Imposter Professor Oak
Imposter Professor Oak — Base Set #73/102
Trainer Rare
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 | 1,139 | 169 | 549 | 204 | 95 | 117 | 3 | 2 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Shadowless | ||||||||
| PSA | 408 | 87 | 142 | 69 | 48 | 60 | 1 | 1 |
| Unlimited | ||||||||
| PSA | 884 | 183 | 312 | 185 | 88 | 113 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 (4th Print) | ||||||||
| PSA | 53 | 11 | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 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
Trainer
Retreat
0
Artist
Ken Sugimori
Prices & where to buy
Unlimited market $8.02 via TCGplayer
| Variant | Market | TCGplayer | eBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edition | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Shadowless | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Unlimited | $8.02 | 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
Name spelling tell: 1st Edition and Shadowless read 'Impostor Professor Oak'; Unlimited and 1999-2000 read 'Imposter Professor Oak'.
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.