1999 Pokemon Base Set Shadowless Disco Holo Square Cut Test Print Set of 15 Pokémon - 14 CGC 10 Gem Mints and 1 CGC 10 Pristine Charizard | Venusaur and Gyarados Signed by Mitsuhiro Arita

1999 Disco Holo Square Cut Test Prints have gone from unknown relics lost to Pokémon history to some of the most sought-after cards in TCG collecting. Very little was known about Disco Holo cards until June 2022, when CGC authenticated Disco Holo cards for the first time. After extensive research by CGC, including conducting an infrared test, UV test, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer test, all of the chemical elements, most notably calcium, titanium, iron, copper and zinc, all correspond with a normal 1999 Base Set card. This demonstrates that the card stock and ink used in '99 Base Set production are the same as that used to produce the Disco Holo uncut test print sheets. 

Three defining characteristics of Disco Holo Square Cut Test Prints make these seldom-seen issues some of the most intriguing Pokémon cards ever printed. The most important of these attributes is their unique “Disco” holofoil pattern – named as such by CGC – that has never been replicated in any standard Pokémon card production. Disco Holo Square Cut Test Prints also have sharp, square corners, unlike the standard rounded corners found on 1999 Base Set cards. Lastly, these cards lack many details found on normal Base Set cards. For example, these test cards are missing the Pokémon that should appear in the evolution box, the flavor text below the art box with the exception of the Magneton, and energy symbols. 

It is rare to see any single Disco Holo Square Cut card come up for auction, much less a complete CGC 10 set of the 15 existing Disco Holo Pokémon. This combination of rarity and grade means this is likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors to add such a set of these museum-worthy pieces to their collection. 

But that's not all that makes this collection truly special. The Venusaur and Gyarados cards are both autographed by Mitsuhiro Arita, who was the illustrator for both cards and is one of the most popular and influential illustrators in Pokémon. On top of this, the Charizard in this lot earned a CGC 10 Pristine grade, the lone Disco Holo Test Print card to ever receive a CGC Pristine 10 at the time of cataloging, reflecting its virtually flawless condition. It all adds up to perhaps the best complete set of Disco Holo Pokémon on the planet.

Note: There was no Machamp (8/102) included on the disco holo test sheets, as such this set of 15 is the full extent of Pokémon included in the test run.

Going Deeper - TCG and Pokemon

A Global Sensation

When Tsunekazu Ishihara, Kouichi Ooyama, and Takumi Akabane considered Pokémon Trading Card Game prototypes in 1995, they surely could not have imagined the cultural revolution they would soon become a part of.

The era of modern trading card games (TCGs) was in its nascent stage, with Magic the Gathering released by Wizards of the Coast just two years prior in 1993, and the Pokémon video games, which the prototype’s visuals were based on, were in the final stages of development. The concept, inspired by Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri’s childhood love for bug collecting, was centered on a world in which people and creatures called Pokémon, who have a wide variety of special powers, join together to help teach each other about the world and themselves as well as take on life’s problems. 

What followed is history. The first Pokémon video games, Pocket Monsters: Red and Pocket Monsters: Green, were released in February of 1996 and introduced the world to the first 151 Pokémon. The first installment of the Pokémon trading card game was released in Japan in October of the same year and featured art by Mitsuhiro Arita, the creator of the iconic Charizard art in this example, Ken Sugimori, and Keiji Kinebushi. Together these, as well as a number of other illustrators, provided strong foundations for the Trading Card Game’s collectibility as well as its global expansion, which was on the horizon.

1997 saw the release of the Pokémon anime as well as the manga, and then in 1998 Pokémon hit the rest of the world like a freight train. The anime and its introductory song that is emblazoned in the memory of so many 90s kids and parents saw its English debut in the United States on September 8, with the beloved Game Boy Games, Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Red (based on the updated Pocket Monsters: Blue released in Japan after the initial Red and Green release), coming out on September 28 in the U.S., with further global releases shortly thereafter. They were an instant hit and sparked a cultural frenzy that continues to this day. When the Pokémon Trading Card Game saw the first major English release on January 9, 1999 (there was a sample pack distributed to stores in late 1998), demand was feverish. Between January and September of 1999, Pokémon card sales totaled over $300M, and the demand has rarely let up. There are now over 1,000 different Pokémon and a world of collectors eager to find the best cards available for them. 

To date, Pokémon has sold more than 64 Billion cards and shows no signs of slowing, having released dozens of expansions since the one that started it all.