A pristine, first-edition, shadowless Holographic Charizard Pokémon card from 1999 is going up for auction Friday, tokenized via Ethereum scaling network Polygon and auctioned by collectibles platform Courtyard.
Polygon Labs and Courtyard have teamed up to tokenize the PSA 10-graded card, securely stored in a Brink's vault, with an estimated value of $250,000. The 30-day online auction aims to demonstrate blockchain's potential in the collectibles market, the companies said.
"This auction isn't just about a Charizard card; it's about showing how blockchain can revolutionize the collectibles world," said Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron, in a statement. "From traditional collectors to DeFi enthusiasts, we're inviting everyone to experience the benefits of on-chain ownership."
The digital platform enables the sale of physical items (like cards) via blockchain tokens, or NFTs, with features including secure storage, high-resolution 3D models, and instant global trading. Collectors can access an immutable ownership record and trade without physical shipping complications. Owners who want to have the physical card in hand can have it shipped to them from the vault at any point.
According to a Polygon Labs representative, the company “purchased the card directly from a reputable seller in the trading card space.” Similar cards have been sold for prices between $264,000 and nearly $400,000 since 2020, per data from Public.com.
"Tokenization is changing the game for collectibles,” said Courtyard CEO Nicolas le Jeune, in a statement. “With this auction, we're not just spotlighting an iconic card; we're demonstrating how Courtyard's platform is transforming how people collect and trade."
Editor’s note: This article was written with the assistance of AI. Edited and fact-checked by Andrew Hayward. It was also updated after publication to note that the card is of the especially rare "shadowless" variety.