2006 Gold Star Charizard PSA 9 sells for $16,120

A 2006 Pokémon ex Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Holo #100 Charizard in a PSA Mint 9 slab just changed hands at Goldin on February 16, 2026 for $16,120. For collectors who follow mid‑2000s Pokémon, this is one of the key non‑trophy Charizard cards of the EX era, and each notable sale helps define where the market is settling after several volatile years.

The card at a glance

• Character: Charizard (Gold Star)
• Year: 2006
• Set: EX Dragon Frontiers
• Card number: #100
• Variant: Gold Star Holo (shiny Charizard, Delta Species)
• Grading company: PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator)
• Grade: PSA 9 (Mint)
• Attributes: Non‑serial‑numbered, no autograph, standard Gold Star holofoil

This is not a rookie card in the sports sense, but in Pokémon terms it is a “key issue” Charizard: a chase card from a low‑print, late EX‑era set with a unique shiny black Charizard artwork and Gold Star treatment.

Why EX Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Charizard matters

EX Dragon Frontiers is a 2006 set from the Pokémon EX era, known for:

• Lower print runs relative to modern sets, especially in sealed product that survived unopened.
• Delta Species theme, where Pokémon appear as unusual types (Charizard here is a Darkness/Steel‑type in the TCG context).
• Gold Star chase cards, which were seeded very sparsely in packs. Pulling one from sealed product was difficult even when boxes were available at retail.

Within that context, Gold Star Charizard sits at the top of the set’s hierarchy. For many collectors it is:

• One of the most important post‑WotC (post‑1999–2003) Charizard cards.
• A bridge between vintage nostalgia and modern collecting habits (grading, pop reports, auction tracking).
• A cleaner alternative to ultra‑modern chase cards for collectors who want rarity but prefer older printings.

Population and grade context

A “pop report” (population report) is the grading company’s count of how many copies exist in each grade. PSA’s population data shows that:

• PSA 10s for this card are very scarce and command a large premium.
• PSA 9 is the most realistic target for many collectors who want a high‑grade example but cannot or do not want to chase a 10.

The EX era also predates today’s print quality controls and modern storage habits. Many raw copies show surface scratching, edge whitening, or print defects, so true mint examples are harder to source than the raw market might suggest.

Recent sales and price context

This Goldin sale closed at $16,120 on February 16, 2026. To make sense of that number, it helps to look at recent “comps” (comparable sales of the same or very similar card and grade):

• PSA 10 copies of this card have historically sold for a multiple of PSA 9 pricing, especially during peak hobby periods. High‑grade records from 2020–2022 reached well into the five‑figure and, at times, six‑figure ranges when the market was at its hottest.
• PSA 9 sales over the past couple of years have generally settled into a consistent five‑figure range, with some fluctuation depending on auction house visibility, timing, and overall market sentiment.
• Auction houses like Goldin tend to draw strong bidder pools for recognizable Charizard keys, which often leads to results that sit near the top of prevailing ranges, especially for well‑presented copies.

Against that backdrop, $16,120 for a PSA 9 appears broadly consistent with where serious collectors have been valuing this card in the mid‑2020s. The result does not appear out of line for a flagship EX‑era Charizard key in a premium grade, and it reinforces that demand remains steady even as the broader hobby has cooled from its 2020–2021 highs.

(Exact historical price points can move as new sales are recorded, but the pattern—PSA 10 at a large premium, PSA 9 in the mid five figures, lower grades scaling down—is well established.)

How this sale fits into the broader Charizard market

Charizard sits at the center of the Pokémon TCG the way superstar rookies do in sports cards. When a major Charizard sells, collectors often use it as a reference point for:

• How much appetite still exists for high‑end Pokémon.
• How the market values scarcity from different eras (vintage Base Set vs. mid‑2000s EX vs. ultra‑modern).

A few trends this sale lines up with:

1. Gradual normalization: After pandemic‑era spikes, many key Charizard cards have found more stable ranges. This sale suggests the EX Gold Star version continues to hold a premium position among non‑trophy Charizards.

2. Era diversification: Collectors are spreading interest across eras rather than focusing only on 1999 Base Set. Strong sales from 2004–2007 EX sets, including Dragon Frontiers, show sustained respect for the mid‑2000s print run.

3. Grade sensitivity: The gap in value from PSA 8 to 9 to 10 remains meaningful. This sale underscores how much weight collectors place on a clean, well‑centered example even when the card itself is already scarce.

What collectors can take from this result

This Goldin sale does not rewrite the record book, but it does add a clear, public datapoint for one of the most followed Charizard cards in the hobby.

For different types of collectors, it may signal:

• Long‑time Charizard collectors: The PSA 9 tier remains a high‑conviction grade band for this card. New results are still commanding notable five‑figure prices.
• New or returning collectors: While this sale sits in the high end of the market, it helps frame where the very top EX‑era chases live, and why more accessible Charizard cards from the same era trade at a discount.
• Small sellers and flippers: Strong public comps give clearer benchmarks for evaluating raw copies, cross‑grade opportunities, or sub‑9 slabs.

As always, a single auction is just one datapoint. Market health is better judged by patterns across multiple recent sales and venues—Goldin, PWCC, Heritage, eBay, and others—rather than any one result.

Final thoughts

The $16,120 sale of a 2006 Pokémon ex Dragon Frontiers Gold Star Holo #100 Charizard in PSA 9 Mint at Goldin on February 16, 2026 reinforces the card’s status as a centerpiece of the EX era. It shows that even as the hobby matures and cools from its most fevered years, collectors continue to place real weight on scarce, iconic Charizard issues with solid grading and strong provenance.

For anyone building a long‑term Pokémon collection or simply tracking how key cards behave over time, this is another useful marker in the evolving story of Charizard and the EX Gold Star run.