Charizard

Charizard is the card that turned Pokémon into a collecting hobby. The holographic Charizard from the 1999 Base Set was the chase card of the original release, and a quarter of a century later it is still the benchmark collectors measure every other Pokémon card against.

Each era since has produced its own Charizard headliner. The rainbow Charizard-GX from Burning Shadows (2017) defined the Sun & Moon years, and Obsidian Flames (2023) reimagined it as a Tera Charizard ex, with full-art versions that became the most-wanted cards of that set. The Mega Evolution series has added Mega Charizard X ex and Mega Charizard Y ex to the list.

That steady demand is why Charizard prices tend to lead the market: new releases sell out quickly, older printings rarely sit unsold, and the most valuable versions trade for many times the price of other Pokémon from the same set.