Ninetales

Ninetales is card 15 of 113 in XY Evolutions, released in November 2016, a Rare Holo. It is a Stage 1 Fire-type with 100 HP.

As a Stage 1, it evolves from Vulpix, which places Ninetales 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 Ninetales reads: "It has nine long tails and fur that gleams gold. It is said to live for 1,000 years."

The fully evolved Vulpix. Nine tails, mystical Japanese kitsune influence in the design. Base Set holo Ninetales is one of the more aesthetically beloved holos in the set and a steady performer in graded prices.

Ninetales is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds XY Evolutions's value. The rarity tier decides most of it, since the same card prints at several tiers with very different prices. In top-grade 1st Edition, XY Evolutions holos range from the mid hundreds for the lesser cards up to the set's marquee chase; raw and Unlimited copies trade for a fraction of that. The live market price above shows the current figure by grade.

Confirm the print and finish on Ninetales before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.

Expect the holo window to set the grade on Ninetales. Print misregistration and fine scratches in the fire foil are the usual reasons a copy lands at a 9, and edge whitening against the frame is the next thing a grader notes.

If you are buying Ninetales, work in order: confirm the print variant first, then the grade, then price against recent sales for that exact variant and grade. Price the Ninetales against the population report, since modern holo supply is large.