Metapod · Expedition Base Set, what to know.
About the Metapod card
Metapod is card 87 of 165 in Expedition Base Set, released in September 2002, an Uncommon. It is a Stage 1 Grass-type with 60 HP.
As a Stage 1, it evolves from Caterpie, which places Metapod deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.
Illustrated by Yuichi Sawayama.
About Metapod in the Pokémon world
Caterpie evolved into a hardened green chrysalis. Famous in the anime for the Ash vs Ash episode where Metapods battled by hardening. Cheap entry-level vintage card. Used by new collectors to learn the difference between Unlimited and Shadowless prints.
What is Metapod worth?
Metapod is an Uncommon, so raw copies are inexpensive and easy to find. The value is in condition: a genuine PSA 10, especially 1st Edition, can still reach a surprising figure for an otherwise common card. The live price above breaks it down by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Confirm the print and finish on Metapod before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
Metapod 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.
If you are collecting Metapod
Raw copies of Metapod are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Metapod is the practical move.
