Dragonair
Dragonair — Base Set #18/102
Colorless Rare · Stage 1
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 | 1,734 | 135 | 616 | 370 | 241 | 361 | 8 | 3 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Shadowless | ||||||||
| PSA | 1,121 | 95 | 339 | 245 | 149 | 283 | 8 | 2 |
| SGC | 12 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Unlimited | ||||||||
| PSA | 2,422 | 312 | 760 | 527 | 323 | 490 | 10 | 0 |
| SGC | 34 | 2 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 (4th Print) | ||||||||
| PSA | 143 | 26 | 58 | 32 | 11 | 16 | 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
Colorless
Stage
Stage 1
HP
80
Evolves from
Dratini
Resistance
Psychic -30
Retreat
2
Artist
Mitsuhiro Arita
Pokedex #
148
Attacks
30×Slam [Colorless Colorless Colorless]
Flip 2 coins. This attack does 30 damage times the number of heads.
20Hyper Beam [Colorless Colorless Colorless Colorless]
If the Defending Pokémon has any Energy cards attached to it, choose 1 of them and discard it.
A mystical Pokémon that exudes a gentle aura. Has the ability to change climate conditions.
Prices & where to buy
Unlimited market $17.47 via TCGplayer
| Variant | Market | TCGplayer | eBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edition | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Shadowless | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Unlimited | $17.47 | 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.
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.