1999 Pokémon 1st Edition Blastoise PSA 10 Sells for $138K

1999 Pokémon Base Set 1st Edition Holo Blastoise in PSA 10 is one of the most recognizable vintage Pokémon cards in the hobby. When a copy with direct provenance to the Logan Paul 1st Edition Base Set box breaks the market, collectors pay attention.

On February 16, 2026, Goldin sold a 1999 Pokémon Base Set 1st Edition Rare Holo #2 Blastoise – Logan Paul Break – PSA GEM MT 10 for $138,880. For vintage Pokémon, this is a headline-level result and another data point in how top-end Base Set cards are aging.

The card at a glance

Character: Blastoise
Year: 1999
Set: Pokémon Base Set (English), 1st Edition
Card number: #2/102
Rarity: Rare Holo
Era: Vintage WotC (Wizards of the Coast)
Key issue: Yes – one of the three anchor holos of Base Set (Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur)
Grading company: PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)
Grade: GEM MT 10 (PSA’s highest standard grade)
Special note: Labeled as originating from the Logan Paul 1st Edition Box Break, a widely watched live event.

This is not a rookie card in the traditional sports sense, but in Pokémon terms it’s effectively an early, iconic appearance of a flagship starter evolution in the very first English TCG set.

Why this card matters to collectors

1. Base Set 1st Edition is the foundation

The 1999 English Pokémon Base Set 1st Edition is the beginning of the TCG for most Western collectors. These cards are:

The first widely distributed English Pokémon cards
Printed with the black "1st Edition" stamp on the left side of the artwork
Known for relatively low surviving supply in top condition

Within Base Set, Blastoise sits just behind Charizard in overall demand, but well ahead of most of the holo checklist. It is one of the core cards that define what “grail-level” vintage Pokémon looks like for many hobbyists.

2. PSA 10 scarcity and population

In grading, a pop report (population report) tells you how many copies of a card have received each grade from a grading company. For Base Set 1st Edition holos, PSA 10s are tough:

Many copies were played with in the late 1990s and early 2000s, so surfaces and corners are often worn.
Early grading standards and a long history of handling make clean, pack-fresh examples relatively rare.

Exact PSA population numbers can shift over time as more cards are submitted or reholdered, but the broad picture has been consistent for years: PSA 10 1st Edition holo Blastoise is a low-pop, high-demand card. That combination is what usually drives six-figure results when the top examples surface.

3. Logan Paul box break provenance

This particular copy carries a “Logan Paul Break” note, indicating it was pulled during one of his high-profile 1st Edition Base Set box breaks and then graded. Whether or not a collector values influencer provenance is personal, but it does add:

A clear, public origin story for the card
Additional recognition for collectors who followed that specific event

For some buyers, this background can support a premium over anonymous PSA 10 copies; for others, it is simply an interesting footnote.

Market context: where does $138,880 sit?

The hammer price (before buyer’s premium and fees, if any) for this card at Goldin on February 16, 2026 was $138,880.

When collectors talk about “comps”, they mean comparable recent sales that help frame where current prices tend to land, not guarantees of future values.

Looking across major auction houses and marketplaces over recent years, 1st Edition PSA 10 Blastoise has generally occupied a tier just below 1st Edition PSA 10 Charizard but firmly within the top bracket of vintage Pokémon:

During the 2020–2021 boom, some copies reached notably high six-figure prices at peak sentiment.
As the hobby cooled and normalized, realized prices for this card in PSA 10 have moved in a wide band, influenced by overall market conditions, card centering and eye appeal, timing, and provenance.

Within that broader pattern, $138,880 is toward the upper range of post-boom, stabilized results, especially for a copy tied to a known box break. It does not appear to be an unprecedented record for the card, but it does reinforce that:

Serious demand remains for top-grade, 1st Edition WotC holos.
Buyers are still willing to commit six figures for a well-presented, high-profile provenance example.

Because realized prices move over time and can vary from venue to venue, it is best to view this Goldin sale as one data point in an ongoing series rather than a fixed benchmark.

Comparing to nearby versions

For collectors building a strategy around this card, nearby versions and grades matter:

PSA 9 1st Edition Blastoise: Often trades at a significant discount to PSA 10, reflecting much higher population. Still a key vintage card, but more accessible.
Unlimited Base Set Blastoise (PSA 10): Lacks the 1st Edition stamp and is printed in much greater quantities. Prices tend to sit far below 1st Edition equivalents.
Shadowless and later printings: Shadowless (non-1st Edition, pre-shadow unlimited) and standard unlimited versions offer a ladder of price points, but none match the prestige of the 1st Edition holo.

Seen against this ladder, the Goldin result highlights how steep the premium can be at the very top of the condition pyramid, particularly when provenance and a premier auction house are involved.

What this means for the Pokémon market

A single sale does not define a market, but this Goldin auction gives a few useful signals:

Vintage WotC blue-chip cards are still central. Despite new sets and modern chase cards, early Base Set anchors like Blastoise continue to command strong attention and liquidity.
Condition and story both matter. PSA GEM MT 10 provides the condition security many high-end buyers want. The Logan Paul Break tag adds a narrative that some collectors value.
Price discovery is ongoing. Recent years have shown that six-figure results for Pokémon are no longer rare, but the exact levels fluctuate with broader hobby sentiment and macro conditions. Sales like this help reset expectations without promising any particular direction.

For returning collectors and small sellers, the takeaway is not that every Blastoise is a six-figure card; rather, it is that set, edition, grade, and demand history all combine to create wide price spreads between visually similar cards.

How to think about a card like this in your own collecting

If you are building or refining a Pokémon collection:

Know your edition and print. 1st Edition vs unlimited is the single biggest lever. The black stamp and card layout details matter.
Check the grade and the pop report. Not all 9s and 10s are equal in population. A quick look at PSA’s population data helps you understand scarcity.
Use multiple comps. Look at several recent sales across auction houses and marketplaces to avoid over-weighting one outlier result.
Consider what matters to you. Some collectors care deeply about provenance (like a Logan Paul break); others focus solely on centering, print quality, and long-term eye appeal.

This Goldin sale from February 16, 2026 reinforces that 1999 Pokémon Base Set 1st Edition Rare Holo Blastoise in PSA GEM MT 10 remains one of the core blue-chip cards of the vintage Pokémon era. For those tracking the health of the high-end TCG market, it is another concrete, data-backed signpost of where serious collector demand sits today.