Japanese Neo Genesis (2000): all 96 cards with PSA prices — Lugia and the first Johto cards

Seventh in the complete-list series: Neo vol. 1, “Gold, Silver, to a New World…”, known overseas as Japanese Neo Genesis. Released alongside the Gold and Silver games, it is the first set with Johto Pokémon: Lugia, the three new starters, the first Baby Pokémon and the first Darkness and Metal Energy all arrived here.

What is it?

• Released on 4 February 2000. The Japanese name is neo 第1弾 金、銀、新世界へ…
• 96 cards: 72 Pokémon, 21 Trainers and 3 Energy.
• 16 holos. Fifteen Pokémon: Meganium, Bellossom, Jumpluff, Heracross, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Azumarill, Kingdra, Pichu, Ampharos, Slowking, Steelix, Skarmory, Togetic and Lugia. Plus one Energy, Metal Energy.
• All three starter lines are complete: Chikorita, Bayleef, Meganium; Cyndaquil, Quilava, Typhlosion; Totodile, Croconaw, Feraligatr.
• Baby Pokémon debut here: Pichu, Cleffa, Magby and Elekid.
• The three Energy cards are Darkness Energy, Metal Energy and Recycle Energy. This is the first appearance of Darkness and Metal Energy.
• The 21 Trainers include Professor Elm, Mary, Moo-Moo Milk, Focus Band and PokéGear.
• Cards are unnumbered; Pokémon are ordered by Pokédex number.

Highlights

• Lugia is the face of the set and one of the most graded cards of the whole Japanese Neo era. Fewer than one in ten graded copies is a PSA 10, so the gap between PSA 10 and PSA 9 prices is wide.
• Typhlosion, Feraligatr and Meganium, the final starter evolutions, are often collected as a trio. Each has more than 1,000 PSA 10s and trades steadily.
• Pichu is the best-known Baby Pokémon card and ranks among the most graded cards in the set.
• Slowking is the sixth most-graded card and has a steady market of its own.
• Metal Energy is the only holo that is not a Pokémon. Holo Energy cards are rare in old-back sets, and it is often the last card a set collector tracks down.

Reading the prices

• No variant print exists, so same card, same grade is directly comparable.
• Jumpluff, Kingdra and Ampharos appear again as holos in Neo Revelation with different artwork. Their price pages here are separate from the later versions.
• PSA 10 / PSA 9 below are the median of the latest confirmed sales (up to five).