Raticate

Raticate is card 40 of 102 in Base Set, released in January 1999, an Uncommon. It is a Stage 1 Colorless-type with 60 HP.

As a Stage 1, it evolves from Rattata, which places Raticate 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 card's flavor text gives Raticate a line of lore: "It uses its whiskers to maintain its balance. It seems to slow down if they are cut off."

The fully evolved Rattata. Larger, more aggressive, with a famous unverified internet rumor about its anime fate. Base Set Raticate has steady raw demand. Holo Raticate does not exist in Wizards-era prints.

Based on recent eBay sales, raw copies trade from $2.98 to $21 depending on the print and a PSA 10 runs from $210 to $583. The 1st Edition print is the most valuable, with a PSA 10 near $583. The table on this page breaks the price down by print and grade, updated 2026-05-18.

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 Raticate, the price gap between these prints can run 10x or more, so confirm the variant before any purchase.

Raticate 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.

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