Carddass Pocket Monsters (Pokemon) Anime Collection
Discussion and visual reference
A brief contextual history
On February 27, 1996 the first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Green Versions (and Blue on October 15,1996), were released onto the Nintendo Game Boy system in Japan.
The popular titles gave rise to a number of products being released in succession. Bandai, a manufacturer of toys and other products, obtained a licence and manufactured a set of collectible cards in 1996.
1. Carddass Pokémon Monsters Collection Series (1996)
[Green (part 1) and Red (part 2)]
At the time the franchise was unable to provide a great amount of source material to really draw from, and the artwork was in its absolute infancy. The franchise had nothing like the built out world and depth of characters that the franchise has evolved into today. The images appeared largely static and the pokemon came across as very similar to their basic sprite counterparts in the game.
In 1997 Bandai released their second major type of collectible Carddass Pokémon offering:
2. Pokémon Carddass Series (1997)
[part 3 and 4]
While the first series captured the game’s sprite like nature, these parts featured a more dynamic look at the pokemon and provided a real sense of action which really served to stimulate the imagination.
It was during that same year that Pokémon premiered in Japan (April 1, 1997), on TV Tokyo.
Suddenly the world of Pokémon had a co-ordinated heartbeat and people loved to immerse themselves completely in the Pokemon world and story.
The next natural progression for Bandai was to release a Carddass series that featured the anime itself, which provided numerous iconic moments and artwork that collectors would be drawn to. This turned out to be the:
3. Carddass Pocket Monsters Anime Collection Series (1998-1999)
These cards captured moments of the animated TV series and showcased a range of moments that were funny, cute, intense, sweet etc.
In total there are 8 parts which were released quarterly over the two years.
Timing context:
Pokémon first aired on TV in the USA on September 8, 1998.
The TCG was also introduced to North America on January 9, 1999
—The following year Bandai released:
4. Carddass Pocket Monsters Anime Collection Gold and Silver Series (2000)
In the year 2000, 3 additional parts were released to continue cataloguing moments from the anime.
These 3 parts are where the Carddass Anime Collection concludes.
It is worth mentioning, that while there are many more Carddass products, not all of them are traditional cards or sizes.
Table Summary
| Year | Part | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | カードダスポケットモンスターアニメコレクションパート1 Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Paato 1 (Carddas Pokémon Anime Collection Part 1) | 45 cards |
| 1998 | カードダスポケットモンスターアニメコレクションパート2ミュウツーの逆襲 編 Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Paato Edition 2 Myuutsuu Hent-Gyew Anime Part 2 Myuutsuu Hent-GyewCollection | 45 cards |
| 1998 | カードダスポケットモンスターアニメコレクションパート3グレン島の戦い編 Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Paato 3 Guren-Touno tatakai-Hen (Carddas Pokémon Anime Collection Part 3 Issue Battle Island Cinnamon) | 45 cards |
| 1998 | カードダスポケットモンスターアニメコレクションパート4ミュウツー登場 編 Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Pāto 4 Edition Myuutsuu Hentwo CardinalAnime Collection Part 4 Myuutsuu Hentwo-Moujou Anime Collection | 45 cards |
| 1999 | カードダスポケットモンスターアニメコレクションパート5ポケモンリーグ突入 編Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Edition Paato 5 Poketto Tue Pokas Run Monsutaa Pokas Pokas-Riu PokasCollection | 45 cards |
| 1999 | カードダスポケットモンスターアニメコレクションパート6オレンジ諸島 突入 編 Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Paato 6 Orenji Shotou Totsun Islands RunPokémon Orange Edition 6 | 45 cards |
| 1999 | カードダスポケットモンスターアニメコレクションパート7ルギ ア 爆 誕 編Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Pāto 7 Rugia Edition Bakutan-HenAnime Collection Part 7 | 45 cards |
| 1999 | カードダスポケットモンスターアニメコレクションパート8オレンジ諸島 完結 編Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Paato 8 Edition Orenji Shotou Henas KanketsuOrange Anime Collection | 45 cards |
| 2000 | カ ー ド ダ ス ポ ケ ッ ト モ ン ス タ ー ア ニ メ コ レ ク シ ョ ン パ ー ト 1 金 ・ 銀 編Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Paato 1 Kin ・ Gin-Hen(Carddas Gold • Silver Anime Collection) Version 1 | 45 cards |
| 2000 | カ ー ド ダ ス ポ ケ ッ ト モ ン ス タ ー ア ニ メ コ レ ク シ ョ ン パ ー ト 2 金 ・ 銀 編Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Paato 2 Kin ・ Gin-Hen(Carddas Gold • Silver Anime Collection) Version 2 | 45 cards |
| 2000 | カ ー ド ダ ス ポ ケ ッ ト モ ン ス タ ー ア ニ メ コ レ ク シ ョ ン パ ー ト 3 金 ・ 銀 編Kaadodasu Poketto Monsutaa Anime Korekushon Paato 3 Kin ・ Gin-Hen(Carddas Gold • Silver Anime Collection) Version 3 | 45 cards |
A big thanks to PokemonCentral for the table above.
