How many versions of Base Set are there?
Base Set was the first English Pokémon expansion, released by Wizards of the Coast on January 9, 1999, with 102 cards. It was printed many times, and Bulbapedia groups the English release into four print runs:
- 1st Edition — the first run, with the 1st Edition stamp. These are also shadowless.
- Shadowless — the second run: the same cards, minus the stamp.
- Unlimited — the third run, with a drop shadow along the right edge of the art box and thicker HP and attack text.
- Unlimited (©1999–2000) — the fourth run, identical to Unlimited except for the copyright year.
Collectors split Unlimited further, and sources don’t agree on how far. PSA’s 2016 set-registry article says Unlimited “also had multiple print runs,” the author believing about seven; Relentless Dragon’s guide to early cards describes five with the ©1999 line plus the ©1999–2000 one. For buying, selling and grading, the four groups above are what matter.
The four look almost the same at arm’s length. The differences are small but consistent, and the table below lists them side by side.
Test prints and the Japanese “No Rarity” set
Two rarer relatives sometimes get mixed into the conversation. Bulbapedia reports that the first card test-printed for the English game was Blastoise, marked with the test-print code 009/165R, and that five prototype versions were made before the final design — one with a black border, then four yellow-bordered layouts.
The Japanese original, released October 20, 1996, has its own early print: cards without a rarity symbol, known as “No Rarity” Base Set and believed to be the first run because it contains errors fixed later. It’s a different product from the English prints this guide covers.
1st Edition vs. Shadowless vs. Unlimited: what's different?
| Print run | 1st Edition stamp | Shadow beside art box | HP and attack text | Copyright line | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edition | Yes, below the lower-left corner of the art | No | Thinner | ©1999 Wizards | 1st print |
| Shadowless | No | No | Thinner | ©1999 Wizards; Trainers and Energy also read ©1995, 96, 98, 99 Nintendo | 2nd print |
| Unlimited | No | Yes, along the right edge | Bolder | ©1999 Wizards; Trainers and Energy read ©1995, 96, 98 Nintendo (no 99) | 3rd print (several runs) |
| Unlimited ©1999–2000 (4th print, UK print) | No | Yes | Bolder | ©1999–2000 Wizards | 4th print |
Two shortcuts follow from the table. If there’s a stamp, it’s 1st Edition — nothing else matters. If there’s no stamp and no shadow, it’s Shadowless. Everything with a shadow is Unlimited, and the copyright year tells you which Unlimited.
One caution on the copyright column: Bulbapedia documents the “99” difference for Trainer and Energy cards, and Relentless Dragon records the full Shadowless line as “© 1995, 96, 98, 99 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK. © 1999 Wizards.” On Pokémon cards the shadow is the easier tell, so use the copyright line mainly for Trainers and Energy.
How do you tell if a Base Set card is 1st Edition?
Look just below the lower-left corner of the picture. A 1st Edition card has a small black circular stamp reading “Edition 1” there — PSA describes it as “near the lower left corner of the card art box.” No stamp means it isn’t 1st Edition.
Every English 1st Edition Base Set card is also shadowless, with the thinner text of the Shadowless print. Bulbapedia notes that the holofoil 1st Edition cards come in “thin stamp” and “thick stamp” versions, named for the width of the numeral 1 in the stamp. Non-English 1st Edition Base Set cards — German, French, Dutch and others — were printed with the drop shadow and thicker text of the Unlimited layout, so on those the stamp is the only tell.
Machamp is a special case: Bulbapedia notes that the 1st Edition Machamp holo was included in the 2-Player Starter Set. No one knows the exact number of 1st Edition cards printed; PSA’s set-registry article says as much.
The stamp was used on English sets from Base Set to Neo Destiny (2002), except Base Set 2; by the later Neo sets, Bulbapedia says, 1st Edition runs came out alongside or even after Unlimited. If you’re not sure your card is Base Set at all, start with the card era finder.
What is a Shadowless Pokémon card?
Shadowless is the second English print of Base Set, released shortly after 1st Edition and before Unlimited. Bulbapedia calls it a transitional print: it keeps nearly everything about the 1st Edition cards and removes only the stamp.
To spot one on a Pokémon card:
- No drop shadow. On Unlimited cards a dark shadow runs along the right side of the art box. PSA describes Shadowless cards as having character boxes “without a shadow on their right border.”
