Charizard vs Bitcoin Which Delivered Better Long Term Returns
If you invested in a top Charizard Pokemon card around 2010 or bought Bitcoin back then, Bitcoin crushed it with massive gains while Charizard cards saw solid but slower growth over the years.[1][2][3]
People love comparing investments like these because both can feel like gambles with big payoffs. Bitcoin started as this weird digital money in 2009, trading for pennies. By late 2025, one Bitcoin sits around 100,000 dollars after wild ups and downs. That means a 1,000 dollar buy in 2010 turns into millions today. Charizard cards tell a different story. They have been hot since the 1990s, but prices really took off later.
Take the classic Charizard number 4 from the original Base Set. Back in the early 2010s, an ungraded near mint copy might have cost 200 to 300 dollars. Fast forward to December 2025, and ungraded ones sell for 275 dollars on average, with PSA 10 gems hitting 10,100 dollars.[3] Not bad, but check the growth. From 2010 levels, that is about a 10 times return on high grades over 15 years. Bitcoin did 100 times or more in the same stretch.
Newer Charizard cards show even wilder swings. The Charizard ex number 199 from Scarlet and Violet 151 launched in 2023. Ungraded prices jumped from around 200 dollars in late 2023 to 234 dollars now, while PSA 10s climbed to 932 dollars.[1] That is quick money if you bought early, but hold time matters. A one-year flip on some modern Charizards beat the market, yet nothing like Bitcoin’s decade-long rocket.
Look at Legendary Treasures Charizard number 19 from 2013. PSA 10 versions traded low back then, maybe a few hundred bucks. Today they fetch 1,775 dollars or more, with top BGS 10 black label at 11,540 dollars.[2] Solid for collectors, especially if graded high. Still, Bitcoin from 2013 at 100 dollars per coin is now worth a million times that initial outlay adjusted for splits.
Why the gap? Bitcoin has no supply cap drama like cards do. Print more Charizards, and values can stall, as seen with some 2023 sets flooded by packs.[6] Rare old Charizards like first edition shadowless ones hit 4,000 pounds in mid-2025 sales, way up from decades ago.[5] But scaling that to Bitcoin levels? Tough. A 1999 Base Set Charizard might have cost 100 dollars raw. Today it is thousands graded, a great 20-year hold, yet Bitcoin turns thousands into fortunes.
For Pokemon fans, cards offer fun plus profit. Track your collection on sites like PriceCharting to watch trends. Bitcoin suits risk takers chasing moonshots. Both reward patience, but over 10 to 15 years, Bitcoin delivered the better punch for pure returns.[1][2][3]
