As one of the most popular Pokemon in the long history of the video games and Trading Card Game (TCG), Charizard Pokemon cards are often among the most valuable Pokemon cards overall.
Graded copies of the oldest and rarest cards can, and do, regularly change hands for tens of thousands of dollars, while collectors still eagerly snap up more recent cards.
Alongside Venusaur and Blastoise, both of which have had plenty of valuable Pokemon card iterations over the years, Charizard was many players’ first fully evolved Pokemon in the original Red and Blue games.
This nostalgia, combined with a wealth of dramatic illustrations and card types, have contributed to the value of many cards, regardless of each variant’s age.
We’ve used TCGPlayer to find the average selling price of English-language Charizard Pokemon cards, using this information to compile our list.
We’ve included eBay links to each card, so you can easily snap up one of these valuable cards to kick-start or complete your collection.
While Charizard Pokemon cards may sell for different prices than those listed below, the information we’ve used is accurate at the time of writing for a standard card in good condition; if you’re looking for graded cards, however, you can expect these values to be very different in a lot of cases.
So which are the most valuable Charizard cards?
Let’s find out!
1. Delta Species Charizard Star – Dragon Frontiers ($1,400)
You’re probably just as surprised as we were that the Base Set, 1st Edition Charizard isn’t in the number one spot.
The fact is, even though 1st Edition Charizard cards can sell for around $26,000, it tends to be graded cards only that go for this price; if you find a standard, ungraded copy, you’re not likely to be paying that much for it at all (after all, you’ll see that card on this very list soon enough!).
Yet this Delta Species Charizard Star commands average selling prices of $1,400, which is pretty amazing for a lesser known card.
So, if you weren’t around when these cards were first printed, you’ll be forgiven for wondering what exactly a Delta Species Pokemon is.
Much like Tera Pokemon in current TCG sets, Delta Species Pokemon differ from normal Pokemon in that they have a different Energy Type to the one you may expect.
For example, Charizard is known as a Fire Type Pokemon, but Delta Species Charizard is Dark Type.
Yet they still have the same weakness that a Fire Type Pokemon would have, so Delta Species Charizard will take twice the damage from Water Type Pokemon, for example.
First appearing in 2005’s EX Delta Species set, the last Delta Species cards were seen in Dragon Frontiers, a set which released in 2006.
It’s the Dragon Frontiers set that this highly sought after, and very valuable, Delta Species Charizard is from.
Interestingly, it’s a Basic Pokemon, rather than a Stage 2, so it can be used immediately rather than needing to be evolved.
Though it isn’t much use at all in the modern game, given its stats, it’s clearly a highly unusual Charizard, which is likely why it’s so valuable now!
2. Blaine’s Charizard (1st Edition) – Gym Challenge ($950)
A Trainer’s name preceded all Pokemon names on cards introduced in the 2000 Gym Challenge expansion, hence the existence of Blaine’s Charizard.
Named after the card’s titular Gym Leader, Blaine’s Charizard was the second Charizard card printed (barring minor logo variations on the Base Set card) and featured unique moves, health, and art.
Like the other cards in this expansion, Blaine’s Charizard featured the trainer’s portrait in the bottom right of the card.
A perfect condition, graded copy of Blaine’s Charizard can be worth up to $6,000, but on average, according to TCGPlayer data, you’re looking at a value of around $950.
Of course, the condition makes a big difference to its price, but also keep an eye out for the ‘1st Edition’ logo, as its presence also signifies a higher value for this particular card.
A very powerful card in its day, this very old school Charizard wouldn’t stand a chance against today’s powered up Pokemon, but as is often the case with the most valuable cards, that’s hardly the point.
Age and nostalgia are the key factors, rather than in-game utility; this will be proven more and more as you ready this list!
3. Charizard – Plasma Storm ($970)
One of the most modern cards on this list, this Charizard is from 2013’s Black and White: Plasma Storm set.
It’s immediately apparent why it might be a highly sought after version of Charizard: the colour of the Pokemon itself is very different, featuring a Shiny Charizard variant that contemporary players will recognise.
It’s also a Secret Rare card, meaning that its numbering goes above the official number of cards in the set; it’s numbered as the 136th card of 135!
Though still a victim of the modern TCG’s power creep, this is a much more capable card than the older ones on this list, with 160 HP and two decent attacks too, including one that deals 150 HP damage.
Currently selling for $970 on average, even the flavour text on the card’s mentions just how rare this Pokemon is, so perhaps its high value is a self-fulfilling prophecy!
4. Shining Charizard (1st Edition) – Neo Destiny ($450)
Introduced as part of the Neo Destiny expansion in 2002, Shining Charizard was the first Charizard card with a shiny variant.
The Pokemon’s black coloring makes it instantly recognizable, so it’s no wonder you can find it selling for nearly $5000 for graded copies.
