A First Edition Typhlosion from Pokemon’s Neo Genesis set has reportedly sold for $1,549,690, surpassing the $1,385,274 sale of a First Edition Base Set Charizard during the same October auction cycle. Both cards received PSA 10 grades, but the results offer an interesting look at how the high end Pokemon market is changing.
Charizard has traditionally been the benchmark for expensive Pokemon cards, particularly the 1999 First Edition Base Set holographic. Yet collectors competing for exceptionally scarce cards are increasingly willing to pay extraordinary amounts for Pokemon that have historically attracted less attention.
The Typhlosion result is particularly notable because it involves a card from Neo Genesis, the 2000 expansion that introduced the second generation of Pokemon to the English-language trading card game. While the set has long been popular with vintage collectors, few would have expected a Typhlosion to outperform a First Edition Base Set Charizard in a seven-figure sale.
Two Major Sales, One Interesting Comparison
According to reported results from Alt, the 2000 Neo Genesis First Edition Typhlosion #17 sold for $1,549,690, while the 1999 Base Set First Edition Charizard #4 sold for $1,385,274. Both were graded PSA 10, placing them among the highest-quality examples of their respective cards.
The difference between the two sales was $164,416, with Typhlosion bringing approximately 12% more than Charizard.
That does not mean Typhlosion has become more valuable than Charizard across the market. These were individual transactions involving specific graded examples, and a single sale cannot establish a new price hierarchy for every card in either set. However, the comparison demonstrates how much weight collectors are placing on scarcity at the very top of the grading scale.
For years, Charizard’s popularity helped it command premiums that other vintage Pokemon struggled to match. That popularity remains important, but it is no longer the only factor driving the most expensive transactions.
Why This Typhlosion Is So Valuable
The most important detail behind the Typhlosion sale is its grading population. Alt reports that only 13 examples of the First Edition Neo Genesis Typhlosion #17 have received a PSA 10 grade.
Neo Genesis cards are notoriously difficult to find in perfect condition. Print quality, centering, surface imperfections, and edge wear can prevent otherwise attractive copies from receiving the highest grade. For collectors building complete PSA 10 sets, these condition challenges create a limited pool of cards from which to choose.
The distinction between a rare card and a rare grade matters here. Typhlosion was not distributed as an exclusive tournament prize, and ungraded copies are available to collectors. What makes this particular example exceptional is the combination of its First Edition status, vintage appeal, and very small PSA 10 population.
A collector who simply wants a Neo Genesis Typhlosion has considerably more affordable options. Someone trying to complete a First Edition Neo Genesis PSA 10 collection faces a different market, where the opportunity to purchase one of the few top-grade examples may be uncommon.
That scarcity can create intense competition when a desirable copy becomes available, especially if multiple collectors are pursuing the same grading milestone.
A Reported $415,500 Sale Earlier This Year
The October result becomes even more interesting when compared with an earlier reported transaction. A PSA 10 First Edition Neo Genesis Typhlosion #17 reportedly sold for $415,500 in June 2026, considerably below the latest $1.55 million figure.
The difference is substantial. The October sale was approximately 3.7 times the June price, representing an increase of more than $1.13 million between the two reported transactions.
However, there is an important distinction between comparing auction results and measuring the appreciation of an individual card. Unless the certification numbers and ownership history establish that the same physical card changed hands twice, these should be treated as separate transactions involving comparable examples.
Even if the two sales involved the same card, the difference would reflect the prices achieved in those particular transactions, not necessarily the amount another collector could receive immediately.
At this level, the market is extremely thin. A small number of determined bidders can have an enormous influence on the final price, and months may pass before another comparable example becomes available.
What the Charizard Sale Tells Us
The $1,385,274 First Edition Base Set Charizard result is significant in its own right. The card remains one of the most recognizable collectibles in Pokemon history, and a seven-figure transaction reinforces its position in the premium vintage market.
What makes the comparison interesting is that Charizard has several advantages that Typhlosion does not. It has greater mainstream recognition, an established history of major sales, and demand extending well beyond collectors focused on completing a particular set.
Typhlosion, by comparison, appeals more directly to collectors who understand the difficulty of assembling Neo Genesis in the highest grades. Its buyer pool may be smaller, but the supply of PSA 10 examples is also exceptionally limited.
The two sales suggest that rarity within a specific collecting category can sometimes outweigh the broader popularity of a card. A famous Pokemon does not automatically win every auction when another card is substantially harder to acquire in the desired condition.
That distinction is increasingly important as collectors pursue complete vintage sets, difficult PSA 10 populations, and cards that rarely appear publicly.
Are Vintage Pokemon Prices Moving Too Quickly?
Seven-figure sales naturally attract attention, but they also raise questions about how sustainable these prices are.
A $1.55 million Typhlosion does not mean ordinary Neo Genesis cards are suddenly worth dramatically more. It does not establish a new market price for PSA 9 copies, lower-grade First Edition examples, or unlimited-print cards.
Those categories have different supply levels, buyer pools, and collecting purposes. Applying the percentage change from a PSA 10 auction to the rest of the market would be misleading.
There is also the question of liquidity. At this price level, a collector may have to wait for another exceptionally motivated buyer to achieve a comparable result. Unlike frequently traded modern cards, trophy cards and low population vintage PSA 10s can go long periods without enough sales to establish a dependable market range.
That makes individual auction results useful evidence of what collectors have been willing to pay, but less reliable as forecasts of what the next transaction will bring.
My Read: Scarcity Is Becoming Just as Important as Popularity
What stands out to me is not simply that Typhlosion sold for more than Charizard. It is that the comparison challenges the idea that Pokemon’s most recognizable characters must always command the highest prices.
At the top of the vintage market, collectors are increasingly competing for specific combinations of set, edition, grade, and population. A card that looks relatively ordinary to a casual collector can become extraordinarily difficult to acquire when only a handful of PSA 10 examples exist.
That does not make every low pop card a million dollar collectible. Demand still matters, and low population figures alone cannot support prices like these. Typhlosion benefits from belonging to a popular vintage set, representing a recognizable Johto starter, and attracting collectors who place a premium on complete high-grade collections.
The result also illustrates why I would be cautious about treating record sales as investment signals. A collector paying seven figures for a difficult PSA 10 may be pursuing something very different from someone buying cards based on expected price appreciation.
For PokeForecast, the more meaningful development is the widening range of vintage cards capable of producing major auction results. Charizard remains an important benchmark, but the strongest demand is not limited to Base Set anymore.
If these reported transactions are finalized, the October Typhlosion sale will stand as another striking example of how much collectors are willing to pay for condition rarity. Whether that price proves sustainable will depend on future comparable sales, not on this result alone.