Ampharos · Expedition Base Set, what to know.
About the Ampharos card
Numbered 34 of 165 in Expedition Base Set, released in September 2002, Ampharos is a Rare, a Stage 2 Lightning-type carrying 100 HP.
It evolves from Flaaffy, so Ampharos is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
Illustrated by Atsuko Nishida. Nishida is the original designer of Pikachu and many Gen 1 Pokémon, and her card work has a soft, rounded warmth that suits the friendlier creatures.
About Ampharos in the Pokémon world
A large yellow electric sheep-Pokémon. One of the most-loved Generation 2 designs. Neo Genesis holo Ampharos is a quiet collector favorite. Steady graded demand.
What is Ampharos worth?
Ampharos is a non-holo Rare. In Expedition Base Set, value concentrates in the holo rares, so a Ampharos trades modestly, though a clean, well-centered 1st Edition copy in PSA 10 is scarcer than the print run suggests and carries a real premium. Check the live price above for the figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Confirm the print and finish on Ampharos before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
On Ampharos, look at the corners and the framed border first. Non-holo Rares took more handling than the chase holos, so a sharp, centered copy of Ampharos in a true PSA 10 is harder to find than the print run suggests.
If you are collecting Ampharos
For Ampharos, check centering by eye, edge whitening on all four sides, and surface under angled light. Non-holo Rares from this era are cheap enough that a PSA 10 submission on a clean Ampharos can make sense.
