Pokémon TCG · 1999 Set Guide
Fossil Set Guide
The third Base series set: 62 cards, the three legendary birds, Ditto, and the first Trainer that plays as a Pokémon, Mysterious Fossil.
Overview
Fossil came out on October 10, 1999, with 62 cards: 57 Pokémon and 5 Trainers. Like Jungle it has no Energy, and like Jungle each of its 15 Rare Holo Pokémon is printed again as a non-holo Rare.
It added Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres as a trio, the fossil Pokémon Aerodactyl, Kabutops and Omanyte's line, and Pokémon Powers that change the rules for both players, such as Muk's Toxic Gas and Aerodactyl's Prehistoric Power.
Cards and rarities
Fossil has 62 cards. Every card shows its number over the printed total along the bottom, as in "4/62". The cards print a set symbol, not a set code; the code here is the short one the catalog and TurnZero HQ file the set under.
The printed total is 62 and nothing is numbered above it. Each holo from 1 to 15 has a non-holo Rare twin from 16 to 30. Set completion in TurnZero HQ counts a set against its printed total and keeps the secret rares apart, so finishing the main set and chasing the cards above it read as two separate goals. How set completion works →
Headline Pokémon
Four holos, two of them with Pokémon Powers that shut down the other player:
Gengar
Fossil #5
Curse moves a damage counter between your opponent's Pokémon once a turn; Dark Mind does 30 and 10 to a Benched Pokémon.
Dragonite
Fossil #4
Step In swaps it from your Bench to Active once a turn; Slam does 40 for each heads on two flips.
Muk
Fossil #13
Toxic Gas ignores every Pokémon Power other than Toxic Gas, both players'.
Aerodactyl
Fossil #1
Prehistoric Power stops anyone from playing Evolution cards while it is in play.
Trainers worth knowing
Two of the five Trainers:
The chase card: Gengar
Fossil's chase card in Unlimited is the Gengar holo, 5/62, illustrated by Keiji Kinebuchi, at $219.87 on October 22, 2026.
In 1st Edition the order flips: the Dragonite holo was $582.67 against Gengar's $387.00. Unlimited Dragonite was $190.32.
The non-holo Gengar, 20/62, was $54.11, the only non-holo Rare in the top six.
Every Gengar in Fossil
| Version | Number | Market price, October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Rare Holo, Unlimited | 5/62 | $219.87 |
| Rare Holo, 1st Edition | 5/62 | $387.00 |
| Rare, Unlimited | 20/62 | $54.11 |
Only the exact version is worth its price. The number at the bottom of the card and the rarity symbol beside it tell you which one you pulled. Reading the number and rarity symbol →
Chase cards and prices
Five holos and one non-holo Gengar, priced as Unlimited copies.
| Card | Rarity | Market price, October 22, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Gengar | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $219.87 |
| Dragonite | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $190.32 |
| Articuno | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $72.10 |
| Moltres | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $70.88 |
| Gengar | Rare, Unlimited | $54.11 |
| Raichu | Rare Holo, Unlimited | $52.89 |
These are each card's headline TCGplayer market price on October 22, 2026. Prices can move a long way, most of all in a set's first months, so treat them as a snapshot. Each card's page shows today's price for every variant and its 90-day chart. How Pokémon card prices work →
What a complete set costs
One copy of every card in Fossil, bought as singles, cost $1,208.06 on October 22, 2026. That is the fifth most expensive of the six sets in the Base series.
The three most valuable cards, Gengar, Dragonite and Articuno, come to $482.29, or 40% of the total. Without them the set costs $725.77. Of the 62 cards, 30 were under $2.00, together $30.73; the other 32 add up to $1,177.33.
Each card is counted at its cheapest priced variant, usually an Unlimited copy rather than a 1st Edition one, or a stamped or error copy where the catalog prices one lower, at its TCGplayer market price. This is what it costs to buy the set as singles. It is not what opening packs returns, and not what a complete set would sell for, which after fees and the many cards worth cents would be noticeably less.
Playing it
Fossil is not legal in Standard or Expanded as a set: Expanded starts with the Black & White series in 2011. The catalog marks two of its 62 cards as legal anyway, one of them in Standard too.
They are Energy Search, legal in both formats; and Recycle, legal in Expanded only.
Each shares its name and text with a later, legal printing, which is what makes an older copy playable. Every other card in the set is legal in neither format.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Fossil release?
October 10, 1999. It was the third set of the Base series, after Base Set and Jungle.
How many cards are in Fossil?
62: 57 Pokémon and 5 Trainers, with no Energy cards and nothing numbered above 62.
What is the most valuable Fossil card?
In Unlimited, the Gengar holo (5/62) at $219.87 on October 22, 2026. In 1st Edition, the Dragonite holo at $582.67. Prices move daily, so check each card's page for the current figure.
What does Mysterious Fossil do?
It is a Trainer you play as a Basic Pokémon with 10 HP. It has no attacks and can't retreat, it doesn't count as a Knocked Out Pokémon, and Fossil's Kabuto, Omanyte and Aerodactyl lines evolve from it.
Track your Fossil cards.
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Create Free AccountPokémon and Pokémon character names are trademarks of Nintendo. ©Pokémon. ©Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc. TurnZero HQ is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by Nintendo, The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc., or GAME FREAK inc. Card data comes from the open PokemonTCG dataset, and prices from TCGplayer.