Above is the CD Promo Pikachu from the Japanese CD release, and below is a card from the same CD promo, one of many that are classified as 1998.
If these cards came in the same package, in the same CD, why are they labeling one 1999 and all the other cards that came in the same package as 1998?
Furthermore, Since this Pikachu was released in 1998, is the the first known English card? Is there a card im forgetting?
The label on the Pikachu is correct. The Pokémon Song Best Collection CD was released on January 1st, 1999.
The Blastoise label is incorrect. It’s either from the CD and should have gotten release year 1999 instead of 1998, or it’s from the Trade Please campaign from February-July 1998. Afaik there also isn’t a way to distinguish between the two versions of Blastoise to begin with, so I’m always curious why a grading company chooses one over the other unless the submitter choose for themselves.
And to answer your other question: no, the Pikachu from the Pokémon Song Best Collection CD was not the first English Pokémon card released. The 1st edition Base Set was released on January 9th, 1999, so the CD was indeed released eight days earlier. But the E3 two player Demo pack was given in December 1998, so the 14 distinct Shadowless Base Set cards in it would be the first English ‘released’ Pokémon TCG cards. The Trainer Deck A and B were also distributed a few days before the Base Set, and plausible simultaneously with the CD or maybe just prior to it. (If we would include unreleased Pokémon cards, the multiple Protostoise versions are the first English TCG Pokémon cards.)
Greetz,
Quuador