Charizard Cart Artwork
Image: Mitsuhiro Arita, The Pokémon Company

It's time to kick yourself for throwing out all of your old Pokémon cards again, because this latest mega-auction proves that their ludicrously high value isn't falling any time soon.

Yesterday saw the end of an online auction held on eBay, where one lucky bidder was set to walk away with one of the most sought after cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The 1st Edition Base Set Charizard has been popular with fans ever since its introduction back in 1999 – if you had one of these you'd be the king or queen of the playground and, while you didn't know it at the time, you were sitting on an absolute goldmine.

The card in question was a Shadowless 1st Edition Holo variant with a PSA rating of '10 Gem Mint' – in other words, it's the rarest version of the card ever released and in the best condition it could possibly be in. The auction ended on 28th March with a total of 124 bids, selling for an eyewatering USD $311,800.

Here's the listing's description, written by the auction house selling the card:

"Emblematic of the strength and power its design was meant to portray, the 1st Edition Base Set Charizard card continues to inspire awe even after almost a quarter of a century. This historic piece of art designed by celebrated artist Mitsuhiro Arita is easily the most recognizable Pokemon card ever made.

Despite over 2600 copies being submitted to PSA, only 122 have been granted the PSA 10 Gem Mint designation to date by their graders due in part to the card's own popularity. Featuring the highest attack power of any of the original Pokemon cards produced; the ferocity of the artwork coupled with the might of its Fire Spin caused most Pokemon fanatics to use it with pride."

Amazingly, that's not the record total handed over for a single Pokémon card at auction. That honour goes to a rare Blastoise card that sold earlier this year for $360,000.

Thanks to the aptly named TeamRocket47 for the tip!

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