There are a lot of Pokémon cards out there, and the number keeps growing every year. But when people ask how many Shadowless Pokémon cards exist, they are usually talking about the very first Pokémon cards ever made, the ones that came out in 1999 in the United States. These cards are called “Shadowless” because the Pokémon illustration on the card does not have a shadow behind it, unlike later printings. This small detail makes them special to collectors, and it also helps people figure out if a card is from the earliest days of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
The Shadowless cards were part of the Base Set, which was the first set of Pokémon cards released in English. The Base Set included 102 cards, and each of these cards was printed in both Shadowless and Shadowed versions. The Shadowless version came first, and then the company changed the design to add a shadow behind the Pokémon. So, for every Pokémon in the Base Set, there is a Shadowless version.
But here’s the thing: there is no exact number of how many Shadowless cards were printed for each Pokémon. The company that made the cards, Wizards of the Coast, never released official numbers for how many of each card were made. Because of this, collectors and experts have to guess based on how often the cards show up in the market, how many are graded by professional grading companies, and what people say in interviews or old documents.
Most experts agree that the Shadowless cards were printed in large numbers, but not as many as the later Shadowed versions. The exact number for each card is not known, but it is believed that for the most common Pokémon, like Pidgey or Rattata, there could be tens of thousands of Shadowless cards in existence. For rarer cards, like Charizard or Blastoise, the number is much lower, maybe only a few thousand or even less.
One reason why the numbers are so hard to pin down is that many of these cards were opened, played with, and lost over the years. Kids used them in games, traded them, or just lost them. Some cards were kept in good condition, but most were not. Today, the number of Shadowless cards that still exist in good shape is much smaller than the number that were originally printed.
Another thing to consider is that the Shadowless printing only happened for the Base Set. Later sets, like Jungle or Fossil, did not have Shadowless versions. So, when people talk about Shadowless Pokémon cards, they are only talking about the 102 cards from the Base Set. There are no Shadowless cards for Pokémon that were not in the Base Set.
Some collectors try to figure out how many Shadowless cards exist by looking at grading companies like PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator). These companies grade cards and keep records of how many cards they have seen. For example, PSA has graded thousands of Shadowless cards over the years, but the number for each Pokémon is different. For common Pokémon, there are hundreds or even thousands of graded cards. For rare Pokémon, like Charizard, there are only a few hundred.
But even these numbers are not exact. Not every Shadowless card has been graded, and some cards have been graded more than once. Also, some cards are in private collections and have never been sent to a grading company. So, the real number of Shadowless cards out there is probably higher than what the grading companies show.
It is also important to know that the term “Shadowless” only applies to the English Base Set. In Japan, the first Pokémon cards were printed differently, and they do not have the same Shadowless and Shadowed versions. So, when people talk about Shadowless cards, they are usually talking about the American cards, not the Japanese ones.
The value of Shadowless cards depends on how rare they are, how good their condition is, and which Pokémon is on the card. For example, a Shadowless Charizard in mint condition is worth a lot of money, while a Shadowless Pidgey in good condition is worth much less. The rarity of each card is based on how many were printed and how many have survived over the years.
There is no medical reason why Shadowless cards are rare or valuable. The rarity is based on how many were printed, how many have been lost, and how many are still in good condition. The condition of a card can be affected by things like light, heat, and handling, but these are not medical issues. The value of a card is based on supply and demand, not on any health or medical factor.
In the end, the number of Shadowless Pokémon cards that exist across all species is not known exactly. For the most common Pokémon, there could be tens of thousands. For the rarest Pokémon, there could be only a few hundred or even less. The exact number will never be known, but the cards are still special to collectors because they are from the very beginning of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
