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PRESS RELEASE SOURCE: HERITAGE AUCTIONS
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DALLAS, Texas (February 28, 2022) — A rare Pokémon Charizard No. 4 card soared to $336,000 to lead Heritage Auctions’ Trading Card Games Signature Auction to $3,789,153 March 4-5.
The Charizard card drew 69 bids before reaching its final price, the most ever paid at Heritage Auctions for the card — the previous HA record was $300,000, in January 2021 — and well beyond the card’s pre-auction estimate of $200,000+.
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The event was enormously popular, drawing nearly 1,500 global bidders and generating perfect sell-through rates of 100% by value and by lots sold.
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“This auction, especially the trophy-level cards, did exceptionally well,” Heritage Auctions Trading Card Games Consignment Director Jesus Garcia said. “This sale reinforced the fact that demand for Pokémon cards continues its climb. We fully expected Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering to fare well, and they did.”
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The demand for thePokémon Charizard No. 4 First Edition Base Set Trading Card (Wizards of the Coast, 1999) PSA GEM MT 10 that drew the event’s top result was due in part to the fact that it is from the game’s first English print run and is one of just 121 examples to carry the lofty GEM MT 10 grade. Cards from the first English print run are coveted by serious collectors, and finding one in this condition is exceptionally rare.
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Also sparking a flurry of competitive bids was a Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1999), which drew 54 bids before closing at $288,000. Sealed First Edition Booster Boxes are in such demand that they become immediate centerpieces when they land in new collections; finding one like this, still sealed in its original shrink-wrap, is exceptionally difficult because it is from a low print run and precious few ever make it to market.
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Seven of the top 10 results in the sale were brought in by Magic: The Gathering lots, including an Unlimited Edition Starter Deck Sealed Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1993) that became the event’s third lot to reach six figures when it finished at $168,000. Starter Decks were made to be opened in order to play the game … which made sealed boxes exceedingly rare. This box includes 10 decks — each with a rule book and 60 cards: 45 Common cards, 13 Uncommon and two Rares, meaning 20 chances at the Black Lotus or any of the other Power Nine cards.
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Other Pokémon lots among the sale’s highlights were:
A Pokémon Mew Victory Orb 2005 “First Place Winner” Summer Battle Road Trading Card (The Pokémon Company, 2005) PSA GEM MT 10, one of the unnumbered promotional cards given to contestants during the 2005 Summer Battle Road, brought $40,800. This example was given to a first-place winner.
A Pokémon Tropical Mega Battle Lucky Stadium Trainer Promo Trading Card (Media Factory, 2000) CGC NM/Mint 8 nearly doubled its pre-auction estimate when it ended at $38,400. This card is among those handed out to contestants at The Tropical Mega Battle Tournament that was held in Honolulu from 1999 through 2001.
A Pokémon French First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1999) prompted nearly two dozen bids before it found a new home at $36,000. This French Edition scarcity is from the World Champion Brooks Brothers Collection.
Complete results can be found at HA.com/7277.
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