Regardless of how long you have been collecting and trading Pokémon cards, it’s highly likely you’ve seen the image of the original Charizard. You know, the one with wings out, breathing fire, looking awesome?
Don’t worry, I’ll show the image below to make sure.
That’s the one. Did you know though that this image is both on a $30 card as well as a $420,000 one? And did you know that this image has been used across at least 20 different Charizard cards?
It’s no wonder then that people have no idea which Charizard card they actually have. Well fear not reader, that’s exactly what this article is here to do. If you do not know the basics in Identifying Pokémon Cards, this article will cover a lot of the processes laid out there too!
We will cover all of the different Charizard cards with the above image, how to identify them, and what their estimated values are. And if you are still confused, feel free to send me a message and I’ll try to help you out.
Let’s get to it!
Base Set, Shadowless, and 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard
Let’s start with the first English Charizard Pokémon cards ever released. The Base Set, Base Set Shadowless, and 1st Edition Shadowless Charizard. All other cards that this article covers below started with these (and the Japanese) Charizard’s.
On the very right is the 1st Edition Shadowless which can be identified due to the “1 Edition” stamp on the middle left of the card. This was the true first English Charizard Pokémon card ever released! And because of that, it is an incredibly expensive Charizard card. Beware as there are a number of fakes of this card due to its rarity and price.
In the middle is the Shadowless Charizard, which can be identified due to not having a shadow along the right side of the picture, unlike the Base Set on the very left. It also will not have the “1 Edition” stamp like the 1st Edition Shadowless on the right.
And finally, the Base Set Charizard. This card will have no symbol on the right-center portion of the card and no 1st Edition Stamp. If you dig up your old binder, this is the one you are most likely to have in it.
All three of the original Charizard cards will have 120 health and have the number 4/102 in the bottom right corner.
One last callout regarding alternate language cards. If you have a French, German, Italian, or otherwise 1st Edition Charizard, it will have the shadow along the right edge of the picture, unlike the English version.
Onto the next!
Base Set 2 Charizard
The Base Set 2 Charizard was an English exclusive release and was the 4th Pokémon set ever released. It still has 120 HP and is number 4/102 like the Base Set Charizard’s above and was released in 2000, almost 1 year after the Base Set cards. The main difference then is the “2” symbol in the right center of the card.
The Base Set 2 Charizard also has a slightly different holo pattern, but that is hard to notice unless you have them next to each other. Unfortunately, it is slightly cheaper than its Base Set sibling, but it is still an awesome OG Charizard nonetheless.
Legendary Collection Non-Holo, Legendary Collection Holo, Legendary Collection Reverse Holo Charizard’s
The next set of Charizard’s come from the Legendary Collection set which was released in 2002 after the also incredibly popular Neo sets. Take note that all of these Charizard’s also have 120 health but are number 3/110. They can also be identified by the medal in the right center portion of the card, which is the symbol for the Legendary Collection Set.
The first Legendary Collection Charizard on the left is actually the only non-holo Charizard on this entire list. If you like these Charizard’s and want one for slightly less money, the non holo may be the way to go.
The second holo Legendary collection Charizard in the middle is another that is nearly identical to both the Base Set and the Base Set 2 Charizard cards above. As mentioned above though, they can be differentiated due to the number on the bottom and the symbol in the center of the card.
Lastly (but certainly not least), we have the Reverse Holo Legendary Collection Charizard. This one is incredibly unique among all others and is highly recognizable due to it’s fireworks-like holo pattern that covers the entire card. The Legendary Collection Reverse Holo Charizard is incredibly hard to fake (though they do exist) and holds a price tag that puts it in the list of Most Expensive Charizard cards.
Evolutions, Evolutions Prerelease, Evolutions Prerelease Staff, Evolutions Reverse Holo
The next 4 Charizard’s are all from the XY Evolutions set which was released in 2016. Despite not being nearly as old as the previous set, there is still some serious value in these cards.
