What are Prototype and Playtest Pokémon Cards?

‍

After the release of the 1996 Nintendo Game Boy Red and Green games, the Pokémon team set out to expand the Pocket Monsters universe into a new realm: trading card games. Inspired by the success of Magic: The Gathering, the original creators in Japan began developing their first collectible card game, incorporating beloved characters from the video games.

‍

Until recently, the process behind the creation of the Pokémon Trading Card Game remained shrouded in mystery. Many rumors circulated about its development, but now, some of the original creators have started sharing the untold story of how it all came together.

‍

‍

One key part of the creation process involved simulating gameplay with what are now known as Prototype cards. These early test cards underwent several iterations before reaching the final, print-ready versions that Pokémon fans around the world recognize today. These stages are now defined by collectors as the following:

‍

• Proof of Concept (1995) – The first Seadra card.
  ‍
• Alpha Prototypes (1995) – 26 cards featuring sprite designs drawn by Ishihara (CEO of Pokemon) shown to investors at Nintendo, introduced before the Game Boy game release
  ‍
• Alpha Playtest Cards (1996) – An expanded character list with illustrations by Ken Sugimori. They were strictly from the Base Set only so only 16 holo cards that we see in 1999 release. Alpha did not have all 151 Pokemon. Introduced around the same time or shortly after the Game Boy Red and Green Japanese release.
  ‍
• Beta Playtest Cards (1996) – Full color illustrations by Sugimori, but misspelled on each card as Sugimorori. This is the set where we see ALL 151 Pokemon that is essentially introduced in later sets after base set i.e. fossil, jungle, gym heroes, gym challenge, and etc.
  ‍
• Alpha and Beta CoroCoro Presentation Cards (1996) – Marketing cards distributed through CoroCoro magazine to promote the new trading card game.
  ‍
• Delta Playtest Cards (1996) – The closest version to the final printed release.
  ‍
• Japanese Base Set Release (1996) - The first release of the trading card game, still bearing the Pocket Monster name.
  ‍
• 1999 1st Edition Base Set English Release - One of the most important releases in Pokémon history. Launching Pokémon into the global stratosphere.

‍

‍

What Makes Beta Playtest Cards Special?

The Beta Playtest cards are the first time all 151 Pokémon appeared in trading card form. Each card featured a Sugimori illustration on the front, with an Akaban-illustrated back, and are mounted on thick white card stock. Interestingly, these cards are easy to distinguish from the earlier Alpha Playtest cards because Sugimori’s name is misspelled at the bottom of the card.

Recently, Alt acquired what is believed to be the only complete set of 151 Beta Playtest cards. This extremely rare, historically significant set is in remarkable condition. Alt delivered them all to CGC for rigorous authentication, provenance verification, grading, and encapsulation. In partnership with CGC, we’re thrilled to bring the best Beta Playtest copies to market between September 19th and October 24th.

"In my opinion, they should be in museum, but here they are available for the public. I mean, it's really cool to see these cards and to be able to handle them personally and talking with some of the people that were, you know, in the beginning of Pokémon TCG to get their authenticity verified and just basically just doing everything we can to ensure a viable product to make sure that these things are, can be bought with confidence.", Matt Quinn, Vice President of CGC and TCG Expert. Read our full interview with Matt here.

‍