Poliwhirl
Poliwhirl — Base Set #38/102
Water Uncommon · 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 | 2,649 | 427 | 1,138 | 577 | 240 | 258 | 7 | 2 |
| SGC | 22 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Shadowless | ||||||||
| PSA | 843 | 153 | 285 | 176 | 98 | 127 | 3 | 1 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unlimited | ||||||||
| PSA | 1,493 | 283 | 584 | 315 | 150 | 158 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 21 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 (4th Print) | ||||||||
| PSA | 116 | 40 | 49 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 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
Water
Stage
Stage 1
HP
60
Evolves from
Poliwag
Weakness
Grass ×2
Retreat
1
Artist
Ken Sugimori
Pokedex #
61
Attacks
Amnesia [Water Water]
Choose 1 of the Defending Pokémon's attacks. That Pokémon can't use that attack during your opponent's next turn.
30×Doubleslap [Water Water Colorless]
Flip 2 coins. This attack does 30 damage times the number of heads.
Capable of living in or out of water. When out of water, it sweats to keep its body slimy.
Prices & where to buy
Unlimited market $1.79 via TCGplayer
| Variant | Market | TCGplayer | eBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edition | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Shadowless | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Unlimited | $1.79 | 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.