I have been looking at Dark Charizard (1st ed, holo) and wonder why are there so many in PSA 9 (over 1k) and PSA 10? AFAIK, only the base set unlimited charizard has a higher population in PSA 9 and 10 (over 4k) and I simply wonder whether this is purely random or were some of the sets printed in larger quantities? Why are the Skyridge packs and cards so scarce whereas the 1st Edition Team rocket cards get graded this much? Is it perhaps that the card and the background is quite dark and less prone to surface damage, and therefore easier to score a 9/10 on?
So, I dont theres theres one definite answer to this question, just because theres a lot which doesnt have a solid answer, but heres a few points which can be factored in:
-Skyridge was made on the brink of the end of the Pokemon TCG, hence the lower counts seen as prints of them were lower, but as for exact numbers, i dont believe those are available.
-All PSA 9 cards come with that distinction that there are known case crackers out there who do resubmit 9 grades to achieve a 10. Regardless though, these numbers of how many have done such a thing are uncertain and are hard to determine, but this doesn’t answer the amount of PSA 10 available and why that is, which i cant truly comment on.
-Theres two variants of dark charizard (holo and non holo) and im not sure if these are separated in pop count, but i assume they are so its just a question to ask in researching
-As for the holo aspect being darker, this could be a possible reason as to why they grade well, but i dont think its enough to really say for sure anything population wise. I thought this myself a while back but soon realized i dont think thats a good enough thought to really place any though under, seeing as a holo is still a holo, and psa is pretty good at going by their standards for grades, so i dont think its something to consider heavily for researching.
This all being said, could print runs of this set have been higher? Absolutely. Do we know for sure? As far as i know, no there hasnt been a real distinction of this. So ultimately, there coud be many reasons as to why the numbers are high, but really I think an answer is going to be hard to find beyond speculation. Regardless, its still one of my favorite cards personally.
I’ve noticed that Team Rocket holos seem to be more resistant to damage. The card stock feels a little different then the previous few sets and the holo doesn’t seem to scratch as easily.
@goonhoon honestly im not sure personally, but ill try some research to see if theres anything around in that regard. From experience though, i could totally agree with @pkmnflyingmaster that Rocket was everywhere when It released while I was a kid, because i always had access to 1st edition packs compared to other sets. Other than that (and what ill look around for) not sure if i could provide anything solid for myself
A little background on why there are so many Dark Charizard holo graded cards. When the Pokemon craze hit north America in 1999, everyone quickly fell in love with Charizard from the Base set. Every kid in the school yard wanted that card. If you were lucky enough to hold in your “hands” a 1st edition Charizard, you were suddenly the coolest kid at school. This is when people started selling rather than traded that card. Ebay was still in it’s infancy and lots of people started selling Pokemon cards across North America. Also people started to grade cards and their value continued to climb. The Pokemon fever went National.
Fast forward a bit to middle of year 2000 when Team Rocket was being introduced to the Pokemon world. Here was the next chance to get a 1st ed Charizard. Everyone was ready this time and quickly snatched up that card. They kept the card out of most kids hands and kept them in pack fresh shape. Most were graded and more received higher grades than the Base Charizard.
There are around 3,100+ Dark Charizards graded with the majority being 1st edition(1,938)
Comparatively, Base 1st Charizard has been graded 2,332 times so technically Dark Charizard 1st edition is more rare than base 1st Charizard but definitely not more scarce
Another fun little fact : Base set unlimited Charizard has been graded a total of 11,408 times(3.66% PSA 10 Rate), stupidly outnumbering anything and everything else
it was the next big chase card after getting your base set charizard as base set 2 was a reprinted artwork, many people would of held onto that for nostalgia so the numbers are not surprising to me. Plus the artworks great
My buddy @chavycat collects PSA 10 Blaine’s Zards and noticed that is has a lower population than dark charizard. It also sells higher typically, but not by a ton I think. Definitely more scarce and in the last PWCC auction reached 1.7K.
Personally, I like the Dark Zard art more and LOVE the dark charmeleon, but a Zard is a Zard is a Zard and will always command high value.
Well crap, didn’t even know that is out there. Saw the Dark Arbok W one before. It will be added to my list of cards I want to buy one day. Thanks for info
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