…when MaChamp (card #8) is part of the 1st Edition?
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Because there were 102 cards in the Japanese base set. And because the 2 variations of MaChamp include one that is “shadowed”, and is otherwise like the Unlimited cards. Removing the 1st Edition stamp on the second variation might have been an oversight.
Was the 2nd variation the one that was packaged by itself in a cellophane wrapper?
I’ll make this really simple.
It’s because there are 102 cards in Base Set.
It has nothing to do with 1st edition, Shadowless, or Unlimited. All these variations have the same number of cards in the set.
(Side note - people really consider there to be 103 cards in the English Base set because there’s both a Red Cheeks Pikachu and a Yellow Cheeks Pikachu that fall under the same number. That’s why you’ll see complete sets advertised as “103/102.”
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OK…
So even though one of those 102 cards has a 1st Edition stamp, it’s still part of the Base Set? And even though a card #8 isn’t included in the Unlimited Base Set under the “Pokemon Price” button at the top of the home page?
You are getting too caught up on Shadowless/1st/Unlimited.
Also Pokemon Price lists card prices, it’s not intended as a guide for set lists.
bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Base_Set_(TCG)
The set list shows 102 cards made for base set.
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1st edition machamp is apart of the unlimited base set by design, apparently to introduce 1st edition cards to a wider audience.
I still have my cellophane wrapped machamp from the theme deck.
When Base set was first released, WOTC released a 1st edition print-run, and an unlimited print-run (shadowless and shadowed). With both print runs, the only way to acquire the Machamp was from a Base set starter deck, a preconstructed deck commonly used to teach players the game. These were incredibly common and came in both a shadowless and a shadowed variant.
One of the marketing tactics used by WOTC to entice more buyers was making the Machamp 1st Edition. As a result, all Base set Machamps have the 1st Edition stamp. I’m sure kids felt like they were getting some amazingly rare card, but in truth, it was the most common Base set holographic card. Generally speaking, the shadowed Machamp is considered part of the Unlimited set and the Shadowless Machamp is considered part of the 1st Edition Set.
*Fun Fact, there is a non-holographic, non-1st Edition Machamp, only found in Trainer Deck A . . . but those are incredibly rare and not part of the Base set release.
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Thank you Pokemon Classics for your detailed and very informative explanation. This numbering sequence incongruity (at least to me) is finally making some sense, which it never had before.
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