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The first Pokémon cards were issued in Japan in October 1996. In the United States a demo pack came out in 1998 and the first packs debuted in January 1999. Ever since then collectors of all ages have been captivated by the charismatic characters.
The cards that came out in 1999 are known as the Base set. Within the Base set, there are First Edition and Shadowless variations which are worth more. A First Edition card has a black circle on it indicating that it is First Edition. The difference between a shadowless and a base card (also called unlimited) is fairly easy to notice when looking at a card with a Pokémon on it. On the right side of an unlimited Pokémon, along the border of its frame, there is a darkened area. Shadowless cards do not have this darkened area. Additionally, shadowless cards have a thinner font on the HP in the upper right corner of the card. For trainer and energy cards, the trick is to look at the years on the bottom of the card (this also applies to Pokémon). If the years 1995, 96, 98, 99 appear it is a shadowless card. The unlimited cards are missing the 99. In addition to the three versions of each card there are also three rarities. A circle indicates a common, a diamond indicates an uncommon, and a circle indicates a rare. Each pack contains one rare, and one out of three packs contains a rare holograph. This box is a sealed base set box unauthenticated box
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