How Do You Know If Pokemon Cards Are First Edition?

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Originally published in English in 1999, the Pokémon Trading Card Game has become even more popular. Over the years, the game has seen several alterations; today, it is quite different from when it was first published. Early years saw each set's first print run printed with the "1st Edition" insignia; these are typically regarded as rather uncommon and far more valuable than other print runs. How do you know if Pokémon cards are first edition? Look for the "1st Edition" insignia, usually found on the left side of the card, just below the image. This mark distinguishes them from subsequent printings and significantly increases their value among collectors.

How Do You Know If Pokemon Cards Are First Edition

Cards bearing the 1st Edition emblem were not printed for very long. Ten of the first eleven sets to be published had first edition print runs. One exception was Base Set 2, a reproduction of the original Base Set. Published in 2002, Neo Destiny was the last set in English bearing the 1st Edition mark. First Edition printing halted almost 20 years ago, as you can see, hence these kinds of cards are quite rare and quite costly.

How Do I Know If My Card Is 1st Edition?

You may find out if your card is first edition in numerous ways. First it had to have come from one of the early sets. Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, Team Rocket, Gym Heroes, Gym Challenge, Neo Genesis, Neo Discovery, Neo Revelation and Neo Destiny are the sets with a first edition print run. Your first edition English card is a fake; if it comes from any other set than these.

Alright, so you have a card from one of the sets above; next things to check for on the card are the first edition symbol. Always printed in black ink, the first edition sign is readily identifiable. The circle has a "1" in it and a "EDITION" wrapping around its top. On a Pokémon card, they were always located in the bottom left corner of the artbox. For Energy cards it will always be located in the top right hand corner, close to the word Energy; on Trainer cards it will always be found in the very bottom left hand corner of the card. From this time, you could also discover the 1st Edition stamp on the outside of Booster Packs and Booster Boxes, which confirmed that the cards within would be 1st Edition cards. This was typically limited to the initial print run of a set, as we mentioned; it was thereafter replaced with far more common "Unlimited" print runs. Since practically all of the Base Set 1st Edition cards were sold out before the Pokémon frenzy truly started in England, the majority of the general population never even had to see such cards in the first place.

Shadowsless vs Shadowed

The Base Set printing included Shadowless cards, another minor variation. These resulted from early in the game's existence Wizards of the Coast experimenting with card design and some subdued modifications were done. They are called "Shadowless" since the card's design just features a flat color all around; it does not have any shadowing around the artbox. They also had far thinner HP and text, however this is sometimes more difficult to detect if you do not have an Unlimited print run card to compare to. Very rare are Shadowless cards featuring the first Edition insignia. Since shadowless cards were generated right after the first Edition print run, there is some minor overlap with few 1st Edition Shadowless cards. How do you know if Pokémon cards are first edition value shadowless cards as first edition cards because of their rarity and proximity to the base set.

Notable First Edition Card Designs

We couldn't talk about first Edition Pokémon cards without including some of the most famous and most sought after cards in game history. One of the most collectible sets of all time, the Base Set is the first set ever published and you will definitely be able to identify every card from it. The collection included holographic cards of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise, the original starting three. These cards are quite valuable today as they was the highest rarity at the time. But you could be sitting on a gold mine if you can locate one in 1st Edition or even Shadowless! Along with Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon from that same set, there are cards like Snorlax 1st Edition from Jungle. Collectors battle over these and prices are always rising steadily. Including Misty and Brock, all of the original gym leaders are readily accessible as first edition cards in Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge.

We first meet many of the fresh Gold, Silver and Crystal game characters when we enter the Neo setting and the release of generation 2 Pokémon. The Neo sets contain several first edition cards that have grown to be rather valuable and highly desirable. Given their rare availability in decent condition, the Lugia holo from Neo Genesis is an excellent example. A well graded PSA 9 card will probably cause you to be back a few thousand pounds nowadays. The Neo series also produced our first "Shining" cards: Gyarados, Mag Okin, Charizard, Mewtwo, and Tyranitar. Any one of these in a first edition is probably valuable enough. For many people, these cards cause a great sense of nostalgia and they are ready to pay for that excitement of gathering them once more.

