# Is Unlimited more rare than 1st Ed. in Japanese? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** general-board\ **Created:** [May 24, 2020, 3:37am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621 "2020-05-24T03:37:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quuador](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/quuador/32/237215_2.png) [@Quuador](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Quuador)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2025, 12:09pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/22 "2025-01-19T12:09:15Z")
All unlimited E1 cards are rare, except for Ponyta whom came in a magazine, so yes. šŸ™‚ Best of luck with your grade. Greetz, Quuador ---
**Author:** ![Recon](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/recon/32/136887_2.png) [@Recon](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Recon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 11:50am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/24 "2025-01-28T11:50:23Z")
Hello There, sorry to up this topic Do we have any information in the pop between 1st ed and unlim ed on the XY era ? Some sets feels ridiculously low pop, and i dont know why ---
**Author:** ![Drew12](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/drew12/32/161497_2.png) [@Drew12](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Drew12)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 12:01pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/25 "2025-01-28T12:01:47Z")
Sorry I have no info, just wanted to say I love your profile pic! Did you draw that yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Recon](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/recon/32/136887_2.png) [@Recon](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Recon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 12:12pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/26 "2025-01-28T12:12:18Z")
No, its not from me šŸ˜… Its from [Dalton stark](https://www.instagram.com/daltondoodles/) ---
**Author:** ![eeveeteam](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/eeveeteam/32/2219_2.png) [@eeveeteam](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/eeveeteam)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 12:30pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/27 "2025-01-28T12:30:12Z")
XY also had low print runs for unlimited. I am unsure of the ratio. All I know is a few of them are really hard to find. Note for people using pop reports - this doesnā€™t give an accurate ratio. For years, very few people graded unlimited cards. ---
**Author:** ![anon53664876](https://efour-storage.b-cdn.net/avatars/avatar-default.png) [@anon53664876](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/anon53664876)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 10:19pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/28 "2025-02-13T22:19:19Z")
I have spoken to 4 separate auction houses in the uk and usa and they all have the same answer to its origin. Seems to be from a ā€˜learn to playā€™ event at pokemon centres in japan in 2001 when there were only 2 pokemon centres in the whole of Japan. So im inclined to believe this maybe the answer. Still dont know the total pop handed out but they all seem to think between 25-100 ---
**Author:** ![Frosty.Puppy](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/frosty.puppy/32/234614_2.png) [@Frosty.Puppy](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Frosty.Puppy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/29 "2025-02-13T22:27:46Z")
Did anyone you spoke with cite their source? ---
**Author:** ![eeveeteam](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/eeveeteam/32/2219_2.png) [@eeveeteam](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/eeveeteam)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/30 "2025-02-13T22:31:53Z")
E4 is likely more knowledgeable on cards than auction houses. Your best answer would be finding someone in Japan who was actually there at the time. ---
**Author:** ![anon53664876](https://efour-storage.b-cdn.net/avatars/avatar-default.png) [@anon53664876](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/anon53664876)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 10:39pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/31 "2025-02-13T22:39:17Z")
Currently waiting in that response now. In hindsight i should have waited until i got rhat information to post. Will update asap ---
**Author:** ![Frosty.Puppy](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/frosty.puppy/32/234614_2.png) [@Frosty.Puppy](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Frosty.Puppy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 11:25pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/32 "2025-02-13T23:25:32Z")
If an auction house does cite a source, Iā€™m fairly positive they will use E4 as a reference. I am absolutely certain that an auction house couldnā€™t find out the history of a card if even the members of E4 are stumped. Like @eeveeteam says, the information is here if any where. I believe the first reference of this ā€˜learn to playā€™ was from the sale of a Charizard. These two posts in particular; > [@Japanese Unlimited E Series 1 Cards (Base Expansion Pack)](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/japanese-unlimited-e-series-1-cards-base-expansion-pack/16426/9): > > My friend got back to me and said that the charizard was from staff decks and given away at the event they were used at. My friend thinks itā€™s probably a tournament, but he didnā€™t see anything about what event it was. Thatā€™s most likely where the other unlimited cards come from as well. On that blog you linked is another post about unlimited cards showing a couple others cards: [choco7maron.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-148.html](http://choco7maron.