Poliwhirl · Skyridge, what to know.
About the Poliwhirl card
Numbered 88 of 182 in Skyridge, released in May 2003, Poliwhirl is a Common, a Stage 1 Water-type carrying 70 HP.
It evolves from Poliwag, so Poliwhirl is a later-stage card that set-builders usually slot into a full evolution run rather than buy alone.
Illustrated by Hisao Nakamura.
About Poliwhirl in the Pokémon world
The middle Poliwag stage. Now bipedal with arms but retained spiral belly. Notably the card on the cover of the original Game Boy Pokémon manual. Mid-stage demand.
What is Poliwhirl worth?
Poliwhirl 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
Confirm the print and finish on Poliwhirl before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
Poliwhirl 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 Poliwhirl
Raw copies of Poliwhirl are inexpensive enough that grading rarely pays unless you have a clearly pack-fresh example. For set completion, a clean sleeved Poliwhirl is the practical move.
