What does Unlimited mean on a Pokemon card?

Unlimited, or Unlimited Edition, is the print run that followed the 1st Edition run of an early English Wizards of the Coast set: the same cards, without the 1st Edition stamp. In Base Set, Unlimited is the third English print, after 1st Edition and Shadowless, and it adds a drop shadow along the art box and bolder HP and attack text.

A fourth Base Set print, also Unlimited, changes the copyright line from 1999 to 1999-2000. Sets after Neo Destiny had no 1st Edition run, so the word only separates prints in the sets that had one.

Before you buy one

• Check for what's missing. An Unlimited card is known by what it lacks, so check the photo for the missing 1st Edition stamp and, on Base Set, for the shadow along the art box.

• Read the copyright line on Trainers and Energy. Base Set Trainer and Energy cards have no art box, so the copyright line decides: Unlimited reads "1995, 96, 98", where Shadowless adds "99".

• Read every title and photo. Many sellers never write "Unlimited" (or its short form, "Unl"), so a search for the card name and number returns every print of the card at once. That's no bad thing; just check each one for the print before you buy.

A ChaseBoard Base Set watch without the 1st Edition chip matches every print of the card. Add "1st", "first edition" and "shadowless" as exclude words to keep it to Unlimited copies.