Venusaur · Expedition Base Set, what to know.
About the Venusaur card
Numbered 30 of 165 in Expedition Base Set, released in September 2002, Venusaur is a Rare Holo, a Stage 2 Grass-type carrying 100 HP.
It evolves from Ivysaur, so Venusaur is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
Illustrated by Shin-ichi Yoshikawa.
About Venusaur in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved grass starter. A heavy-set quadruped with a large pink flower on its back. Tank archetype in the games. The grass Charizard equivalent in Base Set. Holo run dominates collector demand and Venusaur is the value play of the original three starters, with 1st Edition prices appreciating faster than Blastoise over the last 18 months.
What is Venusaur worth?
Venusaur is a holo rare, one of the cards that holds Expedition Base Set's value. The print variant decides most of it: a 1st Edition copy in high grade commands a large premium over a Shadowless or Unlimited one. In top-grade 1st Edition, Expedition Base Set 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.
Print variants and how to spot them
Confirm the print and finish on Venusaur before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
Grading Venusaur comes down to the holo surface and the borders. The era's foil scratches easily, so even a pack-fresh Venusaur can drop from a 10 to a 9 on a single hairline. Inspect the window at an angle and the corners against the frame.
If you are collecting Venusaur
When you go to buy Venusaur, settle three things in order: the print variant, the condition, and a comp for that exact combination. A blended average across variants will mislead you on Venusaur, so price the specific copy in front of you.