- Thinner text. The HP number and the attack text are lighter than on Unlimited cards.
- Duller colour. PSA also calls Shadowless a “duller colored” version.
Trainer and Energy cards have no art box to cast a shadow, so use the copyright line and the text weight: Shadowless Trainers and Energy read “© 1995, 96, 98, 99 Nintendo”, while Unlimited ones drop the “99”.
Shadowless exists only in English: in every other language, even the 1st Edition cards use the Unlimited layout, so there is no German or French Shadowless print. PSA puts Shadowless second in value behind 1st Edition, noting that the price order follows the release order.
How do you identify an Unlimited Base Set card?
Unlimited is everything printed after Shadowless, over several print runs. An Unlimited Pokémon card has no stamp, a drop shadow along the art box, and what PSA calls a “thicker font” on the HP. Its copyright line reads “©1995, 96, 98 Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK. ©1999 Wizards.”
Whatever the print, condition moves the price a lot, so compare sold listings for the same print in the same condition rather than judging a card by its print run alone.
What is the 1999–2000 Base Set print (the 4th print or UK print)?
The last English print changed the copyright line to “©1999–2000 Wizards”; everything else matches Unlimited. Bulbapedia lists it as the fourth print run. Heritage Auctions describes it as released in the UK, with a smaller print run than regular Unlimited and a lighter shade of colour, which is why collectors call it the 4th print or the UK print. Relentless Dragon adds that it was “allegedly” only sold in the United Kingdom — so treat the where as hobby lore and the copyright line as the fact.
Heritage’s lot description also gives the box format: 36 booster packs of 11 cards, 396 cards in all — the same 11-card pack every Wizards set used through Neo Destiny.
Spanish Base Set has its own version of this split. Bulbapedia says Spanish non-holo cards were printed with either ©1999 (released in Spain) or ©1999–2000 (distributed in Latin America), while Spanish holos only came with ©1999.
How do you check a Base Set card, step by step?
- Confirm it’s Base Set. Base Set has no set symbol and is numbered out of 102. Base Set 2 (February 24, 2000) has a set symbol and is numbered out of 130; Legendary Collection (May 24, 2002) reprints are numbered out of 110 and have their own symbol.
- Look for the stamp below the lower-left corner of the art. Stamp: 1st Edition. Stop there.
- Check the right edge of the art box. No shadow: Shadowless. A shadow: Unlimited. Compare it with a card you know is Unlimited if you’re unsure.
- Compare the HP number. Thin and light points to Shadowless or 1st Edition; bold points to Unlimited.
- Read the copyright line. ©1999–2000 means the 4th print. On Trainers and Energy, a “99” after 98 means Shadowless.
- Check it’s genuine before paying for one: compare the back, the font and the feel with a card you trust, and run through how to spot a fake.
In Base Set, the 16 holofoil Rares are numbered 1 to 16: Bulbapedia notes the English set is ordered by card type and then rarity, starting with the holos, and Wikipedia counts 16 holofoil cards.
How is Base Set different from Base Set 2 and later reprints?
Several later products reprinted Base Set cards. None of them has Base Set’s print variations:
- Base Set 2 (February 24, 2000): 130 reprints of Base Set and Jungle cards, with a set symbol, no 1st Edition run and, per Bulbapedia, the first English use of the “cosmos” holofoil.
- Legendary Collection (May 24, 2002): reprints from Base Set, Jungle, Fossil and Team Rocket, released only as Unlimited, and the first set with reverse holofoils.
- Evolutions (November 2, 2016): the 20th-anniversary set in the XY series.
- Celebrations Classic Collection (October 8, 2021): 25 reprints numbered CC001 to CC025.
- 30th Classic Collection (September 16, 2026): 30 reprints from across the game’s history, with gold borders.
To rule out a reprint, check all three against the original: Base Set cards have no set symbol, a 1999 copyright year for Wizards and a number out of 102.
Which Base Set print is worth the most?
In general 1st Edition sells for the most, then Shadowless, then Unlimited — PSA notes the price order follows the release order. Within each print, which card it is and its condition decide the price. We don’t quote card prices here because they move daily; the price check takes you to recent sold listings for the exact print and grade.
If you’ve found a stack of 1999 cards to sell, text photos of the fronts and backs to (760) 453-6389 for a cash or trade-credit offer based on recent sold prices. Or browse the vintage Pokémon aisle.