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-148.html) [image] I think this post explains how they were for teaching kids howā€¦ > [@Japanese Unlimited E Series 1 Cards (Base Expansion Pack)](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/japanese-unlimited-e-series-1-cards-base-expansion-pack/16426/16): > > I did not get cards on the spot. When the charizard was sent in Japanese ā€œMercariā€ application, the acquisition route was written. The contents are as follows. An event to teach how to use Pokemon Card e at the Pokemon Center was held. Unlimited E Series 1 was distributed on the last day of the event. This blog post also compiles the majority of information found within this thread and others into one regarding E1. > **[References - Unlimited Japanese PokĆ©mon-e Series 1](https://pichu.blog/unlimited-e1#reference-5)** > > Prices skyrocketed a couple of weeks after I picked up my third copy, with a single raw Pichu selling on Yahoo! Japan Auctions for Ā„267,000 (~$2,492), which was then the highest a Pichu card had ever sold for publicly. What do we know about this... Thereā€™s many threads to read on here about E1 unlimited, as Iā€™m sure youā€™re well aware of already. There is a lot of information within these posts to dissect, some of them speckled with loose translations or speculation and others will have some truth. Possibly conflicting statements could be both true if there were multiple distribution methods or itā€™s possible people donā€™t recall exactly what happened. one day we will uncover the mystery ---
**Author:** ![Travinking0927](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/travinking0927/32/254274_2.png) [@Travinking0927](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Travinking0927)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 4:18am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/34 "2026-01-09T04:18:31Z")
Hi, you mentioned BW4 as not having unlimited edition, and this seems correct, and you also mention Red Collection with this trait further down in the discussion, which also seems correct, but Iā€™d like to point to Bulbapedia, which says BW8 (Spiral Force/Thunder Knuckle) is wierd, where both have 1st ed, while ONLY Thunder Knuckle has 1st, meaning Spiral Force BW8 should also be added to this list. Iā€™ll admit I did not do any research to find any Spiral Force unlimited cards, but I figured this would be a good place to ask if anyone else has any, and if this seems real, add it to the post. ---
**Author:** ![trainerred661](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/trainerred661/32/88863_2.png) [@trainerred661](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/trainerred661)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 5:09am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/35 "2026-01-09T05:09:36Z")
Spiral force does not have unlimited, thunder knuckle does. ---
**Author:** ![eeveeteam](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/eeveeteam/32/2219_2.png) [@eeveeteam](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/eeveeteam)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 8:25am UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/36 "2026-01-09T08:25:26Z")
Agreed with above, Spiral Force does not have unlimited. At one time Eevee had 1 in PSA pop report for unlimited. I saw the card listed on ebay and it was the Thunder Knuckle artwork. I was likely the person who asked Quuador to update Bulbapedia with the wording you mentioned > [@Japanese BW8 Spiral Force - Is there an Unlimited Variant?](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/japanese-bw8-spiral-force-is-there-an-unlimited-variant/34372): > > My [thread](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/japanese-dark-rush-no-unlimited-variant/34062/1) on Dark Rush confirmed that the set did not have an unlimited print run, as far as we know. Now I have the same question for Spiral Force. The sister set is Thunder Knuckle, which does have the unlimited variant. For Spiral Force, I have not seen an unlimited version for any of the 58 cards in the set. The BW8 on Spiral Force is purple, whereas the BW8 on Thunder Knuckle is blue. Does anyone have any Spiral Force cards in unlimited? Looking to confirm if the Eeveelutions from that sā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Quuador](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/quuador/32/237215_2.png) [@Quuador](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Quuador)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/37 "2026-01-09T14:41:55Z")
That post of mine is pretty old. For a more accurate list, I can refer to this thread: > [@Sets and Languages: Compilation overview list](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/sets-and-languages-compilation-overview-list/16565): > > Hi all, Since I ask myself this question many times when I start collecting a new PokĆ©mon, I figured I just make a compilation list for every collector out there whom are after all languages like myself. This thread will only focus on all the sets (so no special releases of individual cards, nor promo cards) including all the languages and variations (1st/UED, Holo/non-Holo/Reverse Holo, copyright dates, EX codes, etc.) that are available consequentially in the set. At the end of each set, I alā€¦ And as mentioned by @eeveeteam above, he made the discovery and I edited it on Bulbapedia (and the thread linked above) at the time. I havenā€™t edited every existing old post of mine like this _Is Unlimited more rare than 1st Ed. in Japanese?_ thread weā€™re in. šŸ¤· (Although Iā€™ve added a disclaimer edit to that post just yet in case anyone else comes across this thread first in the future.) Greetz, Quuador ---
**Author:** ![doobdoesscyther](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/doobdoesscyther/32/282015_2.png) [@doobdoesscyther](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/doobdoesscyther)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621/38 "2026-02-19T16:51:31Z")
> [@Quuador](#): > > But unlimited edition L1 cards are without a doubt the rarest unlimited edition Japanese cards that are out there. An Unlimited Chikorita L1 in Played/Poor condition just popped on Mercari. Not sure if the price is fair or not, but since itā€™s so rare, and there were a few unlimited collectors in this thread, posting it here in case someone wants it: [Mercari](https://jp.mercari.com/en/item/m29170287289) P.P. I am in no way affiliated with the website or the auction, just randomly saw something pretty cool while doing my daily unlimited scan and decided to share. [Previous page](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/is-unlimited-more-rare-than-1st-ed-in-japanese/27621.md?page=1)