Released in English in 1999, the Pokémon Trading Card Game has been gathering popularity ever since. Over the years, the game has seen several alterations; today, it is quite different from when it was first published. Early years saw each set's first print run printed with the "1st Edition" insignia; these are typically regarded as rather uncommon and far more valuable than other print runs.

Cards bearing the 1st Edition emblem were not printed for very long. Ten of the first eleven sets to be published had first edition print runs. One exception was Base Set 2, a reproduction of the original Base Set. Published in 2002, Neo Destiny was the last set in English bearing the 1st Edition mark. First Edition printing halted almost 20 years ago, as you can see, hence these kinds of cards are quite rare and quite costly.

Find out whether my card is first edition.

You may find out if your card is first edition in numerous ways. First it had to have come from one of the early sets. Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, Team Rocket, Gym Heroes, Gym Challenge, Neo Genesis, Neo Discovery, Neo Revelation and Neo Destiny are the sets with a first edition print run. Your first edition English card is a fake; if it comes from any other set than these.

Alright, so you have a card from one of the sets above; next things to check for on the card are the first edition symbol. Always printed in black ink, the first edition sign is readily identifiable. The circle has a "1" in it and a "EDITION" wrapping around its top. On a Pokémon card, they were always located in the bottom left corner of the artbox. For Energy cards it will always be located in the top right hand corner, close to the word Energy; on Trainer cards it will always be found in the very bottom left hand corner of the card. From this time, you could also discover the 1st Edition stamp on the outside of Booster Packs and Booster Boxes, which confirmed that the cards within would be 1st Edition cards. This was typically limited to the initial print run of a set, as we mentioned; it was thereafter replaced with far more common "Unlimited" print runs. Since practically all of the Base Set 1st Edition cards were sold out before the Pokémon frenzy truly started in England, the majority of the general population never even had to see such cards in the first place.

Shadowsless vs Shadowed

The Base Set printing included Shadowless cards, another minor variation. These resulted from early in the game's existence Wizards of the Coast experimenting with card design and some subdued modifications were done. They are called "Shadowless" since the card's design just features a flat color all around; it does not have any shadowing around the artbox. They also had far thinner HP and text, however this is sometimes more difficult to detect if you do not have an Unlimited print run card to compare to. Very rare are Shadowless cards featuring the first Edition insignia. Since shadowless cards were generated right after the first Edition print run, there is some minor overlap with few 1st Edition Shadowless cards. Collectors almost equally value shadowless cards as first edition cards because of How do you know if Pokémon cards are first edition.

Notable First Edition Card Designs

We couldn't talk about first Edition Pokémon cards without including some of the most famous and most sought after cards in game history. One of the most collectible sets of all time, the Base Set is the first set ever published and you will definitely be able to identify every card from it. The collection included holographic cards of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise, the original starting three. These cards are quite valuable today as they was the highest rarity at the time. But you could be sitting on a gold mine if you can locate one in 1st Edition or even Shadowless! Along with Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon from that same set, there are cards like Snorlax 1st Edition from Jungle. Collectors battle over these and prices are always rising steadily. Including Misty and Brock, all of the original gym leaders are readily accessible as first edition cards in Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge.

We first meet many of the fresh Gold, Silver and Crystal game characters when we enter the Neo setting and the release of generation 2 Pokémon. The Neo sets contain several first edition cards that have grown to be rather valuable and highly desirable. Given their rare availability in decent condition, the Lugia holo from Neo Genesis is an excellent example. A well graded PSA 9 card will probably cause you to be back a few thousand pounds nowadays. The Neo series also produced our first "Shining" cards: Gyarados, Mag Okin, Charizard, Mewtwo, and Tyranitar. Any one of these in a first edition is probably valuable enough. For many people, these cards cause a great sense of nostalgia and they are ready to pay for that excitement of gathering them once more.

Answered 4 months ago Rajesh KumarRajesh Kumar