Base Set
Released January 9, 1999
102 cards
Top PSA 10: $343,098.00
Original (WotC) Pokémon TCG Sets
The original Wizards of the Coast era (1999 to 2000): Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, Base Set 2, Team Rocket, Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge. Card lists, chases and prices.
Prices as of: October 20, 2026
Updated
All sets
Jungle
Released June 16, 1999
64 cards
Top PSA 10: $24,100.00
Fossil
Released October 10, 1999
62 cards
Top PSA 10: $24,501.00
Base Set 2
Released February 24, 2000
130 cards
Top PSA 10: $12,699.00
Team Rocket
Released April 24, 2000
83 cards
Top PSA 10: $30,600.00
Gym Heroes
Released August 14, 2000
132 cards
Top PSA 10: $29,100.00
Gym Challenge
Released October 16, 2000
132 cards
Top PSA 10: $20,185.96
About the Original (WotC) era
The original series ran from Base Set on January 9, 1999 to Gym Challenge on October 16, 2000, the first seven English expansions of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, all published by Wizards of the Coast and all drawn from the Japanese Pokémon Card Game of 1996 to 1999. Every set features Generation I Pokémon from Pokémon Red, Blue and Green, and the holofoil rares of Base Set, Jungle and Fossil are the cards the hobby is built on.
Base Set was the first set to feature all 151 Generation I Pokémon in the card game, promoted in Japan through a giveaway of the first TCG cards. Its 1st Edition print run included the extremely rare 1st Edition Promo Pikachu by accident, and 1st Edition and Unlimited copies of its holofoil rares, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Chansey and Mewtwo among them, remain the most valuable cards of the era. Jungle followed in June 1999 as the Safari Zone set, expanded from 48 Japanese cards to 64 English cards by adding non holofoil prints of the holofoil rares. Fossil arrived in October 1999 with the Fossil Pokémon and was the final expansion to use the Starlight Holofoil.
Base Set 2, in February 2000, has no Japanese equivalent: it reprinted Base Set and Jungle cards and was the first English expansion to use the Cosmos Holofoil. Team Rocket, in April 2000, introduced Dark Pokémon, cards with brown and black frames, higher attack damage and lower HP, and carried the era's first secret rare, Dark Raichu. Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge, in August and October 2000, introduced Owner's Pokémon, cards carrying a Gym Leader's name, and Gym Heroes introduced the Stadium card subclass.
Collectors chase the Base Set holofoils above everything, then Jungle's Snorlax, Team Rocket's Dark Dragonite and Dark Charizard, and the Gym Leader holofoils led by Sabrina's Gengar and Blaine's Charizard. Condition, edition and print run drive the prices, so every set hub tracks 1st Edition and Unlimited rows separately. The set hubs below carry every card list, the live chase and sealed prices and the editorial history of each release.
- Base Set, Jungle and Fossil The first three sets, released between January and October 1999, carry the holofoil rares the hobby is built on. Base Set was the first to feature all 151 Generation I Pokémon, and Fossil was the last set to use the Starlight Holofoil.
- 1st Edition and Unlimited Every set of the era exists in 1st Edition and Unlimited print runs, and Base Set's 1st Edition run accidentally included the extremely rare 1st Edition Promo Pikachu. The set hubs track edition rows separately because the price gaps are large.
- Dark Pokémon and Owner's Pokémon Team Rocket introduced Dark Pokémon with brown and black frames, higher attack damage and lower HP, and Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge introduced Owner's Pokémon carrying a Gym Leader's name, along with the Stadium card subclass.
- Base Set 2, the reprint set Base Set 2 has no Japanese equivalent. It reprinted Base Set and Jungle cards in February 2000 and was the first English expansion to use the Cosmos Holofoil, which makes its holofoils distinct from the originals.
- Expanded from the Japanese sets Wizards of the Coast enlarged several sets: Jungle grew from 48 Japanese cards to 64 English cards by adding non holofoil prints of the holofoil rares, so English checklists carry pairs that the Japanese sets do not.
Release timeline
- Base Set · 102 cards · BS
- Jungle · 64 cards · JU
- Fossil · 62 cards · FO
- Base Set 2 · 130 cards · B2
- Team Rocket · 83 cards · TR
- Gym Heroes · 132 cards · G1
- Gym Challenge · 132 cards · G2
Top 10 cards
- Charizard from Base Set at PSA 10 $343,098.00
- Chansey from Base Set at PSA 10 $102,500.00
- Mewtwo from Base Set at PSA 10 $56,146.72
- Venusaur from Base Set at PSA 10 $37,210.00
- Blastoise from Base Set at PSA 10 $33,716.20
- Dark Dragonite from Team Rocket at PSA 10 $30,600.00
- Sabrina's Gengar from Gym Heroes at PSA 10 $29,100.00
- Pikachu from Base Set at PSA 10 $27,527.77
- Gyarados from Base Set at PSA 10 $25,746.22
- Gengar from Fossil at PSA 10 $24,501.00
Original (WotC) Pokémon TCG Sets FAQ
How many sets are in the Original (WotC) era?
There are 7 published Original (WotC) era sets in this hub.
When were the Original (WotC) era sets released?
The published Original (WotC) era sets were released from January 9, 1999 to October 16, 2000.
What are the top chase cards in the Original (WotC) era?
The leading tracked chase cards in the Original (WotC) era are Charizard from Base Set, Chansey from Base Set, Mewtwo from Base Set.
Which sets are in the original Wizards of the Coast era?
Seven English sets: Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, Base Set 2, Team Rocket, Gym Heroes and Gym Challenge, released between January 9, 1999 and October 16, 2000.
What is the difference between 1st Edition and Unlimited?
Each set was first printed with a 1st Edition stamp and then in an Unlimited run without it. The 1st Edition cards are scarcer and trade far higher, so every set hub in this era tracks the two as separate rows.
Which original era cards do collectors chase most?
The Base Set holofoils, Charizard first, then Blastoise, Venusaur, Chansey, Mewtwo and Gyarados, followed by Jungle's Snorlax, Team Rocket's Dark Dragonite and Gym Heroes' Sabrina's Gengar. Each set hub ranks its own chase cards by live PSA 10 value.
Why does Base Set 2 exist?
Base Set 2 reprinted Base Set and Jungle cards in February 2000 with no Japanese equivalent, and it was the first English set to use the Cosmos Holofoil pattern.
What came after the original era?
The Neo Series, which began with Neo Genesis in December 2000 and brought Generation II Pokémon to the card game.