First-edition Japanese Pokemon trading cards to be re-released for game’s 20th anniversary

By some Christmas miracle, The Pokemon Company has revealed that they will be reissuing starter sets of the first-generation Pokemon cards that were originally sold in Japan in October 1996 to celebrate the card game's 20th anniversary.. The cards will feature 60 Pokemon cards in Japanese, a coin, and a gameplay manual – making it the perfect starter deck.

Unfortunately, Pokemon did not reveal that they would be re-releasing the original cards that released in English, but we can hope for that announcement in the next two years. The English cards didn’t release in the United States until 1998, after all.

The original series will be re-released in Japan on February 27, 2016 for 1,300 yen (US$10.80) each.

In addition to the original cards being reissued, protective card slip covers styled after the original first-generation Japanese cards will be available for 715 yen ($5.94) and a special 20th anniversary edition of a rubber play mat for competitive players will be available for 5,000 yen ($41.54).

[Via RocketNews]