First Edition, Shadowless, Unlimited: the three Base Set printings

The English Base Set of 1999 exists in three printings: the First Edition, with the stamp in the oval on the left below the illustration; the Shadowless, identical but without the stamp and without the shadow to the right of the frame; the Unlimited, with the shadow and the HP numbers in a bolder typeface. You can tell them apart in ten seconds, and on price the difference runs from a few hundred to a few hundred thousand euros.

1999: three print runs in a few months

Wizards of the Coast published the Base Set in January 1999. The first print run carries an edition stamp; when it sold out, the same printing plates were used without the stamp, and the Shadowless was born. Shortly afterwards the set was reprinted with revised graphics, the shadow around the illustration frame and a bolder typeface: this is the Unlimited, which would stay in print until 2000, with a fourth print run recognisable by its 1999-2000 copyright.

Three cards with the same illustration, the same number, the same text. And three markets.

The First Edition: the stamp in the oval

There is one sign: on the left, below the illustration frame, a small black oval with the number 1 and the word Edition. For the rest the card is a Shadowless: no shadow, thin HP. It is the smallest print run, and for the holos the copies in 10 are very few.

It is also the printing of the records. In June 2026 Heritage Auctions sold a First Edition Charizard PSA 10 for $462,500. It is not a market price, it is an auction price for one of the best copies in the world, but it gives the measure of the distance between this printing and the others.

The Shadowless: same plates, no stamp

The Shadowless is the First Edition without the stamp. You recognise it from the illustration frame: on the right-hand side and at the bottom there is no shadow, the edge is flat. The HP numbers are in a thin typeface, and the copyright block at the bottom is slightly different from the Unlimited's.

It is the middle printing for rarity and for price: much dearer than the Unlimited, much cheaper than the First Edition. On the Charizard 4/102 our listing gathers Shadowless and Unlimited together, because they are the two printings you actually meet on the market.

The Unlimited: the shadow and the bold typeface

It is the card almost everyone has held. The shadow to the right of and below the illustration frame, the HP in a bold typeface, the copyright on one line: these are the signs. It was printed in enormous quantities and remains the entry point to vintage.

The catalogue prices refer to it. The Unlimited Charizard is worth between €200 and €1,500 ungraded and about €11,000 in PSA 10 according to PriceCharting in October 2026, down 11% over twelve months. The Blastoise 2/102 goes from €150 to €800 ungraded to about €7,700 in PSA 10, the Venusaur 15/102 from €100 to €600 to about €4,300. And the Gyarados 6/102, worth between €15 and €40 ungraded, reaches about €2,600 in PSA 10: more than 160 times, because a 1999 holo in perfect condition is rare whatever the Pokémon.

How to tell them apart in ten seconds

• Stamp in the oval on the left below the illustration: First Edition.
• No stamp, no shadow to the right of the frame, thin HP: Shadowless.
• Shadow to the right of the frame, bold HP: Unlimited.
• 1999-2000 copyright: fourth Unlimited print run.

The shadow check is the most reliable, because the edition stamp has been the target of forgeries: a stamp added to an Unlimited gives itself away precisely because the shadow is there.

The Italian printings of 2000

In Italian the Base Set (Set Base) came out in 2000, already with the shadow graphics: there is no Italian Shadowless. There are two printings, 1st Edition (1ª Edizione) with the stamp and Unlimited without, and the Italian 1st Edition is the one collectors grade. For an Italian collector it is the most accessible route to a first-run Base Set, with prices still far from the English ones.

The Base Set on Pokechrono

In our catalogue the Base Set is present with its main holos, each with its ungraded range, the month's PSA 10 value and the printing stated on the listing. When one of these cards goes to auction, the copy is a PSA 10 with a published certificate number, and the photograph shows the actual printing: if it is Shadowless you can see it from the frame, before you even read it. If you have a graded Base Set card to sell, the Sell page is the starting point.