Price charting for the EX Dragon Charmeleon comes down to knowing which of two cards you actually own, because the 2003 EX Dragon set printed two very different versions under the same Pokémon. The common version is the non-holo #39/97, a card that trades as a budget filler. The version collectors actually track and pay for is the holographic Secret Rare #99/97, a card printed beyond the set’s stated 97-card count. As of mid-2026, a raw Near Mint copy of the Secret Rare last recorded a sale at $115.00, while the regular #39/97 in Near Mint has slipped from a former high near $88 down to roughly $70. If you are pricing a copy and want a fast answer: the ordinary EX Dragon Charmeleon (#39/97) is worth somewhere between under $50 lightly played and about $70 in clean Near Mint condition.
The holo Secret Rare (#99/97) is the real money card, sitting in the $85 to $115 range raw, and climbing well past that once professionally graded in high condition. For example, a current marketplace listing puts a Charmeleon “Dragon” variant at $85.00, which lines up with the lower end of recent Secret Rare comps rather than the regular card. The catch that trips up most sellers is mistaking one for the other. A non-holo #39/97 listed at Secret Rare prices will sit unsold, and a genuine #99/97 priced like a common gets snapped up instantly by a flipper who knows the difference. Reading the card number printed at the bottom is the single most important step before you set a price.
Table of Contents
- How Do You Price an EX Dragon Charmeleon Correctly?
- What Drives the Value of the #99/97 Secret Rare Holo?
- Where Can You Find Reliable Price and Population Data?
- Should You Buy the Raw Card or a Graded Copy?
- What Common Mistakes Hurt EX Dragon Charmeleon Valuations?
- How Does Charmeleon Compare to Other EX Dragon Chase Cards?
- What Does the #99/97 Secret Rare Status Actually Mean?
- Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Price an EX Dragon Charmeleon Correctly?
Pricing starts with identification, not with a dollar figure. Pull up the card and read the bottom-corner number. If it reads 39/97, you are holding the regular non-holo from the EX Dragon set. If it reads 99/97, you have the Secret Rare holo, the card that exceeds the printed set total and was deliberately made scarce. Reference databases like Serebii’s TCG Cardex list both entries under the same Charmeleon name, which is exactly why number confirmation matters before any valuation. The price gap between the two is wide enough that guessing is expensive.
The non-holo #39/97 in Near Mint currently sits around $70, having come down from a high near $88, with lightly played copies generally selling below $50. The Secret Rare #99/97 last logged a Near Mint raw sale of $115.00. That is roughly a 60 percent premium for the holo even before grading enters the picture. As a practical comparison, think of the #39/97 as the daily-driver version and the #99/97 as the collector chase card. A seller who lists “EX Dragon Charmeleon” without specifying the number invites lowball offers, because cautious buyers assume the cheaper variant until proven otherwise. Always state the number in the listing title.
What Drives the Value of the #99/97 Secret Rare Holo?
The Secret Rare’s value is driven by scarcity in good condition rather than by raw print numbers alone. Multiple collector sources describe the #99/97 as very hard to find in clean shape, and especially scarce in PSA 10, which is what makes it a high-end target rather than a casual pickup. The holographic surface and the era’s printing tolerances mean many surviving copies carry edge wear, scratches, or centering problems that knock them out of gem-mint contention. The warning here is condition inflation. A raw card a seller calls “Near Mint” may grade out at PSA 7 or 8 once submitted, and the price difference between an 8 and a 10 on a card this scarce can be several multiples.
The $115.00 figure attached to a raw Near Mint sale is not a guarantee of a high grade. Treat raw condition claims skeptically and inspect corners, edges, and holo scratches under direct light before paying a premium. There is also a data limitation worth stating plainly. A specific, recent PSA 10 sold price for this card could not be verified, because several graded-sale pages were not retrievable at the time of writing. Anyone valuing a graded copy should confirm the live number directly on PSA Auction Prices or eBay sold listings rather than relying on a single quoted figure.
Where Can You Find Reliable Price and Population Data?
Several established sources track this card, and cross-checking them beats trusting any single number. PSA’s Auction Prices Realized page covers the 2003 EX Dragon Charmeleon Holo and is the authority for what graded copies have actually sold for at auction. For supply context, the Pikawiz Pop Report publishes PSA population data for the entire EX Dragon set, which tells you how many copies exist at each grade, a key input for judging whether a PSA 10 is genuinely rare or merely uncommon. For sold-listing comps on the #99/97 specifically, Mavin aggregates completed sales and gives a realistic spread rather than wishful asking prices.
Sports Card Investor also maintains a Charmeleon subject page, which is where the $85.00 “Dragon” variant listing and the $115.00 Near Mint comp originate. Using these together helps you spot outliers; a single high sale on one platform should not anchor your whole valuation. As a concrete example of why multiple sources matter: a seller who only checks active eBay listings will see optimistic asking prices that may sit far above what cards actually close at. Pairing an asking-price view with Mavin’s sold comps and PSA’s auction history gives a grounded range instead of an aspirational one.
