Voltorb · Team Rocket, what to know.
About the Voltorb card
Voltorb is card 69 of 83 in Team Rocket, released in April 2000, a Common. It is a Basic Lightning-type with 40 HP.
As a Basic Pokémon, Voltorb needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.
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 Voltorb reads: "Usually seen only in power plants, it is sometimes seen in towns, apparently using the power lines to travel."
About Voltorb in the Pokémon world
A Poké Ball-shaped electric Pokémon. Famous for being mistaken for items in the games. Base Set Common. Cheap and sentimental.
What is Voltorb worth?
Voltorb is a Common, so raw copies trade for very little and most of the print run survives. The only real value is in pristine, high-grade copies, where even a Common can reach low triple digits in 1st Edition PSA 10. See the live price above for the current figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Team Rocket shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The 1st Edition Voltorb carries the Edition 1 stamp under the artwork and trades above the Unlimited copy in matching grade. The set is also home to Dark Raichu, the first Secret Rare ever printed.
Grading and condition
Voltorb is the most forgiving tier to grade in the set. Centering on the framed border is the usual cap, and the soft Wizards-era cardstock picks up edge whitening easily, but high print runs keep clean copies affordable.
If you are collecting Voltorb
Raw copies of Voltorb are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Voltorb is the practical move.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
