Cheddar’s Card Trading Co.

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New York, NY
Cheddar’s Card Trading Co.

We specialize in vintage pack-fresh, minty Pokémon cards and graded packs that will bring vibrant charm to any collection.

elusive vintage gems or a newcomer looking for top-quality graded slabs or raw singles, we've got you covered.

03/31/2026

Umbreon Rookie Card

03/13/2026

The capstone of my Riftbound Origins Master Set. Complete near-sequential (Damn Darius) PSA 10 set of signature overnumber cards + GG Teemo and Riot Buff.

10/04/2025

No slab can contain the power of Charizard!

08/01/2025

🧀✨ ‘Top Cheese by Cheddar’! ✨🧀
In this series, I’ll showcase my favorite WotC Pokémon pulls with hidden lore and history.

🔥 Today’s Feature: TAG 9 1st Edition Base Set Charizard (1999) 🔥
The apex. The grail. The card that launched a thousand collections. This isn’t just cardboard—it’s the Mona Lisa of the TCG world, and this TAG 9 represents the upper echelon of condition rarity.

🎨 Illustrator Insight: Mitsuhiro Arita has called his work on Base Set Charizard and Pikachu as having a “big effect” on his career. With over 695 cards illustrated since the TCG’s inception, Arita remains one of the most prolific Pokemon artists ever.

🐉 Did you know? Charizard was designed before Charmander, with Charmander being based on Charizard’s design. The development team worked backwards from the final evolution, creating the pre-evolutions afterward to build anticipation for discovering Charizard’s ultimate power.

🌟 Historical Importance: Base Set Charizard established the concept of “chase cards” in collectible gaming. Its 120 HP was tied for highest in the set alongside Chansey , and the 4-energy attack cost created genuine deck-building challenges that elevated competitive play.

📈 Market Context: TAG 9 examples represent extraordinary rarity in the grading population. The institutional-grade scarcity creates pricing dynamics reminiscent of blue-chip art markets.

➡️ Question Time: What’s your white whale card that started your collecting journey?

07/31/2025

📸 Fresh slabs heading to eBay! 🔥
Dropping some absolute heat from my collection - pristine PSA 9s and 10s (mostly) from the legendary Shadowless Base Set. These aren’t just cards, they’re pieces of Pokémon history from 1999 when WotC was still running the show.
Each one represents countless hours of hunting, grading submissions, and that unmatched feeling when the grades come back perfect. From the iconic starters to those elusive trainers, this drop has something for every serious collector.
🎯 Live on my eBay later today - link in bio when they go up!

What’s your grail Shadowless card? Drop it below 👇

07/24/2025

🧀✨ Welcome to ‘Top Cheese by Cheddar’! ✨🧀
In this series, I’ll showcase my favorite WotC Pokémon pulls with hidden lore and history.

🌊 Today’s Feature: TAG 8 1st Edition Lugia from Neo Genesis (2000) 🌊
Neo Genesis marked Pokémon’s leap into Generation II—the first expansion beyond Kanto’s original 150. This set introduced the legendary bird that would become the face of Pokémon Silver and later headline its own blockbuster film.

🎨 Illustrator Insight: Hironobu Yoshida’s ethereal Lugia design captures the Diving Pokémon’s mystical aura. Yoshida’s work on legendary cards consistently emphasizes their otherworldly power through flowing, dynamic compositions that feel almost cinematic.

⚡ Did you know? Lugia was originally created specifically for Pokémon: The Movie 2000, not the games. The anime team designed this legendary as a powerful but benevolent counterpart to the legendary birds, then retrofitted it into Silver version. This reverse development—screen to game—was unprecedented for core Pokémon species.

🌟 Historical Importance: Neo Genesis represented WotC’s ambitious expansion beyond the Base Set phenomenon. At 111 cards, it established the template for how future sets would introduce new generations while maintaining competitive balance—a framework that influences TCG design today.

📈 Market Context: 1st Edition Neo Genesis maintains premium positioning due to constrained print runs during peak Pokémon mania. PSA population data shows significantly fewer high-grade examples compared to Base Set, creating supply-demand dynamics that support long-term value appreciation.

➡️ Question Time: Which Neo Genesis card first made you realize Generation II was something special?

07/11/2025

🧀✨ Welcome back to ‘Top Cheese by Cheddar’! ✨🧀

⚡️🔥❄️ Today’s Feature: Complete Legendary Dog Trio—Entei, Raikou, & Suicune from Neo Revelation (1st Edition, 2001) in PSA/TAG 9 ⚡️🔥❄️
Neo Revelation famously introduced the Legendary Beasts (often called Legendary Dogs), instantly making this trio among the most iconic and desirable Pokémon ever printed.

🏅 Grading Spotlight: Each card is graded a crisp PSA/TAG 9—near-perfect condition, making this cohesive trio an impressive addition to any high-end collection.

🎨 Illustrator Insight: Each of these legendary Pokémon was brought to life by different iconic artists—Ken Sugimori (Entei), Naoyo Kimura (Raikou), and Kimiya Masago (Suicune)—showcasing a diverse artistic approach that perfectly reflects each Pokémon’s unique mythology and personality.

