Dark Charmeleon

Numbered 32 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, Dark Charmeleon is an Uncommon, a Stage 1 Fire-type carrying 50 HP.

It evolves from Charmander, so Dark Charmeleon is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.

Team Rocket darkened Charmeleon under its control for the set's villain arc, a grittier repaint of the familiar Pokémon with an altered attack profile.

Illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno. Himeno is one of the most-recognized vintage illustrators, with a softer, more textured style that shows up across the Jungle and Neo runs.

Printed on the card, the Charmeleon Pokédex entry reads: "Its tail is incredibly strong, able to lift up to 5 adult men."

The middle Charmander stage. Bigger, more aggressive, and notoriously hard to befriend in the games. The forgotten middle of the most famous evolution line. Charmeleon usually trades in the shadow of its evolved form. Collectors completing a Charmander to Charizard 1st Edition run pay up; standalone demand is thin.

Dark Charmeleon is an Uncommon, so raw copies are inexpensive and easy to find. The value is in condition: a genuine PSA 10, especially 1st Edition, can still reach a surprising figure for an otherwise common card. The live price above breaks it down by grade.

Team Rocket shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The 1st Edition Dark Charmeleon carries the Edition 1 stamp under the artwork and trades above the Unlimited copy in matching grade. The set is also home to Dark Raichu, the first Secret Rare ever printed.

Dark Charmeleon grades forgivingly, but the same centering and edge standards apply. Pack-fresh raw copies are easy to find, which makes a clean PSA 10 submission a low-cost way to learn how the cardstock behaves under grading.

Raw copies of Dark Charmeleon are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Dark Charmeleon is the practical move.