Should You Buy the Raw Card or a Graded Copy?
The raw-versus-graded decision is a tradeoff between cost and certainty. A raw #99/97 around $85 to $115 is cheaper upfront and lets you assess the card in hand, but you carry the risk that flaws invisible in a listing photo turn up under inspection. A graded copy costs more and removes the condition guesswork, since a third party has already assigned the grade and sealed the card against further wear. For the regular #39/97, grading rarely makes financial sense.
At roughly $70 raw in Near Mint, the cost of submission, shipping, and insurance can equal or exceed the card’s value, so most copies stay raw. The Secret Rare is the opposite case: because the gap between a mid grade and a PSA 10 is so large on a scarce holo, grading can meaningfully increase value and liquidity, assuming the card is genuinely high quality to begin with. The practical comparison is straightforward. If you are buying to hold a complete EX Dragon set, a clean raw #39/97 and a solid raw #99/97 cover the bases at lower cost. If you are buying the Secret Rare as an investment piece, a reputable graded copy with a verifiable population context is the safer instrument, even at the higher entry price.
What Common Mistakes Hurt EX Dragon Charmeleon Valuations?
The most common and costly mistake is conflating the two cards. Because both are simply “Charmeleon” from EX Dragon, sellers routinely apply Secret Rare comps to the common #39/97 or, worse, sell a genuine #99/97 at common-card prices. Always verify the 39/97 versus 99/97 number first; everything downstream depends on it. A second pitfall is treating any quoted price as a live, current value. The $115.00 Near Mint comp and the $85.00 listing are real reference points, but they are snapshots, not guarantees.
Graded sale pages for this card were not consistently retrievable, and a specific PSA 10 sold price within the last week could not be confirmed. Anyone setting a price for an actual transaction should pull fresh eBay sold listings or current PSA and Mavin data before committing, because thinly traded vintage holos can swing on a single notable sale. The third mistake is overstating condition. Vintage holos from 2003 are prone to surface scratches and centering issues that are easy to miss in a quick glance. Calling a card Near Mint when it would grade lower erodes buyer trust and leads to returns or disputes. Photograph the card under angled light and describe flaws honestly.
How Does Charmeleon Compare to Other EX Dragon Chase Cards?
Within the EX Dragon set, Charmeleon sits in the middle tier of desirability. It is more sought-after than the set’s common Pokémon because of the Charizard evolutionary line’s enduring popularity, but it does not command the prices of the headline holos and EX cards that anchor the set.
The Secret Rare #99/97 benefits from being part of that Charmander-to-Charizard chain, which keeps demand steady even when broader vintage prices cool. As an example of relative positioning, the regular #39/97 dropping from a high near $88 to about $70 reflects a normal softening rather than a collapse, and it remains a card buyers actively seek to complete the line. The Secret Rare’s $85 to $115 range shows that the scarcity premium holds even as the common version drifts down, a sign that condition-sensitive collector demand is doing the work, not speculative hype.
What Does the #99/97 Secret Rare Status Actually Mean?
The “Secret Rare” designation means the card is numbered beyond the set’s printed total. EX Dragon was advertised as a 97-card set, yet the holographic Charmeleon carries the number 99/97, placing it among the secret cards issued past that count.
This is a deliberate rarity mechanic from the era, and it is the single fact that separates the valuable version from the common one. That status is why CardTrader and similar marketplaces list the #99/97 as a distinct entry from the #39/97, and why collector commentary concentrates on the Secret Rare. When you see references to a hard-to-find Charmeleon that is especially scarce in PSA 10, the number being discussed is 99/97, not the everyday 39/97 that shares the same artwork name.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is an EX Dragon Charmeleon worth?
The regular #39/97 runs about $70 in Near Mint and under $50 lightly played; the Secret Rare #99/97 holo last sold around $115 raw in Near Mint.
What is the difference between #39/97 and #99/97?
The #39/97 is the common non-holo, while #99/97 is the holographic Secret Rare numbered beyond the set’s 97-card total, making it far scarcer and more valuable.
Why is the #99/97 Charmeleon so hard to find?
It is a Secret Rare printed in limited quantity, and clean copies are scarce, with PSA 10 examples especially difficult to locate.
Should I get my EX Dragon Charmeleon graded?
Grading rarely pays off for the ~$70 common #39/97, but it can add real value to a high-quality #99/97 Secret Rare given the gap between mid grades and PSA 10.
Where can I check current prices?
PSA Auction Prices, the Pikawiz Pop Report, Mavin sold listings, and Sports Card Investor all track this card; cross-check them before pricing.
