Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sells for $408k

Robert Calendar

Key Points

A Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box established a collectible card game world record in January 2021 by selling for $408,000 at auction.
The set was created in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast and featured 102 cards, including the highly sought-after Charizard.
All of the cards in this box set are likely in "gem mint" condition because the packs have not been handled.

The Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box sold by Wizards of the Coast in 1999 set a record when it sold for $408,000 at auction.

The box was sold during the second session of Heritage Auctions' four-day Comics & Comic Art Auction. The afternoon sessions comprised 16 Pokémon lots, which accounted for more than $1.3 million in sales.

Social Media influencers have sent the demand for First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Boxes is soaring. Heritage Auctions sold a similar set in November 2022. We expect interest Pokemon sets to continue to grow as new collectors enter the market.

The First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box sold in January 2021 was still in its original shrink wrap. The $408K price broke the world record for a trading card auction, that was previously set when a similar booster box in sold for $360,000 in November 2020. The booster box set was created in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast and featured 102 individual cards, including the highly sought-after Charizard.

Each box contains 36 booster packs, with 11 cards per pack, totaling 396 cards. All the cards in the packs are likely in "gem mint" condition because the packs have not been handled. The set is considered the apex of Pokémon box collecting due to low print run.