Pokémon Fossil Set- Everything You Need to Know
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By: Oliver Copeland
- Published:
- Last Updated: December 2, 2023
This is the best guide you will find to the Pokémon Fossil set from 1999.
Did you collect Pokémon cards as a kid? If you did, you’ll remember the Fossil set. You may even remember the little claw set symbol on the cards. In this article, we aim to take a deep dive into the Fossil set, covering everything from release dates to rare error cards, to the elusive red logo booster packs. Keep reading to find everything you need to know about the Pokémon Fossil set.
History
Fossil was first released in Japan under the original name Mystery of the Fossils. Not surprisingly it was a huge hit. Two years later it hit the North American market under the name Fossil, where it was an even bigger hit. Fossil has a first edition print run, followed by an ‘unlimited’ run. The Fossil expansion was published and distributed by Media Factory in Japan and Wizards of the Coast in North America.
The set and cards in it are based on the Gameboy games, Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, and Pokémon Green.
Fossil is the third expansion of the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), and featured 48 cards in the Japanese set with 62 in the North American set. In the North American expansion, the 15 holofoil cards were also printed as non-holofoils. According to some old WotC chat logs, this was done in response to players who complained about subjecting their holo cards to TCG play, when they’d rather keep them in mint condition.
This added 15 cards to the set total, making it 63. However, the Mew from the Japanese expansion was removed from the North American Fossil set and used as a Black Star Promotional card instead, bringing the total for the North American set down to 62.
Fossil was the last expansion to utilize a certain holo pattern referred to as the ‘Galaxy Star Holofoil’. This holo pattern was also used for Base set and Jungle.
Release dates
Fossil was released in:
North America on October 10, 1999.
Japan on June 21, 1997 (Mystery of the fossils)
All other languages in April 2000
Noteworthy cards
Prerelease Aerodactyl
Similar to the Aerodactyl 1/62 that is included in the Fossil set, a first edition prerelease copy was given out as a Pokémon League promotional card in July 1999, before the actual set was released. In the US, this promo had the ‘Galaxy Star’ holo pattern while the European copy had the ‘Cosmos’ holo pattern.
Furthermore, there are two stamp variations.
The PRERELEASE stamp on the card that can be found in the lower right of the illustration box, can be either brown or gold.
Cosmos holo Zapdos
The regular holofoil Zapdos from Fossil has the Galaxy Star holo pattern but there are some Zapdos cards out there with the Cosmos holo pattern instead.
This Zapdos is identical to the regular Zapdos but has the Cosmos holo pattern and a copyright date of 1999-2000, as opposed to just 1999.
This particular Zapdos card came from a Pokémon product called the Thunderstorm Gift Box released in 2000. The product contained a custom deck including cards from Base Set, Jungle, Fossil, Team Rocket, and Gym heroes, as well as three booster packs (Fossil, Team Rocket, and Gym Heroes), a CD-ROM, play mat, and other TCG accessories.
More Thunderstorm Gift Box Exclusives
Also included in the gift box was a copy of Raichu 29/62, Golduck 35/62, Psyduck 53/62, and Energy Search 59/62. These are all non-holofoils and are identical to the original Fossil cards but instead, have a 1999-2000 copyright.
Kabuto Wizards Promo
A copy of the Kabuto 50/62 was printed as a promotional card that could be obtained through the December 1999 issue of Top Deck Magazine. This card is identical to the one found in Fossil except for a special gold stylized ‘W’ stamped onto the card just below the Fossil set symbol.
The mysterious 15 cosmos holo Fossil cards
As stated in the paragraph above, Fossil used the Star Galaxy holo pattern for its 15 holofoil cards. This is the same holo pattern used in Base set and Jungle. However, over the years, few copies of all 15 holofoil cards from Fossil have been discovered to have the Cosmos holo pattern.
It is unknown where these 15 cards came from (Except for the Cosmos Zapdos from the Thunderstorm Gift Box).
There are collectors out there that have these cards. Interestingly, most collectors either have the full set of 15 or none at all. Upon investigation, most leads point toward Seattle, Washington where many collectors claimed to have received the cards from ex-Wizards of the Coast employees. It seems that this set of 15 Cosmos holofoils were given to employees as a gift.
16-62/62 1999-2000 Copyright non-holofoil
All of the non-holofoil cards from Jungle have a variant with a copyright of 1999-2000 instead of only 1999. These variants were found to be inside the red logo Australian Pokémon Fossil booster packs. The only holofoil with the 1999-2000 copyright is the Zapdos from the Thunderstorm Gift Box.
Error Cards
6/62 Haunter Blue Stain Error
This Haunter was accidentally printed with a ‘stain’ in the lower right corner of the illustration box.
15/62 Zapdos Evolution Box Error
When a Pokémon has a pre-evolution, there is an evolution box in the top left. The evolution box cuts into the illustration box, and if the card is a holofoil, the corner of the holofoil is covered up.
This Zapdos error has a cut-out in the holofoil as if there were an evolution box in the upper left. However, there is not. This error is present on both first edition and unlimited prints.
51/62 Krabby
Some Krabby cards from the unlimited print run were printed with an incomplete Fossil set symbol. It looks as if there was an obstruction in the printing process, and some of the symbol is missing.
