Blastoise · Expedition Base Set, what to know.
About the Blastoise card
Numbered 37 of 165 in Expedition Base Set, released in September 2002, Blastoise is a Rare, a Stage 2 Water-type carrying 100 HP.
It evolves from Wartortle, so Blastoise is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
Illustrated by Kimiya Masago.
About Blastoise in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved water starter. A heavy turtle with water cannons mounted on its shell. A defensive powerhouse in the games and a frequent tournament pick. The water Charizard equivalent. There is also a famous 1999 Galaxy Star Holo Blastoise presentation prototype which is a separate artifact from the standard print and trades for high six figures.
What is Blastoise worth?
Blastoise is a non-holo Rare. In Expedition Base Set, value concentrates in the holo rares, so a Blastoise 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 Blastoise before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
Blastoise grades on centering and edges more than surface. The card was played and traded more freely than the holos, so a clean, well-centered Blastoise is worth more than collectors assume.
If you are collecting Blastoise
For Blastoise, 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 Blastoise can make sense.
