Bulbasaur
Bulbasaur — Base Set #44/102
Grass Common · Basic
Print variants & how to tell them apart
1st Edition
The 'Edition 1' stamp — a black circle containing the number 1 — sits just left of the artwork, below the art box. Shadowless template (no drop shadow). Rarest / most valuable.
Shadowless
Same first-print template as 1st Edition but WITHOUT the stamp. No drop shadow behind the art box; brighter, more zoomed-in art. Key tell vs Unlimited: the extra '99' in the copyright line.
Unlimited
No stamp; a drop shadow appears behind the right edge of the art box (Pokémon only — Trainers never got the shadow). Bolder HP text, slightly zoomed-out art. Copyright omits the '99'. By far the most common (print runs 2–7).
1999–2000 (4th Print)
Visually identical to Unlimited EXCEPT the copyright reads ©1999-2000. The eighth and final (smallest) English print run — collector shorthand calls it the '4th print'. Distributed mainly in the UK, also Australia and the USA.
Shown: the Unlimited scan -- the 1999-2000 print is identical except the (c)1999-2000 date. A true scan is coming.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 2–6 | 1 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edition | ||||||||
| PSA | 3,537 | 360 | 1,169 | 780 | 471 | 728 | 21 | 8 |
| SGC | 22 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Shadowless | ||||||||
| PSA | 5,880 | 777 | 1,689 | 1,217 | 797 | 1,291 | 67 | 42 |
| SGC | 52 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 3 |
| Unlimited | ||||||||
| PSA | 12,923 | 2,218 | 4,671 | 2,818 | 1,350 | 1,814 | 49 | 3 |
| SGC | 141 | 7 | 52 | 32 | 17 | 33 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 (4th Print) | ||||||||
| PSA | 948 | 419 | 302 | 108 | 52 | 67 | 0 | 0 |
PSA & SGC graded population by printing & grade. PSA Unlimited includes copies graded before PSA flagged the 1st Edition / Shadowless varieties; SGC does not separate the 1999-2000 print.
Card details
Type
Grass
Stage
Basic
HP
40
Weakness
Fire ×2
Retreat
1
Artist
Mitsuhiro Arita
Pokedex #
1
Attacks
20Leech Seed [Grass Grass]
Unless all damage from this attack is prevented, you may remove 1 damage counter from Bulbasaur.
A strange seed was planted on its back at birth. Thus, a plant sprouted and now grows with this Pokémon.
Prices & where to buy
Unlimited market $3.41 via TCGplayer
| Variant | Market | TCGplayer | eBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edition | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Shadowless | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Unlimited | $3.41 | TCGplayer | eBay |
| 1999–2000 (4th Print) | — | eBay |
Market = the Unlimited printing, live from TCGplayer. As an eBay Partner & affiliate we may earn from qualifying purchases.
Notable variant / error
All 1st Edition and Shadowless Bulbasaur print the weight value under the 'length' label.
About the print variants
Base Set cards come in four printings: 1st Edition (Edition-1 stamp), Shadowless (no stamp, no drop shadow, the extra '99' in the copyright), Unlimited (drop shadow, most common), and the 1999-2000 (4th print) (like Unlimited but the copyright reads (c)1999-2000). Machamp is the exception -- it is always 1st-Edition-stamped.