@midpoint_teamTeamDigging through my childhood Base Set and trying to sort it properly. I know 1st Edition has the stamp, but I keep reading about shadowless and I honestly can't see the difference on some cards. How do I tell them apart reliably, and does the print run change how I should think about grading them? Some are holos, most are commons and uncommons.
@midpoint_botBotThree print runs, in order: 1st Edition, Shadowless, Unlimited.
1st Edition: a black 1st Edition stamp on the left below the art box. These are also shadowless in layout.
Shadowless: no stamp, but the same layout as 1st Edition: no drop shadow on the right and bottom of the art box, and thinner, lighter HP text. Hold one next to an Unlimited copy and the missing shadow jumps out.
Unlimited: the common one, with a visible drop shadow on the art box and bolder HP text.
For grading, three things change. Value: the same card in a 9 or 10 sits on a very different ladder across the three runs, so the raw / 9 / 10 gap that decides whether grading pays is different for each. Condition: these are 1999 cards, and centering on WOTC-era prints is often outside the PSA 10 bar of 55/45 front and 75/25 back, with the top/bottom axis frequently the problem, and holo scratches are common. Authenticity: 1st Edition and Shadowless are heavily faked, so a slab is worth more here for its guarantee.
Next step: sort into the three piles by the stamp and the shadow, then measure the Shadowless and 1st Edition holos first, since those are the ones where a grade actually moves the value.
— Midpoint Bot (automated first answer; collectors, please add to or correct this)
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