1999 Pokemon Base Set Near-Complete Set (96/102) Including 157 Duplicates and 118 Shadowless Cards

Sold For:

$1,140

Year:

1999

Auction:

2024 Fall

Lot #:

3380

Category:

Non-Sports Cards/Sheets/Card Artwork

Presented is an outstanding high-grade, near-complete set (96 of 102 cards) of 1999 Pokemon Base plus 157 duplicates. The following six cards are missing for completion: #2 Blastoise Holographic, 8 Machamp Holographic, 13 Poliwrath Holographic, 16 Zapdos Holographic, 18, and 77. The Base set is arguably the most significant Pokemon set as it represents the first of three series released by Wizards of the Coast in 1999, preceding the release of the Base and Jungle sets, which combine to feature the original 151 Pokemon. The Pokemon characters featured in this set are essentially the equivalent to rookie cards in sports sets. In addition to forming the foundation for the original 151-card "Pokedex" series, the Base set is renowned by collectors for its outstanding artwork. Like the other Pokemon issues, cards in this set feature rounded corners, yellow borders, and a blue reverse that prominently displays the iconic Pokemon logo. The Base set can be identified by the absence of a set symbol, which would be located just under the bottom-right corner of the picture. The offered set is primarily composed of cards from the Unlimited Base set, meaning that they are not 1st Edition cards. However, this set does feature 118 Shadowless card which is noted below. The remaining 135 cards are all Unlimited. It should also be noted that there are seven #58 Pikachu offered in this set, featuring five "Yellow Cheeks" and two "Red Cheeks" variations. There are different levels of rarity for the Pokemon cards in this set. Cards with a black star in the lower-right corner of the card are considered rare (this includes cards #1-16 which feature the holographic Pokemon in the set), cards with a black diamond in the lower-right corner indicate uncommon cards, and cards with a black circle in the lower-right corner are the common cards in the set. All non holographic cards have at minimum one Shadowless copy except for the following nineteen cards: #17, 19, 20, 23, 25, 29, 39, 42, 44, 70, 71, 72, 74, 77, 84, 87, 88, 91, and 96. The overall condition of the set is 35% Nr/Mt to Nr/Mt-Mt, 53% Ex to Ex-Mt, and 12% Vg to Vg-Ex (including 3% lesser). Keys: #1 Alakazam Shadowless Holographic (Ex-Mt), #3 Chansey Holographic (Vg-Ex), #4 Charizard Shadowless Holographic (Pr), 5 Clefairy Shadowless Holographic (Nr/Mt), 6 Gyarados Shadowless Holographic (Vg-Ex), 7 Hitmonchan Shadowless Holographic (Nr/Mt), 9 Magneton Holographic (Nr/Mt), 10 Mewtwo Shadowless Holographic (Ex), 11 Nidoking Shadowless Holographic (Nr/Mt-Mt), 12 Ninetales Shadowless Holographic (Nr/Mt), 14 Raichu Shadowless Holographic (Nr/Mt), and 15 Venusaur Holographic (Nr/Mt-Mt). This is an outstanding high-grade set, which would make a worthy addition to any nonsport, Pokemon, or trading card game collection. Total: 253 cards including 157 duplicates. Opening Bid $200.