To a lot of people the first ever Pokemon card is the Shadowless Alakazam, as it’s the 1st card in the original base set. This might of been the first card in the first set ever released in an English set but there was something that came before that and is much more valuable.
The First Test Print
Wizards of the Coast was commissioned to print English Pokemon cards because they were already known for printing Magic: The Gathering cards. As a test, WotC printed a single Pokemon card with some of their MTG cards. This card was a Blastoise 009/165R. This was the first English Pokemon card ever printed, although it was never released as an official card. As of now there are only a hand full of these cards in circulation and they can go for up to $360,000 a piece making it one of the most expensive Pokemon cards ever.
If the art on this Blastoise card looks familiar, you’re not alone. The illustration was never used on an official Pokemon card but it was used for the Base Set booster pack art! If you want to own a piece of this history, the best way to do it without breaking the bank is buying a Base Set Booster Pack. You can get one for a great price over at TCGPlayer.com!
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