Ninetales · Expedition Base Set, what to know.
About the Ninetales card
Ninetales is card 57 of 165 in Expedition Base Set, released in September 2002, a Rare. It is a Stage 1 Fire-type with 80 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 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 Ninetales in the Pokémon world
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.
What is Ninetales worth?
Ninetales is a non-holo Rare. In Expedition Base Set, value concentrates in the holo rares, so a Ninetales 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 Ninetales before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
Non-holo Rares like Ninetales are easier on surface but no kinder on centering. Wizards-era cards were less protected than the holos, so high-grade Ninetales survivors can be scarcer than expected, with edge whitening the usual cap.
If you are collecting Ninetales
For Ninetales, 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 Ninetales can make sense.
