Poliwhirl · Expedition Base Set, what to know.
About the Poliwhirl card
Poliwhirl is card 89 of 165 in Expedition Base Set, released in September 2002, an Uncommon. It is a Stage 1 Water-type with 70 HP.
As a Stage 1, it evolves from Poliwag, which places Poliwhirl deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.
Illustrated by Yuka Morii.
About Poliwhirl in the Pokémon world
The middle Poliwag stage. Now bipedal with arms but retained spiral belly. Notably the card on the cover of the original Game Boy Pokémon manual. Mid-stage demand.
What is Poliwhirl worth?
Poliwhirl is an Uncommon, so raw copies are inexpensive and easy to find. The value is in condition: a genuine PSA 10, especially 1st Edition, can still reach a surprising figure for an otherwise common card. The live price above breaks it down by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Confirm the print and finish on Poliwhirl before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
Poliwhirl grades forgivingly, but the same centering and edge standards apply. Pack-fresh raw copies are easy to find, which makes a clean PSA 10 submission a low-cost way to learn how the cardstock behaves under grading.
If you are collecting Poliwhirl
Raw copies of Poliwhirl are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Poliwhirl is the practical move.
