Fossil

Fossil shipped October 1999, the third English expansion. 62 cards built around revived fossil Pokemon, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and the underrated psychic line of Slowking and Lapras. Sealed boxes from 1999 print runs remain one of the most-traded vintage WOTC products.

Holographic Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are some of the cleanest and most attractive vintage holos in the WOTC era. They predate the corrected art rotation, so the original 1999 Fossil Zapdos differs from later Legendary Collection reprints.

Aerodactyl ships with a Pokemon Power requiring you to discard a fossil from your discard pile — a clever mechanical tie-in to the Mysterious Fossil item card. Vintage rule-text variants on early prints make Fossil a popular hunt for misprint collectors.

Fossil 1st Edition runs were notably smaller than Base/Jungle by the time Fossil shipped, the market had stabilized and reprints came faster. As a result, 1st Edition Fossil populations at grading services are thinner than Base or Jungle, and high-grade 1st Ed Fossil holos consistently outperform their unlimited counterparts at auction.