadowless (initial unlimited print run without the drop shadow on the right border), and Unlimited (later unlimited print run with the shadow). These three are typically counted as distinct “prints” for collectors because of the First Edition mark and the shadowless design differences.[5][6]
– International/Japanese Base and early Japanese prints (1999): Japan had its own Base Set releases and promo/test prints prior to and concurrent with the U.S. release; there are Japanese variant prints including some artist-signed or special promo versions that are counted separately by specialists.[3][7]
– Gym Challenge / Gym Heroes era Charizard (2000): Different Gym series Charizards exist (for example, Blaine’s Charizard in Gym Challenge), printed in 2000 in English and other languages, sometimes with energy-symbol errors that produced corrected and uncorrected variants—these are collectible as separate printings because the error vs. corrected state was produced in different parts of the print run.[4][6]
– Neo Destiny / Neo Revelation era and “Shining” Charizard (2000): Neo sets introduced “Shining” treatment for certain Pokémon around 1999–2000; a Shining Charizard (a different art/foil treatment) is a distinct card release in that era and is considered a separate print when counting unique Charizard cards from 1999–2000. [2]
– Promotional, tournament, prize, and test prints (1999–2000): A number of highly limited or venue-only Charizard cards and test prints exist from the transitional period when Wizards of the Coast experimented with printing and layout before the English launch; notable examples from the era include disco-holofoil test prints and Secret Super Battle promos (extremely limited runs), which are treated as separate prints because of their unique printing and distribution circumstances. One-of-a-kind or single-digit copies of tournament/prize Charizard-related items from 1999–2000 are documented in auction records and specialist write-ups. [2][3]
Representative documented Charizard prints and variants from 1999–2000 (explanatory list, not an exhaustive plate)
– Base Set Holo Charizard — First Edition (1999 English First Edition Base Set 004/102). This is the First Edition Holo widely collected and differentiated from later printings.[5]
– Base Set Holo Charizard — Shadowless (1999 English Shadowless Base Set). The shadowless printing (no right-side border shadow) is treated as a separate collectible print state.[5][6]
– Base Set Holo Charizard — Unlimited (1999–2000 English Unlimited Base Set). Unlimited prints have the shadow and small layout/text differences; many unlimited copies were circulated in 1999–2000.[5][6]
– Japanese Base/Promo Charizard variants (1999). Japan received versions and promos with different printing treatments and sometimes unique numbering or no numbering; collectors distinguish these from the English prints.[3][7]
– Blaine’s Charizard (Gym Challenge, 2000). Gym series Charizard cards released around 2000 include versions with printing errors (Fighting energy symbol vs. Fire) and later corrected unlimited prints; error vs. corrected unlimited prints are counted separately by collectors.[4][6]
– Shining Charizard (Neo-era, around 2000). The Shining treatment (introduced near 2000) produced visually distinct Charizard cards (black/dark shiny appearance with foil) that are a different print family than Base Set Charizards.[2]
– Test/disco-holo/“prism” prints and extreme-limited promos (1999–2000). Wizards experimented with disco-holofoil and other print tests before full English launch; test prints and very-limited promo Charizards from this era are documented in specialist auction reports and are considered unique prints.[2]
Why a single-number answer is misleading
– Auction records, specialist sites, and community encyclopedias (for example, PriceCharting, Bulbapedia, Wargamer and auction reports) document many distinct Charizard items from 1999–2000, but none present a single authoritative tally because the count depends on what you include (e.g., English-only numbered set releases vs. global promos vs. printing-error variants vs. test prints). PriceCharting lists multiple distinct Charizard items and sales across years and printings, showing the market separates items by set/edition and print state rather than treating all Charizards from 1999–2000 as one single release category.[5][4] Bulbapedia catalogs error cards and promotional/unnumbered cards and explicitly documents corrected vs. uncorrected runs, emphasizing the existence of multiple print variants in the 1999–2000 timeframe rather than a single countable number.[6][7] Wargamer and auction write-ups highlight special one-off or extremely limited Charizard items from the experimental printing period, again showing multiple separate print types.[2][3]
Authoritative sources you can consult for an itemized, evidence-backed tally
– Bulbapedia error-card and unnumbered promo pages: detailed community-driven documentation of corrected/uncorrected print runs, UK-specific shifts and printing errors, and lists of promotional Charizard appearances from 1999–2000, which will show multiple variant print runs rather than a single count.[6][7]
– PriceCharting and similar sales-aggregation sites: they list distinct Charizard entries by set and printing (Base Set, Gym Challenge, Neo sets) with historical sale records, which helps identify separate market-recognized prints from 1999–2000.[5][4]
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