Pokémon Trading Card Game The cards are well known and easily recognized around the world. The card game aspect of Pokémon The franchise is a large part of the game’s marketing and merchandise and has a loyal following among collectors. There’s something incredibly satisfying about opening a booster pack and finding a rare card, for hardcore collectors and casual fans alike.
But the Pokémon TCG The cards fans know and love today aren’t the only version of the cards that ever existed. For a brief period in the 1990s, the well-known letters were joined by a series of the brightly colored green and red Topsun Pokémon cards. Some fans even believe these were the first Pokémon letters exist. Whether or not the Topsun set predates the current cards, these exclusive cards represent a part of the Pokémon TCG story that few fans know.
What are Topsun Pokémon cards?
Topsun were promotional cards included in packs of gum
Pokémon TCG Topsun was a set of trading cards featuring Pokémon which were launched to promote the first Pokémon games in the 1990s. On most cards, each ‘mon stands against a distinct and recognizable vibrant red and green background. Several cards have blue backs while others have green, with the blue-backed cards being the older and therefore more desirable of the two.
The cards were produced in collaboration with Pokémon and Game Freak – not from a card manufacturer, but from a candy company. Top Seika is a Japanese company that has been manufacturing sweets since 1956. Even today the company is known for manufacturing sweets and kits for making sweets that feature beloved franchises and characters on the packaging, as well as collectibles found inside the packaging.
In the 1990s, Top Seika partnered with Game Freak to produce the Topsun cards that were included in packs of apple-flavored gum. According to PokéBooneach pack of gum costs 60 yen, or about 40 cents in US dollars according to current exchange rates.
Are Topsun cards the first Pokémon cards?
Copyright even predates the Pokémon games
There is much debate online about whether the Pokémon Topsun cards were the first to be created, before the first official cards that fans know and love today. The current style of Pokémon The cards were first released on October 20, 1996, which coincided with the release of blue pokemon in Japan. The reason many people believe that Topsun cards predate both. the copyright date is listed on the cards as 1995, before video games and cards were released in Japan.
That said, many fans believe that Topsun cards were actually released in 1997, despite what the copyright date claims. According to Bulbapediathe mistake comes from a change of plans during the original period Pokémon Red and Blue game production. Following a Nintendo of Japan brochure from that time, it appears that the games were originally planned to be released on December 21, 1995, but were actually revealed to the public on February 27, 1996.
The Topsun set kept the original copyright date of 1995, making it appear to predate the games. The cards probably hit stores around 1996 or 1997, although the exact time is listed as different depending on the source consulted.
Fanatics collect has the most convincing argument, citing the Top-Seika website stating “the company confirms that it did not obtain a license to manufacture Topsun Pocket Monster cards until 1997.” So, despite all the rumors circulating online calling Topsun the first Pokémon TCG cards, they were released after the original printing of the first TCG set as we know it today. THE Pokémon TCG The Topsun set is not the first series of Pokémon cards, but the vibrant green and red collectibles are still an important part of the franchise’s history.
What Pokémon cards are in the Topsun set?
Almost all Generation 1 Pokémon are represented except one
The Pokémon TCG The Topsun set was never released outside of Japan. According to Cardmavin, There are 150 cards in the set, one for each Generation 1 Pokémon except Mew, which had not yet been revealed when the cards were made.
A second execution introduced 16 additional cards that added a special “prism” holographic print. These were rarer, with only one in every 40 packages containing a special holographic print. Several of the rare foil cards depicted two Pokémon doing battle on a single card, such as Mewtwo versus Omastar.
Are Topsun cards worth anything now?
The most expensive Pokémon card ever sold was a Topsun card
Pokémon TCG Cards weren’t always the sought-after collectibles they are today. Topsun cards were especially ephemeral because of their combination with gum packs. Few Topsun cards survive today and those that do are often in poor condition.
Their very scarcity makes mint-condition Topsun cards some of the most valuable Pokémon letters exist. According to IGN, the only known Charizard in Gem Mint condition was sold at a 2021 auction for $493,230, making it one of the most expensive Pokémon TCG letters of all time.
Even when they are not in perfect condition, the most valuable card in the Topsun set is Charizard valued at a whopping $8,000 to $10,000 depending on the print. Even an unranked card is worth over $200, making Charizard the most valuable card in the set. (Although it’s not as impressive as the $180,000 or so that a graded version of the 1999 Charizard sells for!)
Other cards in the Topsun set are sold for somewhere between US$20 and US$500 on averagealthough some of the most common cards fall into single digits. These lower-priced cards are a great entry point for any collector interested in getting their hands on these lesser-known cards. Pokémon cards.
Nowadays, Pokémon launches new products, cards and games regularly. Collecting the modern version of the cards is still in fashion, almost 30 years after the first Pokémon letters were revealed to the public. And among these, the Pokémon Trading Card Game Topsun cards remain an elusive piece of history that even the most hardcore collectors may not know about.
Source: Cardmavin, PokéBoon, Price chart, Bulbapedia, Fanatics collect, IGN