In our last article, we looked at five Charizards you can buy for under $100 that have a big upside if graded in a high grade. This time we'll stick with Charizards but look at some mid-tier cards that are more expensive as raw cards but are still attainable as raws and have a potential gain in value with good grading results. Let's cap our raw spending amount at under $250 for a Near Mint raw card. See our article on card conditions and value for more information about where to buy cards and how to research prices.
Charizard δ (4/100) from EX Crystal Guardians
The Charizard δ (Delta Speices) from the 2006 EX Crystal Guardians set is a beautiful card with a shiny gold border that really makes the card pop visually. This Charizard is also first Metal-type Charizard in Pokemon TCG history and worth having in your collection. There is a holo and reverse holo version of this card and both are worth collecting and grading. Like the majority of EX era reverse holos, the reverse of this card has a stamp in the holo with the set logo.
On TCGplayer, you can find Near Mint copies of this card around $230-240 for the holo while the reverse holo exceeds our set budget for this series at around $300. This can be a difficult card to grade because of the gold foil border which is particularly susceptible to scratches and other imperfections. Taking a look at our graded pop reports, PSA has graded just over 1,700 copies of this card with only 75 Gem Mint 10s in existence. CGC on the other hand has graded just over 370 copies with no 10s yet. Because of the low population of 10s, the last sold eBay listing was in May of 2022 for around $8,000 making for a huge come-up if a Gem Mint grade is hit. Even the 9s run in the $550-1,000 range.
Charizard (6/108) from EX Power Keepers
The Charizard holo (6/108) from EX Power Keepers is an amazing artwork by Ken Sugimori showcasing Charizard against night sky and crescent moon. Like the Crystal Guardians Charizard, this also has a reverse holo that fetches quite a bit of money but the regular holo can be found on TCGplayer in Near Mint condition around $100-150. PSA has graded around 1,100 copies of this card with only 123 Gem Mint 10s and CGC has graded 239 copies and has yet to hit a 10. Obviously there is no sales data for CGC 10s (yet) but PSA 10s have been getting around $2,200-2,400 on eBay which makes this a very nice card to hit a 10 when grading.
Charizard G Lv.X (143/147) from Supreme Victors
The Charizard G LV.X was released as an Ultra Rare in the 2009 Supreme Victors set. The full holo border and epic Charizard artwork definitely make this a top Charizard to own. You can find Near Mint raws of this card on TCGplayer for $200-235. Of the 1,300 copies graded by PSA, only 112 have been Gem Mint 10s. CGC has graded 238 copies with no 10s yet! And while there are no recent sold listings on eBay, the current listings for this card in a PSA 10 range from $3,800 to over $7,000!
Unlimited Blaine's Charizard (002/132) from Gym Challenge
Although our example image is a 1st edition copy of this card, we will specifically be looking at the unlimited version released in 2000. Blaine's Charizard is another one of those iconic artworks that has a certain level of nostalgia for most Pokemon collectors. The artwork is by Ken Sugimori and is one of the best Charizard arts from the WOTC era. You can find this card in Near Mint condition on TCGplayer for around $200-250. Note there is an error version of this card where the energy symbol is Fighting instead of Fire and one of the "Energy" is spelled with a lower-case 'e'. Over 3,500 copies of this card have been graded with PSA but less then 150 are Gem Mint 10s. CGC has graded around 1,000 copies with only two 10s (1 Pristine and 1 Perfect). Asking prices on eBay for a PSA 10 range from $3,500-4,500.
M Charizard EX (08/106) (Secret) from Flashfire
The Mega Charizard EX Secret Rare from the 2014 XY Flashfire set is another card that is highly sought after by collectors and is the primary reason packs form this set can run up to $65 per pack. You can find this card in Near Mint condition on TCGplayer in the $200-300 range. In terms of population, PSA has graded around 1,100 copies of the card with under 175 Gem Mint 10s and CGC has graded around 160 copies with no 10s yet. Recent sales of PSA 10s on eBay are all right around $2,000 which makes this a nice come up when hitting a 10!