The rarest print run of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Base Set is the 1st Edition, produced in extremely limited quantities at the very start of the game’s launch in January 1999, making it far scarcer than the subsequent Shadowless and Unlimited runs.[1][5][6]
To understand why, let’s step back to how the Base Set came to be. Back in 1999, Wizards of the Coast brought the Pokémon Trading Card Game to the West, starting with the Base Set. This set had 102 cards, including icons like Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur. But it wasn’t printed all at once in huge numbers like modern sets. Instead, they rolled it out in phases to match early demand, which was exploding but unpredictable. The very first batch, called the 1st Edition, got a special stamp in the bottom left corner saying “Edition 1” or something close to that. Only a tiny number of these booster boxes and packs hit the market before they switched things up.[6]
Why so few? Simple: they didn’t know how crazy popular Pokémon would get. Factories printed just enough to test the waters, maybe a few thousand boxes at most. Estimates from collectors and sales data put the 1st Edition print run way lower than what came next. For comparison, the Unlimited run—the final, endless reprint—has millions of copies floating around because they kept cranking them out for years. Shadowless, which sits in the middle, dropped the black shadow around the character art but still had a bigger print run than 1st Edition. No official numbers from Wizards exist, but auction records and grading stats tell the story: PSA, the big card grader, has slabbed thousands of Unlimited Base Set holos, hundreds of Shadowless, but only dozens of true 1st Edition top-grade ones for heavy hitters like Mewtwo or Chansey.[1]
Take the Base Set 1st Edition Holo Mewtwo. A GEM MT 10 version sold for $15,000 in 2023 at Fanatics Collect. That’s not even the priciest—1st Edition Charizard holos have fetched way more, into six figures regularly. Why? Because so few pristine copies survive from that tiny initial run. Low-quality beat-up ones still pull big money too, proving the scarcity is real across the board.[1][5]
Then there’s the Shadowless print run. After 1st Edition flew off shelves, they made Shadowless cards—no black outline on the art, cleaner look. This run was bigger, aimed at keeping up with hype, but still limited compared to Unlimited. Cards like the Shadowless Holo Chansey from 1999 hit $55,000 for a PSA 10 in 2020. Fanatics notes it’s one of the priciest Base Set cards in top shape, scarcer than many think because print sheets varied and not all packs got equal distribution.[1]
Unlimited came last, flooding stores with no edition stamp and shadowed art back. This one’s common—easy to find in bulk lots or cheap packs today. But even here, tiny errors pop up that mimic rarity, like gray stamps on 1st Editions bleeding into early Unlimited, or low-ink stamps. Those are flukes, not the run itself being rare.[4]
Proof of 1st Edition’s top spot comes from market behavior. Sealed 1st Edition booster boxes sell for tens or hundreds of thousands at auction, while Shadowless boxes go for less, and Unlimited? Pocket change by comparison. Grading population reports back this: for Base Set holos, 1st Edition GEM MT 10s number in single digits for most cards, Shadowless in tens or low hundreds, Unlimited in thousands.[1]
Dig deeper into collector chatter and sales logs. Sites tracking Pokémon auctions show 1st Edition pulls dominate “rarest Base Set” lists. A 1st Edition Holo Chansey in good shape outprices similar Shadowless ones by multiples. Even non-holo rares from 1st Edition are tough—32 of them exist, and they’re harder to hunt than their later versions.[4][1]
What makes 1st Edition stand out beyond numbers? The stamp itself. It’s a circle with “1st Edition” in gray or sometimes faint ink. Fakes flood the market, so real ones get extra scrutiny, driving verified copies’ value sky-high. Early players hoarded them, and time wore down the rest—edges curl, colors fade from 25+ years of handling.[5]
Shadowless has its fans too. No stamp, but the artwork tweak signals a short window before Unlimited took over. Pull rates in old packs lean Shadowless rarer than Unlimited, but nowhere near 1st. For example, Shadowless Charizard holos have about 41 PSA 10s logged, per some auction houses, still beatable but not elite scarce.[1]
Errors spice things up across runs, but don’t redefine rarity. 1st Edition has gray stamp variants or low-ink stamps, super rare within an already tiny print. Unlimited Jungle holos missing symbols? Handfuls exist. But these are side quests—the core 1st Edition run wins the rarity crown.[4]
Market trends seal it. In 2025, Base Set stays hot, with 1st Edition leading sales charts. Pikachu Illustrator edges it for absolute rarity at 39 copies ever, but that’s not Base Set. Within Base Set, 1st Edition rules due to that initial low print run matching wild demand.[5]
Sealed product tells the clearest tale. A single 1st Edition booster box might hold 36 packs, each with a shot at those stamped holos. But with so few boxes printed, odds plummet. Shadowless boxes? More existed. Unlimited? Warehouses full back then.[6]
Preservation plays in. Kids ripped packs in ’99, so survivors are battle-scarred. Top grades amplify rarity—BGS 10 Pristine on 1st Edition? Almost mythical, like three known for some cards.[1]
International quirks add layers. Japanese Base Set had its own prints, but Western 1st Edition stays the holy grail for English collectors. Wizards stopped printing in 2003, shifting to Pokémon USA, but Base Set’s early runs hold vintage king status.[6]
Chase stories fuel the fire. One collector found a 1st Edition Mewtwo in a thrift store lot—life-changing cash. Shadowless finds happen more, Unlimited daily. Rarity shows in effort: hours on eBay, conventions, or group trades for 1st Edition hits.[1][5]
Grading shifts values too. PSA 10 1st Edition Base Set cards climb yearly, population reports capping supply. Beckett or CGC grades exist, but PSA dominates, logging few elites.[1]
Counterfeits warn buyers. Test stamps with UV light—real ones glow specific ways. Weight, centering, edges all matter. Rarity breeds fakes, proving 1st Edition’s pull.[4]
Beyond holos, commons and uncommons from 1st Edition gain traction. Full sets? Near impossible without deep pockets, as even bulk rares evade most.[
