Charizard · Expedition Base Set, what to know.
About the Charizard card
Numbered 40 of 165 in Expedition Base Set, released in September 2002, Charizard is a Rare, a Stage 2 Fire-type carrying 120 HP.
It evolves from Charmeleon, so Charizard is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
Illustrated by Hiromichi Sugiyama.
About Charizard in the Pokémon world
The fire-flying final form of the Charmander line, and the unofficial mascot of the franchise outside of Pikachu. Massive dragon-shaped silhouette, wings, tail-flame. The single most-recognized trading card of the modern era. Its Base Set holo print drove the entire vintage Pokémon market and continues to set the comp price for every other Wizards-era holo.
What is Charizard worth?
Charizard is a non-holo Rare. In Expedition Base Set, value concentrates in the holo rares, so a Charizard trades modestly, though a clean, well-centered 1st Edition copy in PSA 10 is scarcer than the print run suggests and carries a real premium. Check the live price above for the figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Confirm the print and finish on Charizard before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
Charizard grades on centering and edges more than surface. The card was played and traded more freely than the holos, so a clean, well-centered Charizard is worth more than collectors assume.
If you are collecting Charizard
For Charizard, check centering by eye, edge whitening on all four sides, and surface under angled light. Non-holo Rares from this era are cheap enough that a PSA 10 submission on a clean Charizard can make sense.
