Pikachu

Why collectors notice it

Because it is a Common, collectors discuss it less for rarity and more for what it represents: the mascot of the franchise on one of the first English cards.

It is the reference point for the whole hobby. Nearly every later set is compared with it. Read more about Base Set.

A closer look

Reading this card

This card is a good first one to practice on. The stage label says Basic, so it can go straight from your hand to the table with nothing underneath it. The type is Lightning. The rarity is Common, which the publisher marks with a circle symbol on most cards from this era onward.

Common is a statement about how many copies exist inside the set. Pokémon packs held many Commons, so most players owned a few. A card can be a Common and still be one of the best-loved in the set, and Pikachu shows that.

Look for the name of the Pokémon it evolves into, Raichu. That tells you the card is the start of a line. The "out of 102" number near the bottom shows the set it comes from.

How it compares

Compare it with Mewtwo. Both are Basic Pokémon from the same set, but they differ in nearly every other way. Pikachu is Lightning and Common. Mewtwo is Psychic and a Holo Rare, so it has the shiny artwork area. Mewtwo has no evolution line listed here, while Pikachu points ahead to Raichu.

The other useful comparison is Blastoise, which sits at the far end of an evolution line. Reading the two together shows the whole ladder from Basic to Stage 2 in one set.

Questions readers ask

What does Basic mean on a Pokémon card?

It means you can play the card directly. Stage 1 and Stage 2 cards must go on top of the earlier form, so a game needs at least one Basic Pokémon to start.

Is a Common card worth collecting?

Collectors choose cards for many reasons, such as the character or a personal theme. This site does not give prices, so it cannot say what any card costs.

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