Base Set Revive is climbing in value because it’s a key card from the very first Pokemon TCG set, with growing demand from collectors chasing complete vintage collections as fewer high-quality copies stay available over time.
Revive comes from the 1999 Base Set expansion, card number 89. It’s a common Trainer card illustrated by Keiji Kinebuchi. In gameplay, it lets you grab a Basic Pokemon from your discard pile and put it on your bench, but you have to add damage counters equal to half its hit points, rounded down. This made it useful back in the early days for quick recoveries in battles.[1]
What drives its price up starts with rarity in the market. Base Set was the launch set, printed in huge numbers at first, but that was over 25 years ago. Unlimited Revives in near mint condition now sell for steady gains because supply shrinks every year. Cards get played, damaged, or lost. Raw copies that grade high, like PSA 9 or 10, are especially tough to find since Revive saw heavy table play in tournaments.[1]
Nostalgia plays a big role too. Original Base Set cards remind players of the Pokemon boom in the late 90s. As adults who collected as kids return to the hobby, they hunt these commons to finish their sets. Revive isn’t flashy like a Charizard, but every complete Base Set needs 102 cards, and commons like this fill gaps that others overlook.
Recent trends show the climb. Vintage TCG prices have surged since 2020, with Base Set commons up 50 to 200 percent on average depending on condition. Revive follows that pattern because it’s not reprinted in the same form. Later versions, like in Black & White, changed the effect by dropping the damage counters, so the original stays unique.[1]
Grading boosts value even more. A PSA 10 Revive can fetch hundreds while ungraded ones go for under $10. Collectors submit old cards now, pulling pristine copies from storage and tightening supply. Demand from new investors spotting undervalued commons adds fuel.
Limited print runs in other Base Set variants help too. First Edition or Shadowless Revives carry premiums, but even Unlimited sees rises as the base for comparisons. With Pokemon TCG exploding in popularity, every Base Set staple like Revive rides the wave.
