Trainer cards with 1999-2000 dates come from the early days of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, mostly tied to the original Base Set and its print runs, plus some special promos and error versions from Wizards of the Coast prints.[1][3] These cards were part of the first big wave of English-language Pokémon TCG releases, starting with the Base Set in 1999, and they feature a total of 26 trainer cards in that core set alone.[1] Wizards printed them with copyright notices like ©1999 or spanning into 2000 on certain runs, especially UK versions and error cards, making them hot items for collectors today because of their vintage feel and rarity in high grades.[2][3][4]
Let’s start with the heart of it all: the Pokémon Base Set from 1999. This was the very first English set, hitting shelves in January 1999 after the Japanese version back in 1996.[1] It had 102 cards total, broken down into 69 Pokémon, 26 trainers, and just 6 energy cards. Those 26 trainer cards are the ones most people think of when talking 1999 dates. They all carry that classic Wizards copyright from 1999 on the bottom, and many unlimited prints kept that date even as production rolled into 2000.[1][2] Bill is one standout example, numbered 91/102 in the unlimited edition. It’s a simple draw-two-cards effect, but back then, it was a game-changer for getting hands full fast in matches.[1] Sales data shows these Bill cards from 1999 prints fetching prices like $14.99 for a CGC 9.5 graded one as recently as 2024, or even $5 for lower grades, proving they’re still traded hot.[2]
Right next to Bill in value and play power is Pokedex, card number 87/102. This trainer lets you look through your deck, grab a Pokémon, and shuffle back. Super useful for digging out exactly what you need mid-game. Listings confirm 1999 Base Set Pokedex trainers graded PSA 5 or 6 sell around $9.50 to $10, with some shadowless versions from early 1999 prints pushing higher.[4] Shadowless means no shadow around the card art, a mark of the first print runs in 1999 before they added drop shadows later that year.[3] Then there’s Energy Removal, another Base Set trainer that yanks one energy off an opponent’s Pokémon. In the days when Base Set was the only game in town, this card could stall a knockout blow and flip a match.[1] Professor Oak rounds out the top tier, letting you ditch your hand and draw seven fresh cards. It’s called the ultimate trainer for a reason—pure hand refresh power.[1]
The full list of those 26 Base Set trainers from 1999 all share that date in their fine print. Here’s every one, explained simply so you know what each does and why it matters: Item Finder (search deck for a trainer you discarded), Computer Search (grab any Pokémon from deck), Scoop Up (pick up your own fainted Pokémon back to hand), Switch (swap your active Pokémon with bench), Pokémon Trader (trade one bench Pokémon for another from deck), Pokémon Breeder (search deck for up to two basic Pokémon evolutions), Maintenance (put two cards from hand on bottom of deck, draw two), Imposter Oak’s Revenge (opponent discards hand, you draw five—but risky), Professor Oak (as above, full hand reset), Bill (draw two), Energy Removal (remove foe’s energy), Energy Retrieval (get two basic energies from discard), Full Heal (cure status on your Pokémon), Gust of Wind (switch opponent’s active with bench), Item Removal (remove an attached item from foe’s Pokémon), Pokémon Center (heal 40 HP on one Pokémon, return to hand), Pokedex (search for a Pokémon), Super Potion (heal 60 but discard an energy), Potion (heal 30), Switch (swap active), and the rest like Spoons, String, and more fillers for deck building.[1] Each one has that 1999 copyright, and unlimited prints often stayed true to it even into 2000 production.[2][3]
Now, dig into the print variations that scream 1999-2000 specifically. UK prints from 1999-2000 had quirks like yellow ink shifts on commons, where colors smeared right and down—only fixed in later runs.[3] Vulpix errors in 1st edition, shadowless, and unlimited had “HP 50” instead of “50 HP,” corrected only in those late 1999-2000 UK 4th print runs.[3] But for trainers, the big 1999-2000 flag is on error cards like Holofoil Dark Arbok and Rare Dark Arbok from Jungle set extensions—printed with “©1999-23000 Wizards” because a rogue 3 slipped into the 2000 date.[3] These weren’t corrected, so every copy has that funky 1999-23000 mark, tying them straight to 1999-2000 presses.
Promo trainers jump in here too, with some locked to 2000 dates. Take Computer Error, Black Star Promo #16, released around July 1999 but carrying a straight 2000 Wizards print date.[5] It’s a fun one: flip a coin for each of your opponent’s Pokémon—if heads, they get 1 damage counter. Graded CGC 10 versions sold for $19 to $39.99 in 2025 sales, showing demand for these dated promos.[5] Unnumbered promos from 1999-2000 inserts, like those in Pokémon Card Trainers Vol. 3 (October 1999) or Meowth’s Party CD (late 1999), sometimes bundled trainer-like effects but aren’t pure trainers—still, collectors chase them for the era stamp.[6]
Gym Challenge sets from late 1999 into 2000 had trainer cards too, like Blaine’s Charizard (a trainer Pokémon hybrid), where early 1st edition and unlimited prints showed a wrong Fighting Energy symbol instead of Fire—corrected super late in unlimited runs, making fixed ones rare.[3] Scizor trainers had uncorrected “20+” damage instead of “20×,” all dated around 2000.[3] Neo sets crept in with Kakuna’s copyright as “1995-2000” instead of “1995-2001.”[3]
Prices tell the story of scarcity. A 1999 Bill Base Set CGC 5 went for $4.99 in early 2025, while gem mint promos like Computer Error hit $30+.[2][5] Pokedex shadowless from 1999 shadowless prints graded PSA 6 at $9.50 back in 2022, holding steady.[4] These dates matter because Wizards stopped printing Pokémon TCG end of 2000, handing off to Nintendo, so 1999-2000 marks the sweet spot of original run authenticity—no reprints mess up the collector value.[3]
Beyond Base Set, Jungl
