The **Shadowless style** in Pokémon cards refers to a specific early printing characteristic where the cards lack the typical drop shadow around the right border of the artwork box. This style was part of the very first print run of the Pokémon Base Set released in 1999. The cards printed in this Shadowless style are among the earliest Pokémon cards ever produced and are highly prized by collectors due to their rarity and historical significance.
The first cards printed in the Shadowless style were from the **Base Set**, which was the original set of Pokémon cards released outside Japan. These cards were printed for a very short period, likely only a few months, before Wizards of the Coast switched to the Unlimited print run, which included the shadowed border around the artwork box. The Shadowless cards are distinguished by the absence of this shadow, giving the card a cleaner, more minimalistic look around the image frame[1][2][3].
Among the Shadowless cards, the **First Edition Base Set holographic cards** are the most famous and valuable. The First Edition Shadowless Charizard, for example, is one of the most sought-after Pokémon cards in the world. It features the iconic Charizard artwork without the shadow around the image box and includes the First Edition stamp on the left side of the card. This card has fetched prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction, with a PSA 10 (gem mint) copy selling for $420,000 in 2022[4][5].
The Shadowless print run included all the cards from the Base Set, but only a small number of these cards were printed in this style before the transition to the Unlimited print run. This makes the Shadowless cards rarer and more collectible. The Shadowless cards are not limited to holographic cards; non-holo cards from the Base Set were also printed in this style, but the holo cards tend to be more valuable due to their popularity and scarcity[3].
It is important to note that the Shadowless style is specific to the English-language Base Set cards printed by Wizards of the Coast. In Japan, the earliest Pokémon cards were released earlier, including unique promotional cards like the Masaki Promo cards from 1997-1998, which are unrelated to the Shadowless style but represent the very first Pokémon cards ever printed in Japan[6].
In summary, the **first cards printed in the Shadowless style were the English Base Set cards released in 1999**, including both holographic and non-holographic cards. This print run was very brief, making these cards rare and highly collectible. The Shadowless style is defined by the lack of a shadow on the right border of the artwork box and is most famously associated with the First Edition holographic cards such as Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur[1][2][3][4].