The XY Evolutions Charizard’s are easier to identify than some of the others on this list. All of these XY Charizard’s are unique in the fact that they have both 150 health and a 200 damage Fire Spin. All other Charizard’s on this list have 120 HP and only do 100 damage.
Once you recognize that, you should be able to more easily distinguish which one of these 4 you have. The first two have no stamps over their pictures, and one is a normal holo while the other is a reverse holo. In the reverse holo version, the entire card is a shiny holographic coating while the other is holo only in its picture.
The first XY Prerelease Charizard is distinguished by its colorful “Evolutions” stamp in the bottom right corner of the picture. The only difference between this card and the “Prerelease Staff” version is the “STAFF” stamp in the bottom left corner of the picture.
If you have either of those, congrats once again as both of those also make the list of most expensive Charizard cards. If you’re looking for some cheaper Charizards, the top two are actually some of the most affordable on this list.
Celebrations and Celebrations Premium Collection Charizard’s
The next Charizard’s are from the Celebrations set. This set was released several years after the XY set above in 2021.
Interestingly enough, the first Celebrations Charizard was released to commemorate Pokémon’s 25th anniversary, so it’s no wonder it looks nearly identical to the Base Set Charizard (from the picture at least). While the picture doesn’t do it justice, the Celebrations Charizard on the left has a very nice sparkle holo, and is identifiable due to the Pikachu head in the bottom right corner of the Charizard image.
The Premium Collection Celebrations Charizard on the right is incredibly easy to identify and unbelievably unique next to all others as it is actually made of metal. Yes, you read that right. It is made with actual metal.
It is both very heavy and incredibly durable next to all others, so don’t worry about it not being real. And while it unfortunately isn’t actually made of gold, the metal does make this one of the most unique on the list.
English TCG Classic Charizard Deck Charizard and Japanese TCG Classic Charizard Deck Charizard
In my humble opinion, the Classic Collection Charizard’s are incredibly slept on. Despite not having the highest price tag on this list, the shimmering holo in the English and ESPECIALLY the Japanese version are unbelievably well done.
While these are very similar to the original Base Set Charizard in health, move, and image, the shimmering holographic pattern and the bold and red CLC and CLL in the bottom left corner gives these away.
These Charizard’s were pulled from a deck exclusive which made them relatively easily attainable, hence the reasonable (for this list) price tag. They were also released more recently in 2023.
That being said, put either of these in a binder next to any other cards and they will absolutely stand out among the rest!
20th Anniversary and 25th Anniversary Japanese Charizard Cards
The next two Charizard’s on the list are both anniversary cards, made to commemorate two different Pokémon anniversaries. The first on the left is the Japanese version of the English XY Charizard’s above. It has the same telltale signs as the XY set, with 150 HP and 200 damage done with Fire Spin.
If you have a Japanese Charizard with 150 health, then this is the one you have. If it’s English with 150 HP, check the English XY versions above!
The Charizard on the right is the 25th Anniversary Charizard. While this one has the 120 HP and 100 Damage like most others on this list, it does also have a large “25” Stamp on the right side of the picture.
Expansion Pack and Expansion Pack No Rarity Japanese Charizard Cards
Last but certainly not least on this list are the true OG Charizard cards. Since these were released before the English versions, these two Charizards are the true originals.
The Japanese Expansion Pack Charizard on the left is akin to the Base set Charizard. The only difference between that and the “No Rarity” version is the missing rarity symbol in the bottom right corner.
While this might seem like a mis-print, the No Rarity Japanese Charizard was how it was released when these sets first came out. The “No Rarity” Japanese Charizard then is much like the 1st Edition Shadowless English version. It was much harder to come by and the price tag absolutely shows it.
Conclusion
Hopefully you enjoyed this article regarding all original pictured Charizard cards! If there are any I missed or if you’d like to send me any comments, send me an email at info@pokecardguy.com!
Want to pick up some really cheap Charizard cards? Look no further.
What about the most expensive Lugia cards? Got you there as well.
Feel like something cuter? Here’s a list of some of the cutest Pokémon cards.
Thanks for reading!