How to tell if a card is from the Fossil set
To some, all vintage cards will look similar. In truth, they are similar. But Wizards of the Coast added set symbols to the cards after the first expansion. The symbol can be found outside the card’s illustration box, below the bottom right-hand corner.
For the Fossil expansion, the set symbol is a Pokémon claw. A Fossil card will always have the claw symbol, unlike the Jungle expansion which had an error on some cards where the set symbol was missing.
Another way to identify the set is to check the number in the bottom right-hand corner of the card. The English cards from Fossil will have X/62.
Most valuable Fossil cards*
- Dragonite 4/62 1st Edition PSA 10- $5,000.00
- Gengar 05/62 1st Edition PSA 10- $3,500.00
- Lapras 10/62 1st Edition PSA 10- $3,500.00
- Gengar 05/62 1st Edition PSA 9- $1,900.00
- Aerodactyl 1/62 1st Edition PSA 10- $1,800.00
- Moltres 12/62 1st Edition PSA 10- $1,700.00
- Zapdos 15/62 1st Edition PSA 10- $1,050.00
- Kabutops 9/62 1st Edition PSA 10- $950.00
- Hitmonlee 7/62 1st Edition PSA 10- $900.00
- Haunter 6/62 1st Edition PSA 10- $750.00
- Dragonite 4/62 1st Edition PSA 9- $750.00
- Articuno 2/62 1st Edition PSA 9- $500.00
- Raichu 14/62 1st Edition PSA 9- $350.00
- Haunter 6/62 Blue Stain Error PSA 8- $350.00
- Krabby 51/62 Fossil Symbol Error RAW- $150.00
- Zapdos 15/61 Evolution Box Error 1st Edition PSA 6- $140.00
It’s important to note that the rarest Fossil cards are the Cosmos holofoils. However, they very rarely appear on eBay (or anywhere) so there is no recent sales data. These are probably the most valuable Fossil cards available.
*Prices are based on eBay sold listings as of April 2022
Complete Pokémon Fossil set value
If you’re interested in purchasing a complete Fossil set, or if you already have one (congratulations, by the way!) eBay is the best place to check recently sold listings.
However, value largely depends on a few factors such as card condition, whether they are first edition, whether they are graded or raw, and the holofoil pattern as discussed earlier.
Recently a complete set sold on eBay for $2,000.00. The set was a mix of first edition and unlimited, all raw, and included a prerelease Aerodactyl.
Another set sold for $600.00 but all cards were unlimited and none were graded.
Unfortunately, eBay search results did not come up with any complete first edition or graded sets. Also, there are no recent listings for the Cosmos holo variants. These collections would likely sell for $3,000.00+
Fossil set booster packs
Booster packs are a whole sub-hobby within the Pokémon card collecting hobby. Many people like to purchase booster packs to keep sealed, while others open them and grade the cards. There are three different artworks for the Fossil booster packs. One is Zapdos, one is Lapras, and the last is Aerodactyl.
There are first edition booster packs and unlimited. As you guessed, first edition booster packs contain all first edition cards, while unlimited do not.
Unfortunately, vintage booster packs can be weighed to find which packs contain a holofoil and which do not. If you are interested in purchasing a booster pack, make sure you determine whether or not you are paying for a ‘light’ or ‘heavy’ pack. Obviously, the heavy packs are going to cost a lot more.
Booster pack prices
- First edition light Fossil booster pack- $250.00
- First edition heavy Fossil booster pack- $370.00
- Unlimited light Fossil booster pack- $190.00
- Unlimited heavy Fossil booster pack- $230.00
- Unlimited light Fossil booster pack (red logo)- Insufficient data
- Unlimited heavy Fossil booster pack (red logo)- Insufficient data
- Fossil red logo booster packs
Some Fossil booster packs have a red Pokémon logo instead of yellow.
These booster packs were available in Australia only. This was done as an anti-counterfeit measure.
Interestingly, the cards inside have some unique differences as well.
The cards inside were found to have been printed on different card stock. This cardstock felt slightly thicker (some say) and has a slightly more glossy finish to it. In addition to unique cardstock, these cards have a copyright of 1999-2000, as mentioned earlier. However, only the non-holofoil cards have this copyright, while the 15 holofoils do not.
The booster packs themselves also have some differences. Aside from the obvious red logo, the Official Nintendo Seal which is usually on the reverse of the pack, is missing. The red logo is found to be on all three different artworks for the booster packs, but there were no 1st edition booster packs with the red logo.
Are Fossil cards a good investment?
Yes, probably.
While the Pokémon card market is volatile sometimes, vintage cards have always slowly increased in value. Some have exploded in value but most slowly rise up over time.
Fossil is the third expansion to the TCG and was released in 1999. Cards from 1999 are in high demand since it was the first year for Pokémon cards in North America.
First edition Fossil cards will be the smartest purchase since first editions always go for an increased value. However, it would be smart to purchase unlimited print cards too, as they are over 20 years old and still sought-after.
Final thoughts
Fossil is an interesting and exciting vintage expansion set. Although the cards themselves don’t quite hold up to the clout of the Base set holofoils, it makes up for it in mysterious Cosmos holo patterns, copyright variants, and a sought-after prerelease card. This makes Fossil an extremely cool set that would for sure be a smart investment in the world of card collecting.
