Articuno · Fossil, what to know.
About the Articuno card
Articuno is card 17 of 62 in Fossil, released in October 1999, a Rare. It is a Basic Water-type with 70 HP.
As a Basic Pokémon, Articuno needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.
Illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. Arita painted the Base Set Charizard and much of the early holo run, and his work has a painterly weight that set the visual tone of the Wizards era.
The Pokédex entry printed on Articuno reads: "A legendary bird Pokémon that is said to appear to doomed people who are lost in icy mountains."
About Articuno in the Pokémon world
A Legendary Ice-Flying bird. One of the three Legendary birds of Kanto. Fossil holo Articuno is a marquee Fossil holo. Strong collector demand thanks to Legendary status.
What is Articuno worth?
Articuno is a non-holo Rare. In Fossil, value concentrates in the holo rares, so a Articuno 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
Fossil shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The Edition 1 stamp under the artwork separates the scarcer 1st Edition Articuno from the Unlimited copy.
Grading and condition
Non-holo Rares like Articuno are easier on surface but no kinder on centering. Wizards-era cards were less protected than the holos, so high-grade Articuno survivors can be scarcer than expected, with edge whitening the usual cap.
If you are collecting Articuno
For Articuno, 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 Articuno can make sense.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