Alright, I’ll go straight to the cards. These will serve as a visual reference and I will add more information at the end.
Cards 1-293
EX Cards - 13 (1998)
Movie Cards (1998-1999)
Movie cards - Gold and Silver (2000)
Gold and Silver (2000)
F.A.Q
Are they stickers or cards?
Strictly speaking they are cards. There are sticker overlays on the hidden prism cards though. Those stickers have no non-prism counterpart in the set, meaning the image on the sticker is unique and only released in sticker form.
What are Hidden Prisms?
Some of the sets contain a Hidden Prism, which is essentially a secret rare. These cards are truly secret and hidden from view unless you know what to look for.
They appear normal, however, when their outer sticker is removed they reveal a previously concealed prism.
The boxes containing these secret prisms only house a maximum of 1 per box unlike the other prisms which often contain duplicates.
They are considered rare, and both the unpeeled and peeled versions have been desirable to collectors.
The following are hidden prisms:
Click to show
Can I see a box opening?
You can view a box opening for part 1 in this Japanese youtuber’s video.
Do they grade well?
They do and the PSA pop reports attest to this. However, much like everything else vintage within the Pokémon community, cards in clean and pristine condition are becoming harder to come by with many of the boxes rarely making an appearance on the international public market.
Where can I get them?
If you want graded cards then eBay is still your best bet. You can also get raw cards on eBay.
Additionally, you can search on both Yahoo Japan and mercari, but there isn’t the same turnover rate as the previous Carddass generations, these are not as readily accessible and complete parts don’t appear all that often.
Is there anything I should know before purchasing any of these cards?
Beware of counterfeits. Most of them aren’t too difficult to spot as counterfeiters tend to turn any card into a prism (holo), whether originally it is or not.
Most of the other indicators to check are: the copyright information isn’t missing or altered, the image ratio and placement is correct, the colouring is accurate and vivid and the overall image and text appear clear. I will probably go into greater detail at some point. But really, just knowing what the original prism (holo) pattern looks like, and knowing which ones are prisms will get you most of the way across the line.
Counterfeiters think that if they take a set of cards which were largely undocumented publicly, and then scan the images, and print them onto some shiny stock that makes them seem rare, then they can easily sell them off to uneducated/ignorant flippers and/or collectors.
Here is an example of some counterfeits.
But even grading companies such as PSA and Beckett have graded similar counterfeits.
Click to show
06
www.psacard.com/auctionprices/tcg-cards/1998-pokemon-japanese-bandai/ash-others/values/2805066
07
… and a bootleg, sure.
www.psacard.com/auctionprices/tcg-cards/1998-pokemon-japanese-bandai/zapdos-prism/values/2035661
09
10
These are just a handful of examples, so be a little careful.
Some quick notes in closing
My collection is in storage, so I collated images from various sources - auction listings, store listings, ebay listings etc for the images contained in the visual reference. That is why the quality ranges from decent to potato, and also why the colours vary greatly. It’s not meant to be a detailed gallery, just a basic visual reference to know what each cards is and whether it is a prism (holo) card or not.
…and yes - I aligned them all manually in photoshop and it took forever.
If I have made any mistakes or omissions, please be patient with me.
