Metapod

Metapod is card 54 of 102 in Base Set, released in January 1999, a Common. It is a Stage 1 Grass-type with 70 HP.

As a Stage 1, it evolves from Caterpie, which places Metapod deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.

Illustrated by Ken Sugimori. Sugimori is the lead character designer of Pokémon itself, so his card art carries the tight, on-model look that defined how the creatures appear in the games.

The Pokédex entry printed on Metapod reads: "It is vulnerable to attack because its shell is soft, exposing its weak and tender body."

Caterpie evolved into a hardened green chrysalis. Famous in the anime for the Ash vs Ash episode where Metapods battled by hardening. Cheap entry-level vintage card. Used by new collectors to learn the difference between Unlimited and Shadowless prints.

Based on recent eBay sales, raw copies trade from $3.11 to $17 depending on the print and a PSA 10 runs from $130 to $377. The 1st Edition print is the most valuable, with a PSA 10 near $377. The table on this page breaks the price down by print and grade, updated 2026-05-24.

Base Set produced three print waves that collectors track separately: 1st Edition (the launch print, with an Edition 1 stamp under the artwork), Shadowless (no stamp and no drop shadow on the right of the frame), and Unlimited (the long-running print with the drop shadow restored). On Metapod, the price gap between these prints can run 10x or more, so confirm the variant before any purchase.

Metapod is the most forgiving tier to grade in the set. Centering on the framed border is the usual cap, and the soft Wizards-era cardstock picks up edge whitening easily, but high print runs keep clean copies affordable.

Raw copies of Metapod are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Metapod is the practical move.