Zapdos · Fossil, what to know.
About the Zapdos card
Numbered 30 of 62 in Fossil, released in October 1999, Zapdos is a Rare, a Basic Lightning-type carrying 80 HP.
As a Basic Pokémon, Zapdos needs no prior evolution to put into play, which made it a practical card in the era's decks.
Illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita. Arita painted the Base Set Charizard and much of the early holo run, and his work has a painterly weight that set the visual tone of the Wizards era.
Zapdos carries this Pokédex flavor text: "A legendary thunderbird Pokémon whose anger is said to cause storms. Some say it has lived above the clouds for thousands of years."
About Zapdos in the Pokémon world
A Legendary Electric-Flying bird. The Electric of the three Legendary birds. Both Base Set holo Zapdos and Fossil holo Zapdos exist. The Base Set print is more famous and more valuable.
What is Zapdos worth?
Based on recent eBay sales, raw copies trade from $17 to $26 depending on the print and a PSA 10 runs from $310 to $650. The 1st Edition print is the most valuable, with a PSA 10 near $650. The table on this page breaks the price down by print and grade, updated 2026-05-29.
Print variants and how to spot them
Fossil shipped in 1st Edition and Unlimited, with no Shadowless print. The Edition 1 stamp under the artwork separates the scarcer 1st Edition Zapdos from the Unlimited copy.
Grading and condition
Zapdos grades on centering and edges more than surface. The card was played and traded more freely than the holos, so a clean, well-centered Zapdos is worth more than collectors assume.
If you are collecting Zapdos
For Zapdos, 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 Zapdos can make sense.
Three prints, three markets.
Edition 1 stamp under the artwork. Trades above Unlimited in matching grade.
No stamp. The standard, more affordable print.
