Squirtle
Squirtle — Base Set #63/102
Water 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 | 6,476 | 952 | 2,055 | 1,443 | 843 | 1,131 | 42 | 10 |
| SGC | 59 | 6 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| Shadowless | ||||||||
| PSA | 6,515 | 728 | 1,874 | 1,453 | 964 | 1,372 | 83 | 41 |
| SGC | 58 | 0 | 18 | 17 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1 |
| Unlimited | ||||||||
| PSA | 12,316 | 2,130 | 4,463 | 2,656 | 1,201 | 1,824 | 40 | 2 |
| SGC | 138 | 8 | 36 | 36 | 19 | 37 | 2 | 0 |
| 1999–2000 (4th Print) | ||||||||
| PSA | 895 | 330 | 346 | 96 | 47 | 74 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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
Basic
HP
40
Weakness
Lightning ×2
Retreat
1
Artist
Mitsuhiro Arita
Pokedex #
7
Attacks
10Bubble [Water]
Flip a coin. If heads, the Defending Pokémon is now Paralyzed.
Withdraw [Water Colorless]
Flip a coin. If heads, prevent all damage done to Squirtle during your opponent's next turn. (Any other effects of attacks still happen.)
After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. It powerfully sprays foam from its mouth.
Prices & where to buy
Unlimited market $8.17 via TCGplayer
| Variant | Market | TCGplayer | eBay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Edition | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Shadowless | TCGplayer | eBay | |
| Unlimited | $8.17 | 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.