Raichu · Expedition Base Set, what to know.
About the Raichu card
Raichu is card 61 of 165 in Expedition Base Set, released in September 2002, a Rare. It is a Stage 1 Lightning-type with 80 HP.
As a Stage 1, it evolves from Pikachu, which places Raichu deeper in its line and means most collectors hold it alongside the cards it evolves from.
Illustrated by Atsuko Nishida. Nishida is the original designer of Pikachu and many Gen 1 Pokémon, and her card work has a soft, rounded warmth that suits the friendlier creatures.
About Raichu in the Pokémon world
The fully evolved Pikachu. Larger, orange-yellow body, with a long tail. Rare in the wild; usually requires a Thunder Stone evolution. Base Set holo Raichu is one of the famous "where is mine" cards. Its print run had inconsistent centering, and a famously rare prerelease variant exists.
What is Raichu worth?
Raichu is a non-holo Rare. In Expedition Base Set, value concentrates in the holo rares, so a Raichu trades modestly, though a clean, well-centered 1st Edition copy in PSA 10 is scarcer than the print run suggests and carries a real premium. Check the live price above for the figure by grade.
Print variants and how to spot them
Confirm the print and finish on Raichu before pricing it, since variant and rarity set the market more than the card name alone.
Grading and condition
Raichu grades on centering and edges more than surface. The card was played and traded more freely than the holos, so a clean, well-centered Raichu is worth more than collectors assume.
If you are collecting Raichu
For Raichu, 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 Raichu can make sense.