However, prices fluctuate significantly depending on which variant is sold, as well as whether or not it’s graded.
Shining Charizard cards with the sought-after ‘1st Edition’ logo on the left of the card are significantly more valuable than cards without.
The current average price for a 1st Edition Shining Charizard card is $450; given that the Neo Destiny set was the last to feature Wizards of the Coast and ‘1st Edition’ logos, it’s not surprising that this card retains such fascination and appeal to Pokemon card collectors.
5. Charizard (1st Edition) – Base Set ($435)
Though seen as the Holy Grail of Pokemon cards, the prices for base set Charizard cards, bearing the 1st Edition logo, currently sell for around $435 on average.
However, these cards can easily set you back thousands of dollars if graded.
PSA Grade 10 cards (for those unfamiliar with professional card grading, a Grade 10 card is in perfect condition, regardless of the grading company used to assess its condition) are near-impossible to get, and even if you do find one up for sale, you can expect to pay an absolutely astonishing price of up to $420,000 for this slice of TCG history.
Lower grades are much easier to acquire, but are still very expensive indeed. Grade 8 or 9 cards sell for up to $26,400, while even lower-graded prints still run into the thousands of dollars.
Ungraded cards are very common, vary massively in their condition, and will ‘only’ cost hundreds, rather than thousands, of dollars.
6. Charizard GX (Rainbow Secret Rare) – Burning Shadows ($415)
This Secret Rare, Rainbow Holo Charizard GX from the 2017 Sun & Moon: Burning Shadows set can reach prices of around $3,200, though ungraded versions of the card currently have an average value of around $415.
With all Rainbow Holo cards being Secret Rares that are hard to pull, many of them tend to hold their value, and this Charizard GX is no different.
It’s also one of the few cards on this list that can generally hold its own in the modern game, though against other Charizards, such as the Dark type, Tera Charizard ex that’s currently stomping all over the meta it may well have some trouble!
7. Charizard VMAX – Prize Pack Series ($410)
See that red, white and black logo on the right of the cad, just above the Claw Slash attack?
That logo shows that this card was found in a special type of booster known as a Prize Pack. For the unititiated, these are packs that can be obtained when participating in organised Pokemon games, such as pre-release events, weekly games or tournaments.
Prize Pack cards all have this addition, so it can sometimes be the case that, when bearing this logo, even the most common or familiar cards end up being much more valuable than their standard variants.
Which is why this Charizard VMAX, originally from the 2020 set Sword & Shield: Darkness Ablaze, is so pricey.
Even its original printing, being an Ultra Rare (not to mention very powerful!) card, sells for an average of around $23.50; the Prize Pack variant, however, commands a pretty incredible average price of $410!
8. Charizard GX – Hidden Fates: Shiny Vault ($400)
Released as part of the Shiny Vaults subset of the 2019 Hidden Fates expansion, this variant of Charizard GX (which you’ll no doubt recognise as the Rainbow Holo card from the Burning Shadows set) shows a Shiny version of the Charizard.
Though it’s functionally identical to several other Charizard GX cards, having a Shiny Pokemon on the card, not to mention the gorgeous holofoil treatment, makes it highly desirable for collectors.
That’s despite the fact that this is, certainly in value and collector terms, a very recently released card.
Highly graded versions of this card can be worth around $4,790, but its current average value is much less, at around $400.
9. Dark Charizard (1st Edition) – Team Rocket ($390)
Introduced as part of the Team Rocket expansion back in 2001, Dark Charizard offered players a variant of the popular Pokemon that differed significantly from the original.
With lower health but stronger attacks, this card was a riskier option for competitive players.
The ‘Dark part of the name not only referenced the gloomier appearance of the artwork but the fact that this Charizard is part of Team Rocket.
Marked by the evil organization’s logo on the right of the card, these unique characteristics make it a favourite for collectors.
Once more, that 1st Edition logo is what drives up the value of this card, particularly for highly graded cards; 1st Edition PSA 10 Dark Charizard can be worth up to $4,030!
However, the current average price for a Dark Charizard card is much less, so if you aren’t fussy about getting your hands on a mint, graded card, it’ll likely set you back around $390.
10. Charizard – EX Dragon ($380)
Nintendo’s e-Reader cards were a fascinating, if ultimately short-lived, experiment.
Allowing cards to be scanned using a device attached to the Game Boy Advance console, mini-games, Pokedex entries and more besides could be stored in the codes on each card.
This particular Charizard card is part of a series of Pokemon sets which featured these codes to scan; it’s an otherwise unremarkable card, though like just about any other Charizard on this list, it would have been a very powerful Pokemon in its era!
It’s also a Secret Rare card, which you can again see thanks to the card’s numbering; it’s card 100 of 97 cards in the set.
Given its age, with it having released in 2003, no doubt the power of nostalgia also has an effect on this card’s value, with the current average selling price being $380!