✨ Legendary Lore: Inspired by mythical beasts resurrected by Ho-Oh after the destruction of the Brass Tower in Ecruteak City, these Pokémon embody powerful elements: Raikou, the thunder; Entei, the volcanic fire; and Suicune, the north wind. This lore firmly established Neo Revelation as a deeply narrative-driven set, adding layers of intrigue to the Pokémon world.

🌟 Historical Importance: Neo Revelation cemented the relationship between the video games’ narrative and TCG sets, enhancing collectability through direct links to in-game lore—captivating both players and collectors alike.

➡️ Question Time: If you could choose only one Legendary Beast as your guardian Pokémon, who would you pick: Entei, Raikou, or Suicune?

07/10/2025

🧀✨ Welcome back to ‘Top Cheese by Cheddar’! ✨🧀

⚔️ Today’s Feature: TAG 10 Scizor from Neo Discovery (1st Edition, 2001) ⚔️
Neo Discovery highlighted second-generation evolutions, bringing Scizor—Scyther’s powerful evolution and my personal favorite’s formidable successor—to the Pokémon TCG spotlight.

🥇 TAG Grading Spotlight: Achieving the perfect TAG 10 grade, this Scizor represents the absolute pinnacle of card quality, condition, and rarity—a true gem for collectors seeking perfection.

🎨 Illustrator Insight: This striking Scizor artwork was crafted by Kimiya Masago, whose distinctive style defined some of the most dynamic Pokémon illustrations of the Neo era, capturing Scizor’s aggressive elegance perfectly. Masago’s illustrations often emphasize movement, bringing Pokémon like Scizor vividly to life.

🗡️ Scyther Connection: As Scyther’s evolved form, Scizor traded raw speed for steel-clad durability and precision power. Introduced in Gold & Silver, its unique typing (Bug/Steel) quickly became iconic, radically shifting competitive strategies.

🌟 Historical Importance: Neo Discovery expanded the strategic depth of the Pokémon TCG, introducing cards that rewarded careful deck-building and innovative gameplay combinations, elevating competitive play significantly.

➡️ Question Time: If you could design another evolution for Scyther today, what unique typing or ability would you give it?

07/09/2025

🧀✨ Welcome back to ‘Top Cheese by Cheddar’! ✨🧀

💎 Today’s Feature: TAG 9 Crystal Lugia from Aquapolis (2003) 💎
Aquapolis was the second e‑Reader expansion, introducing Crystal Pokémon—renowned for their radiant textures, rarity, and strategic clout. Crystal Lugia stands as the ultimate grail in this category.

🥇 TAG Grading Spotlight: This card holds the highest TAG‑graded score on record: an outstanding 927. A top‑tier benchmark for any collector.

🎨 Illustrator Insight: The iconic Crystal Lugia art was created by Naoyo Kimura, not Atsuko Nishida. Kimura also illustrated several other Aquapolis draw cards. Her work brought serene elegance to Lugia’s form, perfectly matching the set’s ethereal “crystal” aesthetic.

🌊 Legendary Lore: As the guardian of the seas first introduced in Pokémon: The Movie 2000, Lugia’s Crystal form in Aquapolis boasted a Poke‑Body ability called “Crystal Type,” which let it shift type to match attached Energy—a thematic nod to its versatile lore. ()

🌟 Historical Importance: Aquapolis innovated by merging physical card art with digital interactivity via the e‑Reader, and its status as one of the final WotC‑printed sets cements its legacy.

➡️ Question Time: Considering its shifting type mechanic, which energy attachment scenario would make you most eager to build around Crystal Lugia—and why?

07/07/2025

🧀✨ Welcome back to ‘Top Cheese by Cheddar’! ✨🧀
In this series, I showcase my favorite WotC Pokémon pulls along with hidden lore and history.

🌊 Today’s Feature: TAG 9 Shining Gyarados from Neo Revelation (1st Edition, 2001) 🌊
Neo Revelation marked the debut of “Shining” Pokémon; introducing these rare, powerful cards with striking, textured holographic art, forever changing the chase game for collectors.

🎨 Illustrator Insight: Ken Sugimori, Pokémon’s original and most influential artist, crafted the iconic artwork for Shining Gyarados. Sugimori designed all original 151 Pokémon himself, setting the visual style still followed by artists today.

🐉 Did you know? Shining Gyarados directly references Pokémon Gold & Silver’s unforgettable “Lake of Rage” event; the first in-game encounter with a guaranteed shiny Pokémon. This was not only the first-ever shiny Pokémon event in Pokémon games but also introduced many players to the concept of shinies, adding a whole new layer to Pokémon collecting.

🌟 Historical Importance: Neo Revelation set the tone for future expansions by linking directly to the narrative of the video games, strengthening continuity and deepening lore engagement for players and collectors alike.

➡️ Question Time: Do you remember your first-ever shiny Pokémon encounter? Which Pokémon was it, and where did you find it?

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New York, NY

Website

http://www.cheddarscardtrading.co/

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